Ek Balam Majestic Mayan Ruins and Cenote Tour

NOT RECOMMENDED

Don’t book this tour- the agency that runs it failed to inform me the tour wasn’t running. Only after I pressed them to confirm the pickup time and location the night before (mind you- this took several hours of messages and attempted phone calls), they admitted the tour wasn’t running. They then tried to bamboozle me by offering something else in return. I eventually just asked for a refund as I didn’t trust them anymore. I am still waiting for my refund…..

via Tripadvisor

Dont do it. Amazing Site, Long Drive, Terribly Run Tour.

If you want to waste an entire day in Mexico, then this is the trip for you! 🙌 Spend an entire day in a van! 🤩 Eat a terrible meal at a tourist trap! ❤️ Pay too much to get half of what you were told you would receive! 🤑 If you can't tell, that's sarcasm: DON'T BOOK! For each part, I'll explain the pros and cons. The pros have everything to do with Mexico's beauty and the INAH, the cons have everything to do with the tour management company. Pros The Arky Site: I have previously been to Ek Balam, the site itself is amazing. If you've been to larger sites like Tulum or Chichen Itza, Ek Balam is a great change of pace. Having been to more than 10 sites here, in my opinion, it's one of the best in the Yucatan Peninsula. You can climb and enter many structures, there is stucco work that has withstood time and weather, there are areas still yet to be uncovered, and the site is not so large that you feel you can't see it all in a day. I really wanted to share that experience with my family, especially my sibling who is an archeologist, and my partner who had never visited Mexico. The INAH tour guide we had was fantastic, (thanks William!), but to be clear, you can purchase pay for a guide at the site directly. They are federally regulated, extremely knowledgeable, and worth every peso! The Cenote: Beautiful. Warm. Well maintained. The group managing this cenote ensured that people were respecting the water, land, flora, fauna, etc. There were a few sales people selling wares and massages. They were kind and respectful, not pushy. Great experience. Valladolid: An interesting colonial town, built upon a raised Maya site. Very busy, but clearly a hub for many groups experiencing Mexico. Cons The "Ek Balam Majestic Mayan Ruins and Cenote Tour" stated inclusions such as -A 10 hour duration. Starting at 7am -Transportation -Live Bilingual guide -Swimming in a cenote with a rappelling descent -life jackets and lockers -Buffet-style regional meal (no drinks included) 1 - pickup 2- 2 hours at ekbalam 3 -2 hours at Cenote Maya Park 4- lunch 5-drop off My group was 8 adults. The majority of our tour group (9 out of 11) were located in Playa Del Carmen. 8 of us were about 15 minutes drive away from the pick up point given. (Even though it was said that they pickup from many hotels, ours was not on the list. ) We all taxied to the location and were picked up at 7:45am. We then drove an hour to Cancun. We were very confused as Ek Balam is a 2 hour drive from Playa Del Carmen- the other direction. The driver had limited English, (although this was listed as a bilingual tour) but we got the message that we were headed to Cancun to grab more people. We made one stop at a gas station in Cancun, where we picked up our guide, and 2 other passengers. Here we could use a paid washroom, and pay for snacks or coffee at the gas station. Our tour guide was not the INAH guide. He gave us a little information about what to expect: we will go to ek balam, then cenote, then head to valladolid and get a traditional Maya-style lunch, then go back to playa del carmen. We headed to the site, but with the detour, we were in the van for over 3 hours. At one point, we pulled to the side of the road so the driver could go into the bushes to urinate- which is fine by me, when you gotta go, you gotta go! However, we weren't told why we stopped. And we were all holding it! When we got back to driving, we were 30 minutes from the site. Finally getting some relief when we arrived. We met with our INAH guide, and left our bus driver and tour guide. The INAH guide was ONLY provided at Ek Balam. He does not accompany you on the remainder of the tour. We spent an hour on the tour, and were then given 30 minutes to explore the site. Not nearly enough time. I personally think even two hours is too little, but knew what I signed up for. Still, we didn't stay for 2 hours! only 1.5. We could have really used that extra time. When we arrived at the Cenote, we were told we had an hour here and a time to be back. As well, we were told life jackets are included but lockers were a charge. When I pulled up the booking and showed that lockers were supposed to be included, we were then told we could just keep our stuff on the bus. Many of us walked back and forth barefoot across the rocks to get from the change rooms and the van. As well, there was no tour at the cenote. We got a five minute quick run about cenotes as we were driving- extremely hard to hear (and I was in the front of the van) and very short. Not an in-depth explanation about the cultural and