Ek Balam ruins and Swim in Cenote Private Tour
Are you ready to experience the black jaguar? Absolute Adventure Mexico offers a once in a lifetime Ek Balam Private tour.
Possessing a name that actually translates to “black jaguar,” the Ek Balam ruins combine an amazing history lesson with the opportunity to experience the Mayan culture hands-on. You’ll be able to climb on archeological structures that were once the center piece of play for a blooming culture.
To begin our Ek Balam private tour, you will receive private, air conditioned transportation from your hotel early in the morning. While the thought of an early morning on vacation may not seem appealing, our expert guides have mapped out the perfect day to allow you to experience everything Ek Balam and the Cenote have to offer without the crowds you may expect. Some ask why we go to the expense of providing private transportation. Well, the way we see it, your time is valuable and we want you to have a memorable day. Picking up other clients is a drag, and cuts down on your vacation time. Effectively, this means that you’ll be able to enjoy the ruins without huge crowds of people there. We promise…we’ll stop along the way to grab coffee.
Upon arriving at Ek Balam, you’ll be greeted by your private archaeological guide who will take you through the ruins. You’ll be able to climb the temples on site, as well as, The Acropolis. You’ll be able to see the ball courts, once the center of Mayan ceremonies for this amazing culture. Partner all of this with the authentic carvings in the area, and we guarantee it will be an experience you will never forget!
But, we don’t let the adventure stop there. After you’ve had your fill of the ruins, you’ll go to the cenote X’Canché (by riding a bike or taking the van). There you’ll be able to snorkel in 150ft deep water taking in all of the beautiful wildlife that encompass the cenote, as well as, the memorizing views of the Mayan jungle. Life jackets are provided.
We’ll stop for a delicious lunch at a local restaurant and transport you back to your hotel.
Lorraine –
An excursion not to be missed!!!
My husband and I truly recommend this excursion. Our guide Oscar was knowledgeable and friendly. After seeing the ancient community of EK Balam we enjoyed swimming in a
cenote. That was followed by a traditional Mexican lunch. It was worth every penny!
T.N. –
When we got back to our hotel, we debated on a third tour. We had one last day that was possible to take a tour, but we couldn’t decide if we just wanted to relax. Since we enjoyed the first two tours so much, we decided to book the Ek Balam and cenote tour. We were lucky and got Juan as our guide again and he timed it so that we were at Ek Balam when it opened. We got plenty of pictures without other tourists. As of May 2024, you can still climb the pyramid, so we have bragging rights for climbing a Mayan pyramid. Juan explained the differences between the 3 sites we had visited and gave us the background on Ek Balam. As we were leaving, we saw all of the other tourists just starting their visits with the temperature rising and we had visited during the coolest part of the day.
After Ek Balam, we had the option of stopping for lunch. Since the last two lunches with Juan had been great, we decided it was a good idea. We relaxed during lunch which was another tasty choice. From there, we went to the Cenote XCanche. This was an open air cenote with a rope to swing from and a zip line. Again, when we arrived, we had it all to ourselves. Plenty of time for pictures before anyone else showed up. It never got crowded, so we could actually take pictures the entire time without getting any strangers in the shots. Then is was back in the van to the hotel. We were very glad that we opted to book this tour and highly recommend it, especially if you want to brag that you climbed a pyramid.
We were obviously very happy with Absolute Adventure or we would not have taken so many tours with them. When booking our last tour, we debated between Ek Balam and Coba. They explained the differences between the two sites to help us decide. They were always friendly, accommodating, and knowledgeable. Juan had everything timed perfectly, but nothing was rushed and it was always up to us if we wanted to stay longer at any of our stops. My family and I highly recommend taking a tour, or two or three, with Absolute Adventure.
litespeedgal –
Wonderful guide and tour
Great time with JJ! My teens were entertained as was I, not easy to make everyone interested. We also did a snorkeling tour and a tour with Alex to Tulum. Everyone was wonderful.
Sally –
Would highly recommend! Prompt, courteous service. Guide Juan & driver Omar were the best. Juan was extremely knowledgeable. Lunch was amazing!!
All in all a wonderful day. Thank you so much.
Ami –
Juan was our tour guide and Enrique our driver, they are both amazing!! I highly recommend taking this tour, Juan is very knowledgeable in the Mayan culture, answers all questions, takes care of you like friends visiting. We were traveling with 3 kids, one who is a toddler and he was very accommodating and patient. Enrique drive safely and well!
plntgrlsz –
Highly Recommended!
