If you’re heading out on trip to Chichén Itzá from the Riviera Maya, then extend your day with some sights on the way back – take a refreshing dip at a magical cenote, seek out lunch in the colouful town of Valladolid and climb to the top of an ancient Mayan temple for views over the jungle. Here are three great ideas to help make the most of your Chichén Itzá day tour.
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Take the plunge at a magical cenote
We were at Chichén Itzá at door opening time to explore this New Wonder of the World, and even in February, by the time we left at 10.00am we felt cooked in the sun.
So, what better way to cool off than to visit a magical cenote. As outlined in my blog about Travel Planning a trip to the Riviera Maya, Cenotes (swimming holes) are unique features of the Yucatán peninsula due to the limestone ground throughout the region. In fact, they are everywhere in the area, but each one has a different character, varying in size, shape, and depth (they can be up to 60 meters deep).
The Mayans revered cenotes as ‘portals to the underworld’ and they can feel spiritual depending on the cenote – with crystal clear water and shafts of light illuminating the water from above. Some are like visiting caves, and some open to the skies above. There are several good cenote options to consider on a Chichén Itzá day tour but we chose Cenote Ik Kil.
Cenote Ik Kil
Cenote Ik Kil is only a 6-minute drive from Chichén Itzá, so you can be there in no time to cool off after sightseeing in the blazing sun. Research had suggested visiting Cenote Ik Kil before 11.00am, after which tour buses would start arriving after their tours of Chichén Itzá.
We arrived around 10.30am and had 30 minutes in the water before the crowds arrived – the numbers of visitors doubled in the time we were there. So, aim to stay ahead of the tour buses!
Cenote Ik Kil was very well organised. There were large mens’ and ladies’ changing rooms with free lockers (although payment is required if you lose the key).
Note – you must wear a life jacket as the cenote is very deep, and you can’t wear sun cream as it leaves an oily sheen on the water so there are outdoor showers to use before you go in.
Then, you use the stone steps to descend to the water. They are quite steep, but you can use the handrail rope for support. Halfway down you’ll come to a viewpoint over the cenote which is your first real glimpse of just how magical it is – a circular limestone roof, open to the sky and ringed with greenery and foliage hanging foliage down the sides of the rock. All very Jurassic Park!
When you reach the water level, there are steps to descend to the water, or you can take the plunge from the jumping platforms on the side – there are a couple of lifeguards keeping their eye on the jumpers.
However, you enter, you will be enveloped in beautiful cool, clear, refreshing water and you can enjoy floating in the depths of the earth surrounded by shafts of light hitting the water from above. There’s a sign on the wall telling you about what lurks beneath, according to the water depths. All we noticed were small black fish with whiskers swimming around.
Cenote Suynut – an alternative cenote to consider on your Chichén Itzá day tour is the ‘Instagram friendly’ Cenote Suynut on the way out of Valladolid on way back to Playa del Carmen.
If you are not travelling independently, but want to visit a couple of cenotes, you can book an organised tour through Get Your Guide from one of the cities on the Riviera Maya, such as these:
Enjoy lunch in colourful Valladolid
All that sightseeing and swimming on your Chichén Itzá day tour will no doubt have made you hungry, so once you’ve dried off, head to the colourful city of Valladolid, a 30-minute drive 30 away.
Valladolid is the Yucatan state’s 3rd largest city and was once known as the ‘Sultan of the East’. The Spanish arrived in 1545 and tore down the Maya village, building Spanish style buildings in their place. Today the city is awash with pastel coloured pink, green and terracotta buildings – slightly shabby with flaking plaster but lots of character.
After parking up, we headed to Sikil Restaurant which had good ratings on TripAdvisor. Unfortunately, on our visit the garden area of the restaurant was closed due to staff shortages and so we had to sit inside. That said, we had a nice lunch and refuelled ready for our afternoon’s exertions.
Before leaving Valladolid, we walked around the Parque Principal Francisco Canton Rosado and admired the Iglesia de San Servacio, a church with twin bell towers and vertical openings used to defend the church.
If we were staying longer we would have visited Casa de los Venados, the Mexican folk art museum. However, we had to split to get to our final destination of our Chichén Itzá day tour.
Climb a Mayan pyramid at Ek Balam
The Ek Balam (or ‘Black Jaguar’) complex was only discovered relatively recently and currently only about one square mile of 12 has been excavated. What you can see today is a compact area of Mayan ruins with impressive temples, some 500 years older than Chichén Itzá. Whilst less well preserved than Chichén Itzá (or less ‘rebuilt’) the structures of Ek Balam are charming in their own way and offer the opportunity to climb a Mayan pyramid.
Where is Ek Balam?
The ruins of Ek Balam are 28 kms north of Valladolid in Yucatán state on route 295. It takes around 35 minutes to drive there. The area around Ek Balam is quite remote with few facilities.
Entry to Ek Balam (as at February 2025)
You need to pay two entry fees to Ek Balam:
- General entrance fee – 95 MXN (Apprx £4.00)
- Foreign visitor fee – 531 MXN (Approx £20.00)
Note – make sure you take enough cash to pay for your entrance fees as there are no cashpoints on site, and sometimes the card machines do not work.
El Torre (‘The Tower’)
El Torre is one of the largest Mayan structures on the Yucatán peninsula, reaching 32 meters high and towering over the forest which surrounds it. The tower houses the tomb of Ukil-Kan-Lek-Tok, the most powerful ruler of EK Balam around 800 AD.
There was a short rain shower as we arrived and so we were held back from climbing the tall pyramid until the steps had dried, however because the weather was warm it wasn’t too long a wait. The steps to the top are very steep so those of us with dodgy knees (yes, that’s me) had to take our time, but the views from the top were worth the effort of the climb – views over the jungle for miles on end with the other Ek Balam buildings peeping through the trees.
The descent was slightly scary as the steps are very steep, so climbers resorted to differing strategies including bum shuffling or side stepping. Whatever works!
Some of the stones of the tomb have been cleaned up to reveal beautiful carvings in white stone, including full sized figures with hair braids, loin cloths and skull decorations. The restored sections are protected by palapa roofs which slightly spoil the overall look of the pyramid but serve a very important purpose.
As well as El Torre, there were several other buildings to explore, including The Twins and the Oval Palace, a smaller temple with steps to the top and a tiny room which was used by the Mayans for astronomical observations.
Cenote Xchanche
Cenote Xchanche is found next to Ek Balam ad so if you arrive in time, then this would be another good cenote to fit into your visit. There are jumping platforms and also a Tarzan swing.
Final thoughts…
Although our Chichén Itzá day tour had been a long one due to our early start, we enjoyed the itinerary and experiencing two very different temple complexes. Ek Balam was much less commercial and crowded than Chichén Itzá, with no large tour buses whilst we were there so it is much more peaceful.
If you could only visit one Mayan temple in this area, you would probably prioritise Chichén Itzá as it is stunning and one of the New Wonders of the World, however, if you can include Ek Balam on your visit then you will have the perfect contrast.
As we drove back to Playa del Carmen on the toll road, we had the sunset behind us and clear roads, leaving us with a very contented feeling of a good day’s sightseeing.
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