Playa del Carmen Tours and Mayan Excursions

CHICHEN ITZA

Our most popular tour!  A 2 ½ hour drive from Playa del Carmen lies the ancient city of Chichen Itza, the center of the Yucatan between about 800 and 1,200 AD. Upon your arrival at Chichen Itza, you will be met by a professional tour guide who will explain all about  Mayan history and guide you through the most important pyramids such as the castle (“El Castillo” – The Kukulkan Pyramid), the observatory, the Great  Ball Court and the Temple of the Warriors. After a delicious lunch, you will be driven to the amazing natural Cenote “Salmula” where you can  swim in its crystal clear waters and admire its natural beauty.  (Cenotes are water sink holes with crystal clear turquoise water that averages about 78 degrees, and were considered gifted and sacred by the Mayans.) Before returning to Playa del Carmen, you will make a brief stop in the colonial city of Valladolid, founded in 1543.

COBA

This is a magnificent tour to learn about the famous Mayan archaeological site of Coba, which is about two hours from Playa del Carmen.  Coba is different from the other cultural sites, as it is situated on four lakes, and are believed to have given the city its name, which means “Waters stirred by wind”.  Furthermore, Coba is not excavated nor reconstructed like Chichen Itza or Tulum; you’ll still see structures covered with jungle growth and may even have birds and monkeys accompany you.

Arriving to Coba, the tour guide will take you to the archaeological site and will walk with you to the most important pyramids and temples. The city of Coba, which dates from the Classic Period of 600 to 900 AD, was a huge settlement of the ancient Maya, occupying almost 80 square miles and dozens of roads leading in and out of the city.  After visiting Coba, we will take you to swim in a natural fresh water cenote called “Cho Ha” where you will have the opportunity to enjoy a fresh water swim. With a delicious lunch and a visit of a Mayan community we will drive back to your hotel.

TULUM

After a 1 hour drive in an air conditioned bus you arrive at the “walled city” of Tulum, which was at its height during the 13th to 15th century and thus one of the later Mayan outposts.  Take a nice walk amongst the 60 well preserved buildings on site, including the Castle, “El Castillo” perched on the highest cliff overlooking the Caribbean sea (the unique site looking at the sea).   Another building worth touring is Temple of the Frescoes, with its frescoes of typical Mayan motifs in the interior.  A professional tour guide will provide you with the cultural background of this wonderful archeological site.

EK-BALAM

Ek Balam (Mayan for “Black Jaguar”) is a little known treasure located east of Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula; it is about a 2 hour and 45 minute trip from Playa del Carmen and  is a fabulously preserved remnant of the ancient Mayan City, and infrequently visited by tourists.   Unlike other cities in the Yucatan, Ek Balam was inhabited for a long time, having a life span of more than 1,000 years; the Tower (“El Torre”) is one of the largest Mayan structures.  Besides including a bilingual guide and lunch, this day tour also includes a boat trip at a nearby fishermen’s village called Rio Lagartos where you can appreciate 380 different kinds of birds, including the most important pink flamingo nesting grounds on the planet,  as well as crocodiles and sea turtles.