Juan was the guide for our trip to Ek Balam – he was the best! He was so knowledgeable about Mayan culture, the Yucatán peninsula and Riviera Maya, the history and ecology of the area, current events – everything! Our driver was great too. We were the first to arrive at the pyramid and were able to climb it and enjoy the views before any crowds arrived (if they did). The cenote was very relaxing and also just had a very few people to share it with. We had an incredible lunch at Restaurante Ahumados in Temozón – absolutely delicious! We highly recommend and will use Absolute Adventure Mexico again!
Donia –
Juan, our tour guide is hilarious and very friendly. The tour of Ek balam was really fun and we learned many cool facts about the Mayans. The cenote we went was very pretty and fun as there was a rope to swing from. Juan made sure that everything was going well and explained things clearly, he also avoided crowds and the hot sun! Would absolutely recommend.
Melanee –
Ek Balam – Incredible!!! My family took a private tour to Ek Balam and a Cenote and it was an amazing experience with Absolute Adventure and their team!!! Our tour guide, Juan (JJ), was FANTASTIC!! He was extremely knowledgeable, fun to hang out with, great with my two kids, and went the extra mile to make sure we had a great day! He literally ran a mile to get our tickets before the crowds showed up; talk about incredible service! THANK YOU, again, JUAN!!! Claire, the co-owner, was also extremely helpful when we had to make a last minute change of plans and responded super fast! Without a doubt, I would highly recommend using Absolute Adventure Mexico for taking an excursion; I’ll definitely be using them again on my next vacation to Mexico!!!
Rachelle –
Absolutely the best decision we made while visiting the Cancun area. Our drivers were spectacular, and Juan 100% made our vacation. We chose private because dealing with large tour buses and guides that have dozens of people means you spend a lot of time waiting and miss a lot of info. Going with Absolute Adventures means you get to experience local culture and history much more intimately and in-depth. When you go with Absolute Adventure, I hope you get Juan as your guide! He had personal relationships with the people everywhere we went. He was able to relate to each of our family members in our own way. Best of all, Juan was knowledgeable, more than happy to answer any and all questions and you could feel his passion and love for his country’s history and sharing it. Go with Absolute Adventures and you won’t be disappointed!
Florian –
Excellent ! We did a private tour to Ek balam and we were super satisfied! Got a lot of information about the Mayas and all of our questions were answered. The cenote at ek balam is also highly recommended. Was just super happy again
Shahram –
The booking process was easy, with Claire answering my questions. We were picked up on time at the hotel lobby. Our guide was personable and informative. We were able to spend as much time as we wanted on each location. We liked the fact that we didn’t to take care of anything during the day. Thank you, the tour was totally worth it!
Pat –
Husband and I enjoyed our tour very much had a wonderful guide very knowledgable. Had super nice lunch in a small village.
Alexander –
We did the Ek Balam and cenote tour and we couldn’t be happier! We enjoyed the ruins of Ek Balam early in the morning before other tourists. The Cenote was a blast ! Our guide Arturo was an excellent guide and was both knowledgeable and fun. We would highly recommend Absolute Adventure to anyone in the Riviera Maya!
Cindy –
Highly recommend this tour. The ruins are quite amazing, breathtaking really. The private guided tour was an absolute must.
Brit –
Absolute Adventure met all our expectations. Everyone was very friendly and knowledgeable, the whole experience was incredibly simple and fun!
Julia –
First we visited Ek Balam with our own informative guide which was great. After, we went to lunch nearby in Valladolid. It was a small, quiet place with local Mexican food and it was delicious. Then we snorkeled in an amazing cenote. It was one of the greatest experiences ever.
Robert –
Had a great time walking around this fascinating place. We were the first ones onsite! Arturo was an excellent guide.
Michelle –
I will start by saying hands down the tour is worth it! I was a little hestitant at first because of the cost. However, after the day I would say I would do it again over and over again. The tour was worth every penny! Claire made the booking super easy and answered my questions though email almost immediately! They picked us up right on time and catered to us all day long. We were able to spend as much time or as little time as we wanted.
Arthur –
This tour company is well-run, and we felt comfortable in their nice vehicle driving 2 hours to Ek Balam. The historic site and cenote were incredible, but we also appreciated the respect that the guide showed for the location and the people. After the tour, we went to a tremendous local restaurant for a feast, which was right on time after our morning adventure. Thank you for your time and care Arturo!