YOUR OWN PRIVATE ADVENTURE

Tulum Express

99 tour reviews
PRIVATE TOUR: Uncover the Tulum Mayan ruins with a certified guide, followed by free time to snag the perfect souvenirs!
  • Exclusive Experience: Just you, your personal local guide, and driver!
  • Private Transportation: Convenient pick-up from your hotel or rental.
  • Escape the Crowds & Beat the Heat: Skip the lines & enjoy a relaxed, stress-free guided tour.
  • Capture Perfect Photos: Be the first to arrive at the best spots for stunning shots.
  • Set Your Own Pace: Stay longer or move on, the choice is entirely yours.
  • All-Inclusive at the Best Price: Transport, guide, entrance fees, water.

Early bird discountBook 60+ days ahead and save 10%.

Multi-tour discountBook 2+ tours and save 10%.

Offers cannot be combined. Holiday exclusions apply. See terms and conditions.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

The details of your private day.

Tulum Express Private Tour

  1. Experience Tulum Mayan Ruins like a VIP !

    Skip long lines, packed shuttles and crowded ruins. Our private Tulum Express tour give you the VIP treatment with direct access, private guide and more time at the ruins.

    Go beyond the basics with an in-depth cultural and historical tour led by experts.mOur local guides offer fascinating insights into Mayan life, religion, architecture and more. Uncover stories that bring the ruins to life and give you a new appreciation for this ancient civilization. You’ll walk away feeling like you’ve uncovered a hidden treasure of Tulum’s history.

    This Tulum express tour is perfect for those that want the informative feel for a guided tour, but the flexibility to move that their own pace. Throughout this self-paced guided tour, you will have the opportunity to visit all parts of the site, with stops at the Castillo, the temple of the paintings and several still-existing houses and palaces from Mayan history.

    At the end of the visit, some free time will be offered to you to shop for souvenirs.

    Your Tulum Express tour will start at your hotel where one of our guides will pick you up in private transportation. We recommend to start early in an effort to beat the crowds that generally surround these areas.

Price includes

  • Pick up and drop off at your hotel with private air-conditioned transportation (Booster car seat and baby car seat available on request)
  • Experienced certified private guide
  • Tulum ruins entrance fees (INAH + CONANP + JAGUAR) with pre-purchased tickets for direct entry
  • Optional electric shuttle from the parking area to the ruins entrance (750 m / 0.5 mile), for guests who prefer not to walk
  • Cool drinks in the van (water, soda)

Price excludes

  • Ruins: If you bring a GoPro, video camera, or phone with a selfie stick, a fee of 60 pesos (about USD 3) per device is charged at the entrance to each archaeological site and must be paid in pesos (INAH fee). Drones and camera/video tripods are prohibited.
  • Tips

General info

Private Tour:
Only you, the guide and the driver, nobody else!
Duration:
 3-5 hours (check the itinerary tab, as it depends on your pick-up location).
Physicality:
 Easy
Age:
 All ages

Itinerary options

Times at each stop are estimates. Driving and your exact pickup location affect the schedule.

Tulum Express

  1. Tulum ruins — 90 min

The recommended early pick-up time helps you avoid traffic, crowds, and heat at the sites, but you can opt for a later pick-up when booking.
Timing may vary based on traffic and your exact location.
We can spend more or less time at each location, moving at your own pace.
Want a faster tour? Free time can be reduced or skipped; your guide can adjust the pace on the day of the tour.
Discover the 3 benefits of an early departure to visit Tulum.

We can skip free time after the visit if you don't wish to shop.
This tour doesn't include Tulum centro/Tulum beach-hotel areas. Only Tulum Mayan ruins.

What to bring

  • Resusable water bottle: at Tulum Ruins, it is forbidden to enter the ruins with plastic water bottles. If you wish to bring water for the visit, please bring your own reusable water bottle. We’ll have water in the van for you to fill or refill.
  • Comfortable shoes for the ruins (We recommend tennis shoes)
  • Hat and sunglasses
  • Sunscreen
  • Mosquito repellent
  • Cash (for tour payment, tips, souvenirs…)
  • Camera

FROM OUR GUESTS

A day worth remembering.

