Ek Balam, Cenote & Valladolid Experience From Playa Del Carmen

Great unique experiences! While there was a lot of driving it was well worth it! Guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Definitely bring a card or more cash for cenote photos!

Overall it was great! We would have preferred to go to the cenote last instead of first. The AC in the van was only hot air. Our tour guide, Ernesto was fantastic! We learned a lot and we are grateful! We loved meeting the Mayan shaman and learning more about the Mayan culture.

This was a fun trip! our guide, Mark, was knowledgeable and wonderful. The whole day went smoothly. We didn’t expect there to be fun activities in the cenote such as a zip line and platform for jumping. The doo was delicious. We had s great experience!

My wife and I went to the ruïnes and the cenote and the Mayan blessings. One word. Awesome. The cenote is so beautiful. You can climb down or take a zipraft. You also have stairs but they were not possible that day. The lunch after the cenote is real mayan food. Yummy 😋 The blessings is a experience you have to have when being in Mexico. The ruins are breathtaking. Throws you back in history. They were and are great people and builders. Take my word for it. If you are in Mexico in Quintana Roo, take the tour. You won’t regret it👍👍

Trip was very enjoyable and I’d definitely recommend it. Only 4/5 because the description says towels are included, so I didn’t bring one. Use of towels is NOT included and I had to put clothes back on while still wet from the cenote.

First Cenote I have ever been to - tall cavernous rocks with deep mildly cool water - refreshing in the heat of Mexican summer. The cavern has ledges from which one can jump or dive. Families with kids of all ages enjoyed it. A nice restaurant/bar adjacent.

This is a smaller complex than Chichen Itza, but it is definitely worth seeing, particularly because there are not that many tourists, so the atmosphere is better. It is a relatively short, but a pleasant visit.

My girlfriend and I this past week while visiting the Grand Bahia Principe Coba went on this excurion and had a great time and learned quite abit about the mayan ruins and the cenotes. Meeka our tourguide from alldaytours was excellent and very informative. Its a bit of a hike to the top of the ruins but once up there you can see for miles. They are still resorting what they can there and the work is amazing. Now cenotes is an amazing site to see and be in. You can rappell down into the water or walk down the stairs into the cave. Once down there you can swi, zip line , walk across by the 2 rope line they have and for the adventurous ones jumping off the 2 platforms they have, onr at 10 ft the other at 20 ft. I did miner off the 10 ft one and had a great time!!! Good lunch as well. It is a full day so be prepared!!!

A wonderful trip from our resort with Mathieu - Alltournative. Stopping at the ruins first, our guide was informative and answered all our questions, giving us a great insight in to the Mayan culture. Our next stop at the Cenote was exciting with the rappelling and zip lining. The water in the cenote was clear and refreshing.Our group of five consisted of a range of ages - from 26 to 69. But we all enjoy it very much. Mathieu took his time and was patient with our qualms about rappelling, but in the end we had a blast. The lunch they served was very good as well, with lots of variety for us to try. Thank you Mathieu! and Alltournative.

What a wonderful trip!! Gerry was an amazing tour guide, love there's No language barrier!! The Cenote was beautiful and the view from the top of Ek Balam pyramid was gorgeous and worth the Once in a lifetime climb up and down. Quite steep getting down but it must be done. Gerry was an amazing tour guide. He's extremely knowledgeable about the Mayan culture, Ek Balam and Mexican culture. No question was too much. Would definitely recommend Alltournative tours and Gerry as your guide. I would take another tour with him.

We were recommended this tour by our travel agent and I'm so happy we took it! Our tour guide was Christian and he was fantastic. Extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and a safe driver (a rarity, I've learned, in Mexico). Ek Balam is incredible; it's not a huge tourist trap like some of the other popular archaeological sites in Mexico, so the place wasn't packed and we got plenty of time to explore. Just be ready for a bit of vertigo after you climb the 106 stairs to the top of the acropolis, and realize you have to get back down! The Mayan Cenote that afternoon was breathtaking, and repelling down into the sinkhole is so much fun! Once inside the cave, there's zip lines and other fun activities for the adventure seekers, but it's also a quiet place to float in the water and cool off a bit if that's more your cup of tea. Bonus: the food on the Mayan orchard is amazing. Would 100% do this tour again!

The tour we were on was full and we were the last to be picked up. The last seat in the van was a hard bench style seat and there were three people crammed in, with little leg room. Both people on the ends had a sliver of view from the window of the person in front of them. The person in the middle had no view as the van was stadium seating and all that was seen was the road. The trip was about and hour and three quarters into the middle of the Yucatan which would have been interesting to see. Our guide, after speaking for a few minutes, said it was a good time to catch up on sleep. I felt there must have been something more of interest to tell us about the area, its people, its history. The tour of the cenote grounds, rapelling and the Mayan ruins were excellent. The tour was professionally organized, with adequate timing for all activities. I contacted the company about my concerns, through the hotel booking group and through the website but did not get any response.

