Ek Balam, Cenote & Valladolid Experience

I'm giving this tour **2 stars** only because the cenote was beautiful. The scenery was amazing, and swimming there was the highlight of the day. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience was disappointing. There were only two of us, plus the guide and the driver, so we expected a more personal and informative tour. The driver was friendly and professional, but the tour guide seemed tired, sleepy, and lacked enthusiasm. He spent about 15 minutes talking about Mayan traditions in the car, then at the Ek Balam Ruins he gave only a brief explanation before leaving us to explore on our own for about 30 minutes. When it was time to meet, we couldn't even find him and had to make our own way to the exit before spotting him. At the cenote, he simply told us to be back in one hour. He didn't explain where to go, how to get there, or that everyone is required to shower before entering the water. We had to figure everything out ourselves by asking other people. A tour guide should prepare guests with this kind of basic information. Lunch also felt like a sales stop. The restaurant didn't allow outside drinks, so guests were expected to buy drinks there, and we were also taken to a souvenir shop even though we weren't interested in shopping. At the end of the tour, we tipped the guide **200 pesos**, but instead of thanking us, he said, **"Really? Do you have any more?"** That was unprofessional and made us feel pressured. Overall, the cenote and the driver were the only highlights. The guide provided very little information, seemed disengaged throughout the day, and then pressured us for a larger tip. I would not recommend this tour

The guide and driver were wonderful. Very knowledgable and friendly. Marcos was the best! Had a great time.

Horrible experience! Pickup supposed to be 7:00 a.m. At 8;00 someone showed up to say two other groups had to be picked up first and we would be at 8:15 (no notice earlier). Then he said our tour does not go to Cenote Maya at all (the reason we were willing to pay for this tour instead of taking the free one offered by the resort). So we canceled and were promised a full refund, which we had better receive in short order or we will pursue all alternatives. One star only because that field is required--should be ZERO1

Amazing tour! The Cenote was our all-time favorite. It was quiet, peaceful, and adventurous for the kids. The whole family was able to repel down into the cenote, zip line, jump from various platforms, relax in tubes and kayak around the cenote. Our family was the only one down in the cenote and it was so great having it to ourselves. The tour guide was informative and friendly. Ek Balam wasn’t crowded at all, and it was fun to be able to climb to the top of the ruins. It was a little off the beaten path with the 2 Hour Dr. each way and a little more driving in between, but I would absolutely recommend it to get away from the crowds and enjoy a unique experience! The whole family gives this five stars!

The cenote was amazing! Zip lining down into it was breathtaking and the Zipline and jumps made it a blast to stay and take in the beautiful rock formations and crystal clear water. The guide Luis was amazing and we learned so much from him about the Mayan culture. The ruins were just as amazing. The ability to climb on them still and see them up close and personal is why we chose them over the more popular ones. The lunch was decent and the shaman purification was a neat experience. We took our 18 year old daughter and she loved it. She said it was her favorite part of the trip.

We went with the main objective of seeing Ek Balam, which was a great experience to climb to the top. It is interesting because it's an active archeological site, with new aspects being uncovered & restored daily. Our guide was Pepe. He is a wealth of knowledge. He is so passionate about the area & passes that enthusiasm on. Marco was our driver, he was on time & safely got us to our destinations & even got cold drinks which we were grateful for. The highlight of the trip was visiting the cenote. It is an impressive 60 ft rappel into the water. Pepe & the other guides were very diligent about helping everyone. There is a photographer, they charged $45 per couple or $90 per family which I felt was reasonable. The lunch was very nice.

Today we did the Tour to Ekbalam with #Eli - it was a Great and also fun experience. The Trip to the cenote was cool, Eli gave us many explanations and the roping down the water was Great. After that we Went to Ekbalam, which is really a wonderful archaological site- a Must See in Yucatan peninsula All in all we would highly recommend this Tour ♥️ Thanks to Eli!!

The tour was amazing a full day of new experiences and first times. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and spoke very good English and Spanish. The water was cold and refreshing and the lunch was over the top. We would recommend this tour and ask for Josue Aka Josh

Wonderful day trip. We passed by some typical Maya Villages to get to the Cenote. Before getting in the Maya priest permed a Maya blessing ceremony. The lunch was good and from there we drove to Ek Balam. You can actually climb the steps of the pyramids. The tour guide- Luis and driver- Ricardo were punctual, professional and friendly. Overall a great tour.

Conquer Ekbalam didn’t know you could climb it. Lucky I came prepared and was ready for it. We had a guided tour me my partner and son so was good went around at our own pace. Climed the other small one as well good views at the top of both amazing pictures I took.

We wanted to tour one of the temples while in Playa del Carmen. We had already seen Chichenitiza and Tulum. We lucked into this tour with Alltournative when the travel agent at our resort recommended it. And it was far superior to our previous touring experiences. The group was small and our guide Guillermo (Moe) was very knowledgeable, helpful and respectful of the Mayan people. The temple is wonderful. The stellas are beautifully restored and our Ek Balam guide pointed out some very interesting points. We were there in January so even though my husband enjoyed rappelling into the cenote it was a little too chilly to swim. The cenote is beautiful though. The lunch was very good, Moe handled conducting the tour in both English and Spanish very well. Only complaint- the tour van is a bit short on space with little leg room. However this was one of the highlights of our trip!

<p>This tour was great. We had a small hiccup for the pick up because we booked it the day before and didn't confirm hotel pick up, so we waited for an hr before they come and got us, but they were courteous about it. Our guide was pretty knowledgeable. Our group was pretty small, only about 8 people including us. Ek Balam was great, but the best part was the Cenote. We were able to go down the cenote Indiana Jones style. It was so much fun. Lunch was ok, it was traditional Mayan food, I didn't care for it much, but my boyfriend loved it. overall, this tour was really good.</p>

<p>The tour was nice. The Cenote Maya Park was fun, repelling was great. This tour does not offer a lot of information about Ek Balam compared to some of the other tours. The tour had more people than we would have preferred. The food was amazing. I highly recommend the rice milk. We plan to return with a smaller company to Ek Balam for more information and time.</p>

<p>The tour, our driver, and our tour guide were all absolutely perfect!</p>

<p>This tour was so much more than we expected! Nicholas was our guide and he was fantastic! It is a long day, but worth every minute. We loved seeing Ek Balam and our guide, William, was fantastic. The cenote swim was so much fun! This experience was a highlight of our vacation!</p>

WoW what a beautiful day The visit of Ek Balam is very interesting. You have to climb the steps for the incredible view. The Maya cenote is just amazing!!! The water is fresh and clear, perfect after the archaeological visit It is absolutely necessary to rappel 25 m . This is the best time of the excursion The guide Anna Lisa was very kind, pleasant , interesting and passionate about history and archaeology The guides at the Cenote are very welcoming, experienced and kind They reassured us:)) The food is very good The location very clean and run by people from nearby Maya village. Responsible eco Enterprise Must do

Beautiful day on August 1st 2018 which started with the Cenotes. You absolutely must abseil there; the view is impressive. No need to bring the towels. The package to buy the 300 photos is very affordable. Typical dinner very good. The Mayans are very welcoming. Then visit the EkBalam pyramid. Guided tour with Nicolas which is excellent. Very interesting explanations. Possibility to buy souvenirs at affordable prices sold by the Mayan people (do not hesitate to negotiate). I recommend this tour without hesitation. Good value for money that matched the description.