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.

Scroll down for detailed info, inclusions and itinerary.

Early Bird 60 days 10% Off (*T&Cs) Coupon EARLY2MONTHS Copied!
Book 2 or more tours 10% Off (*T&Cs) Coupon MULTITOUR Copied!
Seamless Booking & Free Cancellation

 Book your tour now and if your plans happen to change, you can cancel for free up to 24 hours prior to the tour!

  • For larger groups, contact us.

    Extra fee may apply by location.

    • USD
      We don't operate from Cancun Playa Mujeres

    We advise 6:00 from your hotel.

    We advise 6:30 from your hotel.

    We advise 6:45 from your hotel.

    We advise 7:00  from your hotel.

    We advise 7:15 from your hotel.

    We advise 7:30 from your hotel.

    We advise 7:45 from your hotel.

    (12oz cans e.g. Corona, Modelo, Tecate upon availability)

    • USD
Secure your tour with 20% deposit
SKU tuex Category Tags ,
  • Description
  • Price Includes
  • General Info
  • Itinerary
  • What to Bring
  • Reviews

Tulum Express Private Tour

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.

Other Tulum Private Tours You May Like

If you are looking to do more activities in one day, you can consult the following private tours:

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 INAH entrance fee (National Institute of Anthropology and History)
  • Tulum ruins CONANP entrance fee (National Commission of Natural Protected Areas)
  • Tulum ruins JAGUAR PARK entrance fee (new tax mandatory since January 2025)
  • Cool drinks in the van (water, soda)

Price excludes

  • Ruins: In case you bring a go pro camera, a video camera or a phone with a selfie stick, there is a 60 pesos (around 3USD) per device charged at the entrance of each archeological site, to be paid in pesos (INAH tax) – Drones and Tripods for video/cameras are forbidden.
  • 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

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

 
You can bring personal belongings you require during the tour (phone, camera, extra set of clothes…). While you are visiting or snorkeling you can leave the things you don’t need in the van. Our driver will always be in the van, so keeping your things safe!

93 reviews for Tulum Express

  1. David

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

  2. Guide10399280106

    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!!

  3. ruthk191

    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.

  4. Patrick

    Juan was an excellent guide

  5. Navigate44274514736

    Chichen Itza TourArturo was a great guide. He was very informative and efficient. We able to show up early, beat the crowd, get great pictures, learn as much as we wanted, and he had a great attitude.

  6. Rose

    Private Express Tour of Tulum was just what we wanted.
    I highly recommend Absolute Adventure’s Private Express Tour of Tulum. Cristina, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and fun to be with. We learned a lot about Tulum and had a beautiful day exploring the ruins.
    We were looking for a tour where we could see Tulum but be back at a reasonable time to enjoy our afternoon at our hotel. We left our hotel at 7:30 am and were back by 1:30 pm. While it says express, we never felt rushed and felt it was just the right amount of time.

  7. Shannah

    Great guides!
    Cristina was a wonderful tour guide and José was a great driver! Highly recommend them!

  8. Kim

    Great private tour of Tulum with Joshua. Thank you!

  9. Grace

    We took two private tours with Absolute Adventure Mexico – the Tulum Express tour and Chichen Itza tour. Our guide, Arturo, was very knowledgeable, patient with us and our five month old baby, and interesting to talk to. Both of the drivers were professional and the transportation was comfortable. We highly recommend this tour company, especially if you are travelling with children.

  10. Anita

    We had a private tour with Absolute Adventure and were so happy we did. We took a short trip to visit the Tulum ruins and Joshua and Ivan were our guide and driver. Not only were they very punctual and attentive and friendly, they provided amazing service. As we were walking around the ruins, Joshua took extra time to explain so many different points on the ruins. He used his iPad to show us images of what the ruins used to look like. He is not only knowledgeable about the ruins, the history and culture but also the wildlife around the area. We saw many other tour groups and they were not getting the same level of service and information we were. I would highly recommend using Absolute Adventure Private Tours The group sizes are small. The vans are incredibly comfortable. The service is outstanding.

  11. Allison

    10/10 Experience with Josh & Yosmar
    We had an excellent experience on the Tulum Express Early Tour—starting early truly made all the difference and allowed us to beat the crowds and enjoy the ruins in a much more relaxed way. Everything was well organized and ran smoothly from start to finish.
    Our tour guide Josh was outstanding—extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely kind. He explained the history and significance of Tulum in a clear and interesting way, and was always happy to answer questions.
    A big shout-out as well to our driver Yosmar, who was very friendly and professional. The ride was comfortable, safe, and punctual, which made the whole experience even better.
    Highly recommend this tour, especially if you want to visit Tulum ruins without the crowds and with a fantastic guide and driver!