We chose this excursion because of the 2 different activities included. It was perfect because it was just enough land, and just enough water! We spent the morning at Ek Balam, which was beautiful, historic, AND we could climb to the top of the ruins. It was a fantastic experience, and we spent the perfect amount of time at this attraction. After a short drive, we then had a Mayan meal, partook in a Mayan ceremony, then rappelled into a beautiful Cenote. It was such an incredible experience, and totally out of my comfort zone, but the staff was amazing, kind, and patient. Workers took photos of my boyfriend and I throughout the Cenote experience, and they did such a great job we couldn't help but purchase the disc. It was a full day, but we had a blast and would recommend it for sure! The only suggestion I would make is this isn't a great excursion for young children. I also want to give a huge shout-out to our tour guide Alex and our driver Sammy. They are both amazing people. Alex made the driving go so fast by giving us historical facts, myths and stories about Mexico, the ruins, and the Cenote. It was fascinating. He was funny, sweet, caring, and very accommodating to all members of the tour. He definitely enriched our experience.

My daughter and I booked this excursion through our rep at our Playa Del Carmen hotel and we were not disappointed. Christian, our guide and driver for the entire day, picked us up at the hotel and we were off with a nice small group of 10, four of whom were native French speakers. Christian, a Mexican native, has traveled the world and is fluent in many languages, so he easily went back and forth between english and french so everyone had a full understanding of everything we experienced. The hour-long drive through the Mexican countryside was an adventure and we were glad to get to see how much of the population still lives. Despite the rural poverty, everything was extraordinarily clean and you could tell how much community means to this culture. Our first stop was at Cenote Maya Cultural Farm where we walked through the organic working farm, learning about many of the plants and continuing way of life of the Mayan people. Next we participated in a Mayan blessing ceremony by a real-life Shaman before heading to the changing area for the largest cenote in the Yucatan. After a bracing shower to rinse us off so as to not pollute their drinking water, we walked over to the rappelling platform to get harnessed up for the 100' drop into the underground cenote. What they don't tell you is that you are going straight down into 65 degree water! Holy cow! While you attempt to ward off the freeze, a man in a warm wet suit unhooks you, then you swim about 50 feet over to the platform where the 'chicken stairs' are situated. For those who love cold water, there is a small zip line and some tarzan ropes if you care to stay and play. Christian was ever present and explained about the formation of the rocks and the depth of the cenote. It was super clear and you could see a long way down. To exit there is a series of steps and ramps up through the cave and back to the top of terra firma and you are given a good towel to dry off with. Once we were changed, there was a large palapa where our mostly-authentic buffet lunch was waiting for us and the food was quite good. After lunch we drove for about 15 minutes to Ek Balam, the ruins that have most recently been excavated (20 years or so). We decided to go to these ruins instead of Chitchen Itza, as it has become a tourist trap and can no longer be climbed. We were not disappointed! The size and complexity of the entire complex is astonishing and we learned a great deal from our guide, a true descendant of the Mayan tribe, though his english was rather hard to understand at times. My daughter climbed to the top and saw Chitchen Itza in the distance, as well as the numerous other sites that have yet to be excavated. There are a handful of obligatory stalls for the locals to sell their crafts and it was suggested to us that we compare pricing with the vendor on the other side of the parking lot. My daughter was considering a hammock and the price was slightly less outside, but she would have bought it from the young woman who actually made it, had she done so inside the facility. (Side note: she did not buy one there and the price was 3x more back at the hotel property!) The drive back wasn't quite as long and we were grateful for the opportunity to relax and reflect on such a wonderful day of adventure. We highly recommend this tour, this company, and especially our guide, Christian!

