Chichen Itza & EkBalam: Mayan Culture Tour

Immerse yourself in the ancient Mayan culture with a full-day tour to Chichen Itza and EkBalam. Avoid the crowds and explore the sites with professional guides. Enjoy a buffet lunch and swim in a cenote. Book now!

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Chichen Itza - Arrive at Chichen Itza as the ruins open to enjoy a comprehensive 2-hour guided tour. Explore the ancient site, including notable structures like La Iglesia, Las Monjas, The Observatory, and one of the two cenotes within the ruins.
    Capture stunning photos at Kukulkan Castle without the crowds and take a delightful walk to learn about…
What's Included
  • All visits guided
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
  • Early access to Chichen Itza
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Professional guide speaking 100% English
What's Not Included
  • Chichen Itza and Ekbalam State taxes. 1250 MXN per person, must be pay in cash at travel date
  • Drinks at the restaurant
Additional Information

Join this intimate group tour to Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, where you’ll arrive early in the morning to fully explore the site before the large crowds appear.
This tour focuses on culture and history, with no shopping stops. Our professional guides will provide detailed insights into Mayan culture and Mexican history. This is not a tourist trap tour….

Location
Coco Bongo
Aproximate meeting time 06:00 am . We provide the definitive meeting time the afternoon before to the tour by email or text to your cel. You must wait at Coco Bongo doors for our guide, he will call your name arriving.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(165 Ratings)
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Zaraa556
Apr 26, 2025
Highlight of the trip! - This tour was exceptional! It was so nice to visit Chichen Itza early in the morning, before there were significant crowds, with a guide who was passionate and knowledgeable. Chichen Itza was incredible, it should not be missed! The cenote was lovely too, really nice facilities and food was great. Ek Balam was a nice end to the day, something that we wouldn’t have seen if not for this tour but really enjoyed! Really glad to have found this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
734michelo
Apr 24, 2025
A great family experience! - We had an amazing family day trip to Chichen Itza, Hubiku cenote, and Ek Balam. We booked it for the main event, Chichen Itza, but we're equally wowed by the other attractions. Even our teenagers loved it! Carlos got us there quickly and safely, and Carmen was an absolute wealth of knowledge about Mayan culture! Be warned: it's a long day, with 3hrs of travel on either side, but well worth it! We were super happy to have booked a small tour with early access once we saw the crowds start to arrive at Chichen Itza. Would book with NS Tours and Carmen+Carlos again!
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753innap
Apr 23, 2025
Very good memorable experience - The trip was exactly as promised-focus on culture and sightseeing and not shopping(although there was a window of opportunity to do so) the guide Miguel was very knowledgeable and caring about well-being of group-it was a very hot day so they provided plenty of cold water and planned the day so that we could pace ourselves. I agree with other reviewers that Chichen Itza is a very special place and well worth the visit despite the early rise, brutal heat and long drive. Also agree that it’s a bit overrun with vendors. But Ek Balan compensates for that giving you much quieter less touristy experience of walking through the ancient city. Cenote swimming in between was priceless-it’s beautiful, not crowded and provides much needed Coll if in the middle of the day.
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Oliviermq5858rb
Apr 22, 2025
First time in mexico, not disappointed - Miguel was very helpful as a guide for Chichen Itza and Ek Balam. I strongly recommend this trip if you visit Mexico. The history of the place is incredible and the viee are breathtaking.
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Charlotter240
Apr 22, 2025
Excellent day trip - Great experience. 06:45 pickup in PDC so not too early which was a great start! There were only 10 of us on the tour which is partly why I picked this - truly small group. The minibuses used were air conditioned and the drive between places wasn’t too bad. The guide Eder was knowledgeable and gave a good amount of information but also allowed plenty of time at each place for your own exploration. Chichen Itza was amazing, this tour gets you there just as it opens (Yucatan is 1 hour behind Quintana Roo). So you get to see most of it without crowds, and before the heat of the day gets to you. The cenote was lovely, very quiet and a bit out of the way, a great way to cool off. Take a snorkel / GoPro with you and see the catfish! And Ek Balam was lovely too, again very quiet with not many tourists at all. Much smaller site than Chichen Itza, but you can climb the main temple (can be difficult in the heat). If anything we felt we got a bit longer than we needed in Ek Balam - it was mid afternoon and very, very hot. Overall a great tour, a long day but well worth it. I would recommend if you want to avoid the huge crowds on the cheaper / larger tours.
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Fiona
Apr 19, 2025
Chichen itza and more - Guide was very welcoming and bus was comfortable and had aircon. Journey was long however guide kept us well informed of times to attractions. Guide was well educated and informative and very enthusiastic about the sites which made the sites even more interesting. I can see why Chichen Itza is a wonder if the world. Lunch was lovely and eat all you want. We had plenty of time swimming in the cenote and it was really refreshing. EK Balam was a real treasure and you got to explore everything. Fab trip with a lovely group and Ezekiel was a fab guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mikemcf
Apr 18, 2025
A full on day. Great experience - After reading lots of reviews on tours I opted for this one. Mainly because I wanted to see Chechen Itza and Cenotes. Communication from the company beforehand was informative and clear. We were picked up at the stated time by our friendly guide and onto a clean and comfortable air con mini bus. Our Guide. Itzzy, was very good. He was clear about the days plans and how we would be fairly busy. His passion for showing off his country shine through his talks. He was very knowledgeable and a very good guide. The main attraction, Chechen Itza, was very good. We were there early, but it was filling up fast. It was a fairly quick tour, just enough. Plenty of time and opportunity for pictures. Then into the Cenote. A lovely lunch was provided and then the cooling cenote was welcome as the day was getting hot. It was then onto Ek Balam. This was better than Chechen Itza. It was great. Quieter and more involved. The long bus journey was worth it. I feel everything worked well on this tour and wok definitely recommend to people who want to see the archeological sites but with a cool dip in between.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shellytz3326wf
Apr 17, 2025
Amazing Tour! - We had an amazing time taking this tour! Jorge was our driver and got us to each destination safely. Eder was our tour guide and he is so knowledgeable and kind. He taught us so much and made it such a great experience. Visiting Chichen Itza early in the morning was perfect and not crowded. The cenote was beautiful and also not busy. We were really impressed visiting Ek Balam as it is surrounded by jungle and climbing the pyramids was so cool. If you want a good tour to take you to all the amazing sites, book with NS Vacations! :)
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Jennifer
Apr 17, 2025
A unique experience - We should spend a wonderful day with our guide Carmen and Luis. We visited Chichen Itza and were able to share Carmen's extensive knowledge. She explained everything exactly so that even the outbound journey in flight has passed. Afterwards we went to cool down in a cenote followed by lunch (this was very delicious). Finally we visited Ek Balam and climbed the Maja site. This was a unique experience and we would like to thank you very much for the successful day. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X4318rejessyb
Apr 17, 2025
Amazing maya family adventure - The trip to chichen itza and ek Balam was just amazing for us as a family with little kids (6 to 10 years old). Our guides Carmen and Luis were amazing. We learned so much from them about the maya culture and this beautiful stunning cities. The Organisation was wonderful andThe cenote was a refreshing break in the middle of the trip. Mrs carmen was super nice to the kids too with a lots of fun facts. We highly recommend them for this trip and thank them for this amazing day.
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From $122
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).