5.00/5 · 99 tour reviews

Showing reviews 1–9 of 99

Arturo was an absolutely fantastic guide and made our experience in Tulum one we’ll genuinely remember.What we appreciated most was how personal the entire experience felt. It was just our family, so we never felt rushed or like we were being moved through a typical crowded tour. Arturo took the time to talk with us, answer our questions, share his knowledge about the area, and…

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Arturo was an absolutely fantastic guide and made our experience in Tulum one we’ll genuinely remember.What we appreciated most was how personal the entire experience felt. It was just our family, so we never felt rushed or like we were being moved through a typical crowded tour. Arturo took the time to talk with us, answer our questions, share his knowledge about the area, and make sure everyone was having a good time.Beyond being a great guide, he was simply a really down-to-earth, kind, and genuine person. By the end of the experience, it felt much more like we had spent the day exploring Tulum with someone we knew rather than just being taken around on a tour.If you’re booking with Absolute Adventure, I couldn’t recommend Arturo enough. He made an already beautiful experience that much better, and he absolutely deserves the recognition. We’re very grateful we got to have him as our guide!

Tyler · Aug 2026

A great, no-stress way to explore Tulum!Fantastic experience. Yes, it's a bit pricey, but the knowledge, detail, friendliness and professionalism was well worth it. Our guide, Eddy, and our driver, Enrique, made it a memorable experience. We truly "beat the crowds" as there was only one other couple at the park when we first arrived - by the time we left 90 minutes later, we…

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A great, no-stress way to explore Tulum!Fantastic experience. Yes, it's a bit pricey, but the knowledge, detail, friendliness and professionalism was well worth it. Our guide, Eddy, and our driver, Enrique, made it a memorable experience. We truly "beat the crowds" as there was only one other couple at the park when we first arrived - by the time we left 90 minutes later, we could see it was going to be a busy, crowded day. The experience was no-stress - Eddy and Enrique were at our hotel 5+ minutes early, we didn't have to worry about traffic, they had our park passes set to go and knew exactly what they were doing.Plus we learned more about the Mayan culture in that short trip than what we had on our bus tour to Chichen Itza plus a day at Xcaret the two prior day. Highly recommended!A great, no-stress way to explore Tulum!

Jonereno · Jul 2026

Thank you Arturo, for a wonderful experience at Tulum Ruins. We learned a lot, and you were able to answer all of questions - no easy feat!!

Lauren Kay · Jul 2026

Wonderful tour of Tulum with Arturo and Hugo! Highly recommend!

Eric Kirkpatrick · Jul 2026

ROUND TOUR. We chose this operator due to the good reviews they had, and we were not mistaken. We chose a private tour, and both our guide Josh and our driver made sure we had a perfect day. Josh introduced us to the entire history of Tulum and answered all our questions while always being attentive to our needs. Hugo made us feel very safe…

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ROUND TOUR. We chose this operator due to the good reviews they had, and we were not mistaken. We chose a private tour, and both our guide Josh and our driver made sure we had a perfect day. Josh introduced us to the entire history of Tulum and answered all our questions while always being attentive to our needs. Hugo made us feel very safe on the road and was always guarding our belongings.ROUND TOUR.

J.David · Jul 2026

Elegimos este operador debido a las buenas reseñas leidas y no nos confundimos. Hicimos un tour privado con Josh de guia y Hugo de conductor. Josh siempre atento a nuestra necesidades y introduciendonos en la historia de Tulum.Hugo hizo que nos sintieramos totalmente seguros en la carretera y siempre atento a nuestras pertenecias.Totalmente recomendable !!

J.David DAM · Jul 2026

Are guide, Luis, and driver, Yosmar, gave us a great tour of Tulum!

David · Jun 2026

Awesome Tulum TourHad a fantastic tour with Arturo. His passion for the Mayan culture and history radiates from him. We did a private tour, I'll never do a group tour again. I can't recommend Absolute Adventure Mexico. Wonderful experience!!

Guide10399280106 · May 2026

Small group, early tour is the way to see Tulum ruinsWhile in Playa del Carmen, we purposely looked for tours that would include pick up from our hotel. For Tulum, we wanted an early small group tour and this hit the mark.We were picked up at 7am. It's early when you are on vacation but the crowds as well as the heat, builds as the…

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Small group, early tour is the way to see Tulum ruinsWhile in Playa del Carmen, we purposely looked for tours that would include pick up from our hotel. For Tulum, we wanted an early small group tour and this hit the mark.We were picked up at 7am. It's early when you are on vacation but the crowds as well as the heat, builds as the day goes on. It was close to an hour drive in an air conditioned van large enough for the 8 in our group. They provided chilled water bottles.On the drive, our guide Luis gave us some history of the area and it's people. The private tour included admission into the park so we sent right in. The immediate area had a small museum of the animals and people that had inhabited Tulum as well as a gift/museum type store. We stopped at both after touring the ruins.There are tram cars that run you to the actual ruins. We walked around them while hearing more about who lived there and architectural details. Then we rode back to the museum. After getting in the van, we made a quick stop at a tourist area to grab souvenirs and hydration drinks. We were back to the hotel by about 11:30.It was a great tour with the right amount of time to see everything important. Very happy we went early with a small group.

ruthk191 · May 2026

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW

Your tour questions, answered.

