Chichen Itza & Ekbalam Tour From Playa del Carmen

The tour was supposed to start at Chichen Itza with a duration of 12 hours. We were picked up at the hotel at 7 am. Until 8:30 am we picked up other people, went to a gas station and exchanged people with different buses. There we were told that the tour would start with a visit of a cenote and we would arrive at Chichen Itza at approximate 2 pm. When we complained that this was as not the schedule of the tour be booked we were sarcastically offered to return to our hotel. We than were driven to a cenote. The whole tour the guide was talking, mainly to convince us to buy stuff at the cenote. After we arrived at the cenote we were transferred to another guide to start our tour with another bus, now without working ac. After that we went to Ekbalam, which is a nice spot and worth seeing. For unknown reasons the tour guide referrerd to us only as “familiy”. After that we went to a nearby cenote wich was nice. Information about the activity was given unsatisfactory, even when we asked (eg about the use of lockers: “ It’s your money, your choice, etc.). After that we went to Chichen Itza. The spot is great, but it was hot and crowded, the opposite to the description when we booked the tour. Another couple on the tour told the same story. After that we were told that the tour was “now finished”. We waited about 40-50 minutes in a nearby village for the transport back to the hotel, where we arrived after 14 (!) hours. In conclusion, visiting Chichen Itza and Ekbalam is great, but I would not recommend to booli it via viator or Nexus.

Everything was fine.Pick up and transfer well organized.The guide explained everything great .Highly interesting excursion.In between there was a delicious Mexican buffet

It was such a beautiful experience. Jose was so knowledgeable and both he and the driver represent what great service is about. You get 4 excursions in one really and learnings to top it off. Some things that I'd like to mention that I was not prepared for: bring a swim suit as you can experience swimming in a cenote for an extra charge. The Mayan tax on top of the excursions is $66 USD per person on top of your excursion (at time of this review), so would like to bring awareness to this if you are budgeting. Overall, very worth it for all that is included. Thank you.

Spent less than an hour at Chitzenitza! This was such a disappointment… Only good thing was Jose our guide. Started off waiting over 30 minutes for a late passenger in our cramped rattle-wagon of a van. Ek Balam was fine, but It was downhill from there. We weren’t allowed to even LOOK AT the cenote without an extra $5 for a life jacket fee. EVEN IF YOU WERENT PLANNING ON SWIMMING! A number of us waited in the heat while the swimmers frolicked. Never being allowed to gaze on the magnificent water. Then, off to a tourist trap compound where we ate at a very basic/limited mexican buffet. Off to the ‘artisan stations’ then a WEIRD blessing ceremony by a fedora wearing ‘Shaman.’. Keep in mind, It was close to 3 pm and Chitzenitza closes at 4:00. Much to my horror, we were herded into a hard-sell gift shop. i expressed my concern about the looming closure of Chitzenitza to no avail. Yes, we finally got there, but it was sadly a rushed ordeal. I was sick with disappointment. By all means take another tour! Spending more time in a gift shop than A fabulous wonder of the world was criminal.

I have left it a few weeks before writing this review to give a better perspective. At the time it was a bit of a nightmare. Please read all the review to get the full picture. I am a lone traveller looking for archaeology only. So this may not be relevant for all. I’ll start with: Pros. • Price – Excellent • Hotel pick-up – Free • Both Chichen Itza & Ek Balam • Guide who knows and enjoys his work • Teaching us on the long journey Firstly, Chichen Itza and Ek Balam are a must if you have any interest in Archaeology. The price was the lowest by some way and no problem with a pick-up. The journey is long but wasn’t that bad as the guide was teaching us on the road. My archaeology knowledge of Mexico was limited, but I learned a lot on the journey. Cons. • Transport – 18 seater van with broken windows • Cramped – no leg room • Organisation and Timing – Below par • Buffet - Mexican only • Dubious State tax amount - Firstly I start with the taxes. Most say entrance is included. This does not seem to be the case. Entrance fees and taxes for both seem to be 1209 pesos. All companies charge 1250 for just taxes. However I was charged 1340 pesos. Which I queried and was told that was the exchange rate (Not true) I had already checked. The lunch was included –That was a joke (Mexican only). Unfortunately I had a bit of a problem stomach so just wanted bread or something similar. So I didn’t get lunch even though I had apparently paid for it. As I don’t drink alcohol I didn’t pay for the drinks package (about $20). So, I didn’t get a coffee or water either so be warned. Due to bad timing I was on the bus for 15 hours. I believe some of the other passengers were travelling longer. However, Chichen Itza and Ek Balam are a must.

This tour is a super long day, but I think worth it if you want to be able to climb a Mayan ruin and see Chichén Itzá in the same day. The cenote is also refreshing after being in the heat. The whole tour took 14 hours (2 hours longer than advertised). Most of the day is spent on the bus, which we were aware of. We found the tour bus to be cramped compared to the other tours we took in Mexico and did not have enough air conditioning. I imagine the buses are not the same for each tour but FYI. We were a little put off by how much time our guide spent trying to convince us to buy things in the Mayan village / the personalized Mayan horoscopes. We know lots of people are interested in souvenirs but we would have appreciated more of a focus on Mayan history and culture than just trying to get us to buy stuff. They also sort of forced us to take turns taking pictures with a Mayan soldier-dressed man in a loincloth and then when we were eating lunch they printed it and put it on a bottle of alcohol to sell to us (we don’t drink). We felt uncomfortable posing with the man and then printing it felt like a guilt trip to get us to buy something. Overall we accomplished our goal to see these ruins but the amount of time spent trying to get us to buy stuff detracted from the experience.

I absolutely loved this trip. Our tour guide Louis was great, funny, knowledgeable, always helpful. Our driver Erick drove fast and safely, he was also friendly and made sure we had enough water to stay hydrated. Everything happened on schedule, we all had an amazing day. Thank you Louis and Erick for making the tour more memorable. 😊

Absolutely amazing day! Our tour guides were very informative and went out of their way the entire day. Great way to see two different sites as well as a cenote. Would highly recommend!

It was a very complete tour, they arrived on schedule to find us. The guide José Luis was very attentive and predisposed throughout. So is the driver. Highly recommended!

Loved the tour! Edwin the guide is a star! He is so knowledgeable and has a great ability to engage the audience, also with a sense of humour. The van was comfortable, and I loved the fact that the group size was intimate. When booking the tour, I felt it was rather overpriced, but as the amount of people was quite small, it definitely paid off. Loved all the cultural insights too!