We visited Ek Balam/Cenote Maya with Alltournative. Our tour guide was Alex M, and Sammy our driver provided comfortable transportation. We have gone on various tours before but this one was exceptional! Alex M is a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide. No one fell asleep listening to his tales! This ego-adventure took us to the latest archaeological Mayan city. We climbed the temple (much easier than Coba) enjoyed the Maya ceremony and delectable Mayan meal (try the rice water drink---it's refreshing & delicious!) Then we went to the cenote and rappeled down by harness into the water below! (Adrenaline rush!) We swam in the cenote and used the Tarzan vine to descend into the water (think zipline without a harness and let go!) Breathtaking views. (you have the option to take the stairs in/out the cenote if you prefer to do so)

We knew we wanted to visit some of the ruins while in Cancun/Playa del Carmen & we got so lucky with this trip w/ the added bonus of the Cenote Maya Park. The Cenote was gorgeous, the water was invigorating and the Mayan lunch was probably the best food we had our entire trip. Ek Balam was breathtaking. We had a great guide for hte first 40 minutes and could then explore and climb for the next hour. This day trip was the one of the reasons we chose Cancun/Playa del Carmen over other parts of Mexico and it didn't disappoint. Loved the small group (we had 13 in our van), the tourguide, Diego Garcia was friendly, very easy going and made every level of ability feel welcome. Whether you could climb the ruins like a mountain goat or just wanted to enjoy the ruins from the ground - everyone had a lot of fun.

<p>Ek Balam Ruins are a great place to visit. We were picked up on time and taken to the Cenote Maya Park first. We were welcomed there with a Mayan ceremony and then taken through the gardens were they grown pineapples, bananas etc and shown a Mayan house. The Cenote was great! the had abseiling into the Cenote or you can walk down the steps. There was a short zip line and you could drop off into the water. After an a very nice buffett lunch we were taken to Ek Balam. There were not very many people which was nice but extremely hot by that time of day. They local guide took us around and talked thrugh the different ruins then we were left to have free time and take photos. It was a great day and the guide looked after us all very well. <br/> The only thing was I wish they had taken us to the ruins first when it was a little cooler as we were roasting!</p>

<p>Amazing trip and our tour guide, Ismael, was wonderful!</p>

Great day our guide was extra passionate about the history maya cenote beautiful and friendly group Mood Bravo Nicolas Good continuation CORREIA family

This was a really successful day trip characterized by culture, action, a great group and our very competent and warm tour guide Tamara. It was a lot of fun and you got to know some of the history and the country. We would always prefer Ek Balam, because it is probably much more relaxed there than on Chitzen Itza, besides, you can climb on the pyramid.

Very nice day and beautiful visit, accompanied by clear and interesting explanations. The swimming in the cenote was exceptional. Very professional team.

We savored this day at the site of Ek Balam then at the Cenote Maya. The bus from Alltournative picked us up in the morning at 7:35 am at the HM Playa Del Carmen hotel and we returned in the evening around 8:00 pm. We asked to have a guided tour in French which was the case. Our guide Mathieu Lorenski of French origin was excellent. We were 3 francophone people with Mathieu and the rest of the group (7 people) got on the site a guide in English. In Ek Balam we had the guide for 1 hour and then 1 hour of free time to visit. We climbed the pyramid. The site is of great beauty. Afterwards when we arrived at the Cenote (about 30 minutes by bus from the Ek Balam site), we ate a very good buffet style Maya meal with our guide. We then attended a Maya ceremony given by a shaman. Once you head into the Cenote and rappel down (I strongly suggest you rappel down it's great fun! It was our first time and I wish I could do it again.) The water of the Cenote is clear as a glass. A beautiful time spent in the Cenote having fun and relaxing. Note that towels and locker sound provided on site. I recommend this excursion.

From the Hotel Barcelo Maya Caribe where Julie offered us this small ALLTOURNATIVE nature outing with Christian the super guide and driver we left at 8am to arrive around 10am on the beautiful site of Cenote Maya where we crossed a small garden before arriving on a platform where we were waiting for two reminders of about thirty meters (special mention for Lionel's demo on the longest rappelling descent) followed by two zip lines, reception in fresh water "only happiness". Following, small Maya ceremony and lunch, on the menu, local dishes, very appreciable after this superb dynamic morning and swimming accessible to all. The afternoon visit to the archaeological site of Ek Balam was an unforgettable moment with the ascent of this restored building. On the way back, through pleasant villages where we could see very nice dream catches. Thank you to Julie for private travel, Christian for altournative, Lionel and his little family of glob trotters. we had a wonderful day.

An original experience with a Maya ritual and a visit to the largest cenote of Mexico with Eddy (driver) and with Debby who flawlessly guided us through this adventurous visit in Dutch and English. We got some nice pictures from the local photographers who also get some financial support. The site of Ek Balam is also very worthwhile, even though we have already visited others.

We were lucky to have an amazing Quebec guide (Martin). We were a small group of 9. The excursion is accessible for both young and old. I abseiled down the Cenote (amazing experience by the way) as my mother took the stairs. We were treated to a margarita, as well as a tequila shooter and a typical local liquor. The dinner meal is also excellent. Everything is clean and very well organized. The ruins of Ek Balam are also very interesting to visit and climb, which cannot be done in ruins such as those at Tullum. I highly recommend!