Tour basics

Is the Tulum Ruins tour private or shared?

This is a private tour, just for you and your group.

You’ll have a dedicated guide and vehicle all to yourselves—no crowds, no waiting, just a smooth and personalized experience.

Is the driver also the guide?

No. The driver and guide are two different professionals.

All our tours include a dedicated driver and a separate certified guide. 

While some companies offer a guide-driver, we believe this is not safe. Having a driver focused solely on the road and a guide fully dedicated to our guests ensures a safer and higher-quality experience.

How long does a private Tulum ruins tour take?

Please check the full itinerary in the “Itinerary” tab for more details.

It typically lasts between 3 to 5 hours, depending on your hotel location and how much time you’d like to spend at each site.

Pickup & transport

Is transportation included from my hotel or Airbnb?

Yes, round-trip transportation is included from Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal and Tulum. We’ll pick you up right from your hotel, resort, or Airbnb for a stress-free start to your day.

Please note: we don’t offer pick up from Cancun Playa Mujeres hotels unless your group has 6 or more adults.

What vehicles do you use for your tours?

We offer a range of modern, air-conditioned vans to suit the size of your group and ensure a safe and comfortable journey.

Visit our fleet page for more details.

Can I change the pick up time?

Yes, you’re welcome to choose your preferred pick-up time when booking.

That said, we recommend an early morning start to help you beat the crowds, skip the traffic, and enjoy cooler temperatures—it really makes a difference!

Activities & facilities

How much walking is there at the Tulum ruins?

We take a shuttle from the parking lot to the main ruins entrance, so you won’t need to walk far to get to the site.

The guided visit lasts about 45 minutes and we go at a comfortable pace, with breaks if needed.

Just a heads-up—there aren’t many spots to sit. If you have any limitations with walking or taking steps, keep in mind that a few are required to get in and out of the site and to reach the cliff area.

Can we spend some time at Tulum beach during the tour?

No, unfortunately, we cannot. The beach located within the Tulum ruins has been closed since 2020 and remains inaccessible to visitors.

Additionally, this tour does not include any stops at the Tulum beach area, the hotel zone, or Tulum town center.

Planning & booking

What should I bring for the tour? Where can I leave my belongings?

Check the "What to bring" tab on the tour page for the full packing list.

Clothing & Footwear: We recommend wearing comfortable shoes for exploring the ruins—tennis shoes are ideal. Light, breathable clothing is also suggested due to the warm weather.

Reusable Water Bottle: Please note that plastic water bottles are not allowed inside the Tulum Ruins. If you'd like to bring water with you, make sure to bring a reusable water bottle. We'll have water available in the van for you to fill or refill before the visit.

You can safely leave your belongings in the van—our driver stays with it the entire time while you're out enjoying the activities.

What is the cancellation policy?

Go ahead and plan with confidence—your booking is fully flexible!

You can cancel free of charge or reschedule (subject to availability) up to 24 hours before your tour.

We’re a small team and often fully booked 1–2 weeks in advance, so we recommend booking early to secure your spot.

Bonus: if you book at least 2 months in advance (60 days), you’ll qualify for our early bird discount*!

For full details, check out our booking policy page.

More questions?

Visit our main FAQ page or contact us by email, WhatsApp or via chat, we're happy to help!

Come explore the Riviera Maya with us.

Private adventures, thoughtfully planned by our local team.

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Coupon terms & conditions

EARLY2MONTHS — 10% off
Book at least 60 days before your tour date.

MULTITOUR — 10% off
Book at least 2 tours in one transaction.

If part of a multi-tour booking is canceled and only one tour remains, the discount becomes void and the remaining balance will be adjusted.

Enter your coupon code at checkout.

Tour photos

MAKE IT YOUR DAY

Book with Confidence

Tulum Express

Choose your date, number of guests and pickup location to see your exact price.

Enjoy free cancellation up to 24 hours before your tour.