historical significance of cenotes as a portal to the underworld, or how they are formed. I ended up answering many of my groups questions. We then got to swim in the cenote for a little while. It was only as we were leaving that I checked the website again to confirm that we were SUPPOSED to have 2 hours at the cenote. Why only an hour? We were now very hungry. We then drove past Valladolid. Confusing, as I thought that was supposed to be our lunch spot. During the drive our tour guide began to explain a bit about how the Maya used precious stones and made buildings to track astrological events. He passed around paper, and an obsidian disk, so we could look at the sun. Except we were in the moving van- so half the group couldn't see the sun. He said he'd show us again when we stopped (He did not). We arrived at a Maya park, the tour guide showing us all his friends- dapping them us as we go. A man did a smoke cleansing, we saw tortillas being made, and the same stones shown on the bus, being turned into a mask. Somewhat interesting, but we were all starving. Then we were plopped into a gift shop- suddenly it all made sense. Here is where you could buy a 100 dollar obsidian disk. Or a thousand dollar mask. People followed us around trying to get us to buy their items. Told us how important it was to get a "Mayan name"- purchase a paper! We were all confused. Nobody wanted to buy things, and we thought we were getting lunch. After waiting around for our guide, he finally returned and walked us to a giant room with a buffet. - Remember drinks and tip are not included, as stated in the tour description. We here a spiel about a traditional Maya green drink. Then we are asked who wants it. It was extremely uncomfortable. My partner and I don't drink alcohol or soda. The waiter kept asking and asking about what we will drink. We said we didn't want anything and he seemed frustrated. Some of my family just relented and ordered a drink so we could eat! FINALLY we were able to go get food. Spaghetti... battered fish (hard & cold) ... Yeah. "Traditional" Maya lunch. While we ate dancers came into the room to perform. I'm sure it was cool, but I wasn;t watching. I was trying to eat, but it was so LOUD! You can't talk, or even think. And of course, everyone wants a tip as you leave. I know tipping culture is different in Mexico, but I feel like I'm held hostage sometimes. I didn't ask for the dancers. And it's a buffet!? We get up and feed ourselves. Grabbed our own plates, stole extra napkins and cutlery from a different table! What are we giving the tip for? Finally we leave, we head to Valladolid. Our guide talks about how this is maybe the second most important site to Maya people (doesn't explain why though!). He says the Spanish knocked down a temple and built a church. We get off the bus and are told that are meeting spot is a tequila shop- again the tour guide fist bumps his friends at the shop. We have 30 minutes to spend here and meet back at the tequila ship! Immediately, we're surrounded by 5 people trying to get us to come in and taste tequila, have a drink, buy something. It takes 5 minutes just to get away from them and cross to the center plaza. An extremely busy area, we did one loop around the park and it was time to head back. Back on the bus, and again, instead of going to Playa Del Carmen, we go back to Cancun. Adding another 2 hours to the trip. Here we leave our guide and 2 guests. Tip the driver and guide! We finally got to Play Del Carmen at around 8:30pm. We we're all tired and hungry and disappointed. I contacted the tour group "Wisest Tour" about the discrepancies. They said times listed are approximate, because of traffic etc. (there was none) so there's nothing to be done. But, they could give us 5$ usd each (40usd total), since we didn't get to do the repelling decent. We spent more than $1800CAD. Not including tips. ($1350 usd) Approximate is a 5-10 minute difference. Not hours. I told them for me it wasn't even a money issue, I'm angry that the listing didn't accurately reflect inclusions. They insisted it was all there. I again pointed out how it was misleading, and asked them to either refund me 30%, as that is the amount of time we missed at the sites (even though it was more like 40%), or refund us 15% and update their listing to accurately reflect what is provided, so other people can have expectations like a useless added 3 hour drive. (We would have split the costs for 2 more people if it meant more time at the sites!) They said they would not give 30%, and that the description was already accurate. So here we are! Avoid or Cancel if you still can! TLDR: My biggest issue with the tour is that we were supposed to have at least 4 hours of time at the cenote and site. We got 2-2.5 hours. We were supposed to rappel into the cenote. We did not. You think you'll spend 4-5 hours in a car because the destination is far, but really you spend 7 hours, and you get to waste time in a trinket store 🤩. They don't completely lie to you about the tour, but they don't tell you the whole truth. Just pay a driver privately to take you to the sites. Your money and time is better spent.