  12. Dean

    AMAZING!!!! Josh was a 11/10 tour guide. Extremely knowledgeable and great to work and chat with, same with yosmar!

  13. fairpointe

    Perfect large family trip to Tulum
    Perfect experience for our group of 11. The first ones in Tulum and back for lunch and pool time. Eddie was the best tour guide. He was very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. I would book with them again.

  14. Aly

    Absolute Private Tour with Josh
    We had a fantastic private tour with Josh from Absolute. He was on time, super friendly, and very knowledgeable. Our group of 8 felt well taken care of, and he even shared great tips about local merchants. Pick-up was at 6:40am and we were back by 11:30am—perfect express tour! Highly recommend Josh and Absolute Private Tour.

  15. Vicky

    Great experience, really easy with hotel pick up, air conditioned van, knowledgable &
    friendly tour guide – would recommend!

  16. Erik

    Great Tour Company & People!
    Great tour company with excellent communication leading up to the day of. Very friendly and informative tour guide (Alex) and driver (Rodrigo). Highly recommend. Thank you very much!

  17. Rajanee

    Our trip to the Tulum ruins was absolutely fantastic, thanks to our amazing guide, Arturo, and our driver, Enrique.
    Arturo kept everyone engaged throughout the two-hour tour. He was patient and ensured every question was answered.
    Enrique, with his safe, smooth driving made the long journey pleasant
    They worked keeping our day perfectly on schedule and making the entire excursion truly memorable.
    Highly recommend absolute adventure of Mexico tours for any trip to Tulum!

  18. aitanabelenf

    Tulum Ruins with Family
    Super fun and educational! Arturo was a great guide and shared so much knowledge. Definitely would recommend.
    Very hot, so make sure to being sun screen 🙂

  19. John

    Great half day excursion to Tulum
    This tour went exactly as we had hoped when I booked it. We were picked up right on time from our hotel. Alex was our guide and Omar was the driver. Alex did a great job explaining the history of the Mayans. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. I would recommend this trip to all with no hesitation

  20. Janine

    Excellent experience touring the Tulum archaeological site with Cristina as our guide! My group of friends booked a private tour and were picked up on time from our hotel by Cristina and Omar, who drove us to the site in a comfortable minibus stoked with cold water. Cristina is a very personable and informative guide who gave us lots of insight into Maya cosmology, architecture, culture and postclassic history (as a Maya archaeologist I can vouch!) she even had an iPad to show visual aids at our stopping points! We paused for photos and she was very patient when we got distracted by the iguanas 😉 Wonderful, efficient and fun tour of the ruins, highly recommended!!!

Add a review
  • Description
  • Price Includes
  • General Info
  • Itinerary
  • What to Bring
  • Reviews

Tulum Express Private Tour

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.

Other Tulum Private Tours You May Like

If you are looking to do more activities in one day, you can consult the following private tours:

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 INAH entrance fee (National Institute of Anthropology and History)
  • Tulum ruins CONANP entrance fee (National Commission of Natural Protected Areas)
  • Tulum ruins JAGUAR PARK entrance fee (new tax mandatory since January 2025)
  • Cool drinks in the van (water, soda)

Price excludes

  • Ruins: In case you bring a go pro camera, a video camera or a phone with a selfie stick, there is a 60 pesos (around 3USD) per device charged at the entrance of each archeological site, to be paid in pesos (INAH tax) – Drones and Tripods for video/cameras are forbidden.
  • 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

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

 
You can bring personal belongings you require during the tour (phone, camera, extra set of clothes…). While you are visiting or snorkeling you can leave the things you don’t need in the van. Our driver will always be in the van, so keeping your things safe!

93 reviews for Tulum Express

  1. David

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

  2. Guide10399280106

    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!!

  3. ruthk191

    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.

  4. Patrick

    Juan was an excellent guide

  5. Navigate44274514736

    Chichen Itza TourArturo was a great guide. He was very informative and efficient. We able to show up early, beat the crowd, get great pictures, learn as much as we wanted, and he had a great attitude.

  6. Rose

    Private Express Tour of Tulum was just what we wanted.
    I highly recommend Absolute Adventure’s Private Express Tour of Tulum. Cristina, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and fun to be with. We learned a lot about Tulum and had a beautiful day exploring the ruins.
    We were looking for a tour where we could see Tulum but be back at a reasonable time to enjoy our afternoon at our hotel. We left our hotel at 7:30 am and were back by 1:30 pm. While it says express, we never felt rushed and felt it was just the right amount of time.

