Recommended Activities and Tours in Valladolid Mexico
We love Valladolid! We have to Valladolid hundreds of times and have visited most of the touristic places. In this guide we will recommend some of the tours and things you can do in Valladolid when you are visiting. Some of these tours are with transportation and some are with you arranging transportation to the destination. We will also recommend with some of the tours do it yourself or whether prebooking a tour is better.
First off, Valladolid is a great place to visit because it is small enough to enjoy, visiting the center on foot and only a short way out of town you have ruins, cenotes, and a lot of local culture. It is also under two hours from Merida and about 1.5 hours from the Riviera Maya. Valladolid holds its own when compared to other destinations because it has a lot to offer. Explore this article to find the best tours and excursions that you can do when visiting Valladolid.
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Tours to Visit Maya Ruins from Valladolid
There are two big ruins near to Valladolid. Ek Balam is about 35 minutes from town and Chichen Itza is about 50 minutes away. Both of these ruins are good to see in their own special way. If it is your first time to the area, Chichen Itza is probably on your list. It is bigger, more well known, and a larger site. Ek Balam is a smaller site, closer to Valladolid and gets far fewer guests. At Ek Balam you can also climb to the top of the main temple and get a great 360 view.
You can get to these ruins by yourself, either by driving or public transportation. However, some people like to book a tour because you have a guide, transportation, everything is planed out, you don’t have to worry about parking and standing in line for tickets.
If you don’t have a rental car, here is how you can get to both Ek Balam and Chichen Itza from Valladolid. To Get to Ek Balam from Valladolid, you have two options. There is one daily bus from the bus station to Ek Balam (this does lock in how long you have there). The second option is a combi taxi. These are shared taxis or you can take your own taxi to Ek Balam, but that can get expensive. To get to Chichen Itza there are shuttle vans that leave when full and take you to the entrance. There are also buses from the bus station that stop in Chichen Itza. You can see details for the transportation in our article What is there to see in Valladolid, Yucatan? Visitors Guide
Below are some tour options. Honestly, if you want to save some money on tours and spend it on another tour from Valladolid, visiting the nearby ruins is fairly easy to do yourself and you will save a good amount of money. You can hirer guides at the ruins for about $40-$60 USD depending on language, group size and availability.
Chichen Itza Tour from Valladolid
This tour takes you to Chichen Itza from the main square of Valladolid. This is a small tour, limited to 20 people. Like most of the tours to ruins they add the entrance ticket separately. This tour is $75 USD per person, and the extra fee is 765 pesos. This is one of the more affordable tours to Chichen Itza from Valladolid. Tours to the ruins from Valladolid are proportionality higher than those from the Riviera Maya because of the value of people booking tours. Tour from Valladolid also tend to be smaller and more personalized.
Ek Balam Tour from Valladolid
If you want to visit Ek Balam and have a guide, transportation, buffet lunch and a cenote visit, this tour is good for you. You will visit the ruins of Ek Balam and Cenote Hubiku. This tour is $93.50 with an extra fee of 765 pesos.
Combined Tour to Ek Balam and Rio Lagartos to See Flamingos and More!
Perhaps one of the best deals on a tour to the ruins is this combination tour. Ek Balam is on the way to Rio Lagartos. You will get a tour of the ruins, lunch, transportation, and a boat tour in Rio Lagartos which is a beautiful nature area at the tip of the peninsula. Since visiting Rio Lagartos is a little harder for tourist to plan out themselves, this tour makes it easy and gives you a full day of exploring. This tour is $198 USD per person with an extra fee of 709 pesos. There are discounts for children.
Valladolid Cenote Tours
Cenotes are something that make the Yucatan Peninsula very interesting and most tourist want to visit some of them. There is Cenote Zaci in the center of Valladolid that is possible to visit on your own. Many however want to see some of the most beautiful cenotes around Valladolid. Here are some tours that will take you to these cenotes.
Tour to Two Cenotes with Lunch and Transportation
Visit two iconic cenotes that are outside of Valladolid. One is Suytun Cenote. This cenote is famous for the instagramable photos of a walkway to the center of the cenote. This cenote is more for photos, but you can swim here. Next to this cenote is a very natural cenote that is nice just to take photos of called Nool Ha. The last cenote is Chukum Cenote. This is a crystal-clear water cenote that is enclosed. This is a great cenote to swim in and jump into. This tour includes all entrances, lunch and transportation in a special vehicle. The price is about $80 USD per person.
Drive Yourself to One of the Best Cenotes in the Area of Valladolid
If you want to see one of the most beautiful cenotes near Valladolid, look no farther. This is Cenote Zacil Tunich. So much work went into making this cenote an experience you will not forget. This is an option for you if you have a car. There is no public transportation to this cenote. You can buy an entrance ticket that includes a Mayan ceremony, a tour with an explanation of the Maya beliefs, and have an organic meal. This is a private tour for you and whoever is with you. It is $60 USD per person. This is a good option to see this beautiful cenote that is not visited that much.
Note: This is also the same cenote you can do a 3-course meal at for the most romantic night of your life!
Tour 4 Cenotes in One Day with Transportation
If you want to see a good number of different cenotes, including some very famous ones, this tour is for you. These cenotes do require some transportation time which makes this tour a better value. Included in this tour is a pickup from your hotel, visiting 4 cenotes and a buffet lunch. This is a small tour with a maximum of 6 people. You will have sufficient time to swim and relax at each cenote. You will visit the iconic Ik Kil Cenote near Chichen Itza, Cenote Xcajum, and the cenotes Xkeken and Samula. This tour is about $61 USD but does not include the entrances to the cenotes and buffet. This is about another $40 USD.
Experiences and Tours in Valladolid
Here are two interesting things to do in Valladolid that you can book ahead. The first one is walkable from anywhere in the center. The second is at the edge of town and a taxi is best to get to it.
Mezcal Tasting in Valladolid
If you want to take a break from seeing ruins and swimming in cenotes, this activity is perfect for a little relaxing. You can easily walk to this art center in Valladolid where they do special tastings. Enjoy 5 cocktails with mezcal. While you drink your cocktails you will learn more about mezcal and history of it in Mexico. This experience is offered Monday – Sunday: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM. The price is $40 USD per person. This is actually a good deal because it is cheaper to do it with this reservation than going in person.
Learn all About the Stingless Bees of the Yucatan and More!
One really interesting place to visit is the Xkopek Bee Park. This natural area at the edge of Valladolid offers an amazing tour of their property to learn all about local bees and their importance to the culture. We were amazed the first time we went there because we learned something almost every sentence of the guide. you will take a tour and end with a tasting of all the different honey products. Tours are in English and Spanish. This tour is great for kids and adults that want to learn about the unique bees that have been cultivated by the Maya. This tour is about $22 USD, discounts for children. This also includes LUNCH! This is a good value.
Enjoy Valladolid!
We hope you have a great time in Valladolid. These tours and experiences are all things we recommend you do while visiting. There are a lot of other activities you can do independently in Valladolid. Seeing some of these and booking a tour will really round out your experience in Valladolid. See our guide: What is there to see in Valladolid, Yucatan? Visitors Guide
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