Response from the operator: Hi there, Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed review. We truly regret that your experience did not meet your expectations, and we appreciate the opportunity to clarify several important points for future travelers. This tour is a shared tour, and as clearly stated in the description, durations and stop times are approximate and may vary depending on logistics, group composition, traffic conditions, and operational requirements on the day of service. Pickups are done from designated meeting points when accommodations are not on the direct route, which is standard practice for shared transportation and was communicated in advance. Regarding guides: • A certified INAH guide is provided exclusively at the archaeological site, as required by federal regulations. • A tour escort accompanies the group for logistics, timing, and general assistance throughout the day. At Ek Balam, the total time on site was within the operational range of the tour. At the cenote, life jackets are included as stated; lockers may involve an additional fee depending on the facility’s policies that day. Rappelling is subject to availability and safety conditions, which is why we offered compensation when it could not be performed. The cultural stop and meal are part of the experience and are described in the listing. While purchases are optional, these locations support local communities and artisans. No guest is required to buy anything. We did offer compensation for the specific activity that could not be delivered. However, we are unable to provide partial refunds based on personal time perception, as the tour itself was operated according to the published itinerary and terms accepted at booking. We understand that this style of tour is not for everyone. Travelers looking for full control of timing and zero commercial stops may indeed prefer a private service, which we are always happy to arrange upon request. We sincerely thank you for visiting Mexico and for recognizing the value of the archaeological site and cenote themselves. Your feedback has been noted and helps future travelers make informed decisions. Kind regards,

via Tripadvisor

Long day but really...

Long day but really interesting. Our guide gave us a real insight into Mayan culture and the history of it, and how it is integrated into a lot of other cultures. Ek Balam was fabulous, not so busy as other ruins and being able to climb to the top of the royal palace gave a whole new perspective. The lunch stop and shopping experience, although pretty busy and chaotic was a good opportunity to support the local Mayans and buy authentic Mexican gifts. The Cenote was fine, like most other cenotes you can visit. Villadilodid was a busy but authentic city with shops and churches to look at. Overall a fantastic day with lots to learn and lots to do.

via Viator

Mixed Feelings

Our guide, Felix, was great, and we enjoyed the listed sites of Ek Balam and the cenote. The lunch was also amazing. I would have rated the tour higher, however we were unhappy with the additional stop Vallodolid where the guide encouraged us to go into a shop for a tequila tasting. The shop was heavily pressuring people for sales and scammed two of my friends by giving them one price but charging much more. Be careful here.

Response from the operator: Hello Julie, Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback. We're really happy to hear that you enjoyed the main highlights of the tour — Ek Balam, the cenote, the delicious lunch, and especially your time with Felix. He's a wonderful guide and will be glad to know he made a great impression! That said, we sincerely regret that your experience in Valladolid was overshadowed by the situation at the shop. We take all reports of high-pressure sales and pricing concerns seriously and will be following up directly with the provider to ensure greater transparency and guest care moving forward. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Feedback like yours helps us continue to improve every part of the experience. We hope to welcome you back again soon — for a tour that earns a full 5 stars from start to finish. Warm regards,

via Viator

Very Educational

This tour was very educational and I learned a lot. The only bad part is that wheb you visit a Cenote after the ruins, that they dont let you take pictures or videos in the Cenote

via Viator