  7. Shannah

    Great guides!
    Cristina was a wonderful tour guide and José was a great driver! Highly recommend them!

  8. Kim

    Great private tour of Tulum with Joshua. Thank you!

  9. Grace

    We took two private tours with Absolute Adventure Mexico – the Tulum Express tour and Chichen Itza tour. Our guide, Arturo, was very knowledgeable, patient with us and our five month old baby, and interesting to talk to. Both of the drivers were professional and the transportation was comfortable. We highly recommend this tour company, especially if you are travelling with children.

  10. Anita

    We had a private tour with Absolute Adventure and were so happy we did. We took a short trip to visit the Tulum ruins and Joshua and Ivan were our guide and driver. Not only were they very punctual and attentive and friendly, they provided amazing service. As we were walking around the ruins, Joshua took extra time to explain so many different points on the ruins. He used his iPad to show us images of what the ruins used to look like. He is not only knowledgeable about the ruins, the history and culture but also the wildlife around the area. We saw many other tour groups and they were not getting the same level of service and information we were. I would highly recommend using Absolute Adventure Private Tours The group sizes are small. The vans are incredibly comfortable. The service is outstanding.

  11. Allison

    10/10 Experience with Josh & Yosmar
    We had an excellent experience on the Tulum Express Early Tour—starting early truly made all the difference and allowed us to beat the crowds and enjoy the ruins in a much more relaxed way. Everything was well organized and ran smoothly from start to finish.
    Our tour guide Josh was outstanding—extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely kind. He explained the history and significance of Tulum in a clear and interesting way, and was always happy to answer questions.
    A big shout-out as well to our driver Yosmar, who was very friendly and professional. The ride was comfortable, safe, and punctual, which made the whole experience even better.
    Highly recommend this tour, especially if you want to visit Tulum ruins without the crowds and with a fantastic guide and driver!

  12. Dean

    AMAZING!!!! Josh was a 11/10 tour guide. Extremely knowledgeable and great to work and chat with, same with yosmar!

  13. fairpointe

    Perfect large family trip to Tulum
    Perfect experience for our group of 11. The first ones in Tulum and back for lunch and pool time. Eddie was the best tour guide. He was very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. I would book with them again.

  14. Aly

    Absolute Private Tour with Josh
    We had a fantastic private tour with Josh from Absolute. He was on time, super friendly, and very knowledgeable. Our group of 8 felt well taken care of, and he even shared great tips about local merchants. Pick-up was at 6:40am and we were back by 11:30am—perfect express tour! Highly recommend Josh and Absolute Private Tour.

  15. Vicky

    Great experience, really easy with hotel pick up, air conditioned van, knowledgable &
    friendly tour guide – would recommend!

  16. Erik

    Great Tour Company & People!
    Great tour company with excellent communication leading up to the day of. Very friendly and informative tour guide (Alex) and driver (Rodrigo). Highly recommend. Thank you very much!

  17. Rajanee

    Our trip to the Tulum ruins was absolutely fantastic, thanks to our amazing guide, Arturo, and our driver, Enrique.
    Arturo kept everyone engaged throughout the two-hour tour. He was patient and ensured every question was answered.
    Enrique, with his safe, smooth driving made the long journey pleasant
    They worked keeping our day perfectly on schedule and making the entire excursion truly memorable.
    Highly recommend absolute adventure of Mexico tours for any trip to Tulum!

  18. aitanabelenf

    Tulum Ruins with Family
    Super fun and educational! Arturo was a great guide and shared so much knowledge. Definitely would recommend.
    Very hot, so make sure to being sun screen 🙂

  19. John

    Great half day excursion to Tulum
    This tour went exactly as we had hoped when I booked it. We were picked up right on time from our hotel. Alex was our guide and Omar was the driver. Alex did a great job explaining the history of the Mayans. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. I would recommend this trip to all with no hesitation

  20. Janine

    Excellent experience touring the Tulum archaeological site with Cristina as our guide! My group of friends booked a private tour and were picked up on time from our hotel by Cristina and Omar, who drove us to the site in a comfortable minibus stoked with cold water. Cristina is a very personable and informative guide who gave us lots of insight into Maya cosmology, architecture, culture and postclassic history (as a Maya archaeologist I can vouch!) she even had an iPad to show visual aids at our stopping points! We paused for photos and she was very patient when we got distracted by the iguanas 😉 Wonderful, efficient and fun tour of the ruins, highly recommended!!!

Add a review

FAQ Tulum Ruins Private Tour

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.

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!

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.

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!

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