Ek Balam Ruins, Mexico & Cenote Xcanche (Hours & Fees 2023)

On top of the pyramid at Ek Balam Ruins Mexico

Looking to visit the Ek Balam Ruins near Valladolid? Here’s our Ek Balam Ruins Mexico Guide with everything you need to know about visiting Ek Balam in the Yucatan Peninsula. Including photos, how to get there, entrance fees, hours, and Ek Balam tours.

In addition, you will also find information about the Ek Balam Cenote aka Cenote Xcanche.

Ek Balam Ruins, Mexico & Cenote Xcanche

Table Of Contents

Ek Balam Ruins
How To Get To Ek Balam, Mexico?
Ek Balam Entrance Fee
Ek Balam Opening Hours
Summary: Ek’Balam
Ek Balam Cenote (aka Cenote Xcanche)
Ek Balam Tours And Excursions
Ek Balam Vs Coba
Ek Balam Vs Chichen Itza

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Guide To Ek Balam Ruins In Yucatan

The Ek Balam Ruins

Overlooking the Mayan ruins Ek Balam Mexico

EkʼBalam is a Yucatecan-Mayan archaeological site near Valladolid. The Ek Balam Ruins are only an hour away from the famous Chichen Itza Archaeological site.

The structures were designed in the Petén architectural style similar to the Muyil Ruins near Tulum.

Ek Balam – The Black Jaguar

What does Ek Balam actually mean? Ek’Balam comes from the Yucatan Mayan language and means Black Jaguar (Jaguar Negro).

The Entrance Arch

Through the symbolic entrance arch, you enter the archaeological site. It is thought, that a sacred Sacbé road leads through the arch and into the site.

Ek Balam is said to have 4 of those Scabe roads, also called white roads, going off in the four cardinal directions. Coba is another Mayan ruin with many of those “white roads”.

Ek Balam Pyramid Aka Acropolis

The Acropolis Maya ruin in Ek Balam in Yucatan, Mexico — The Acropolis Maya ruin in Ek Balam in Yucatan

The main and biggest structure at the Ek Balam Archaeological Site is the Acropolis temple. Under the covered roofs you will find ancient paintings and hieroglyphs.

Head of serpent with Mayan hieroglyphs in Ek Balam, Mexico — Head of serpent with Mayan hieroglyphs

Climbing Ek Balam Acropolis

Climbing the Ek Balam pyramid "Acropolis" in Mexico — Climbing down the Ek Balam pyramid “Acropolis”

The Acropolis aka Ek Balam pyramid is one of the few remaining Mayan ruins that you can still climb up.

We recommend anyone that is physically fit enough to climb up the temple. The view from atop is worth the struggle. You can see the Oval Palace from there and the other remaining structures of Ek Balam.

Just be very careful when climbing up and down those steep stairs.

Climbing Palacio Oval Ruin In Ek Balam

Climbing Mayan ruins Palacio Oval at Ek Balam in Yucatan

On the opposite side of the Acropolis is where the Oval Palace is located. You can climb the Palacio Oval structure up as well. It is not as high as the Acropolis on the opposite side.

How To Get To Ek Balam, Mexico?

It’s pretty easy to get to Ek Balam from pretty much anywhere in the Yucatan Peninsula. The easiest mode of transportation to get to the Ek Balam ruins is by rental car or with a tour that takes you there.

If you decide to rent a car, your best option is to book it in advance and pick it up at the airport in Cancun. There you will get the best prices and have to most options to chose from.

Check rates for rental cars here!

The distance and time to get to Ek Balam, of course, depends on where you are coming from. The closest city nearby is the colonial town Valladolid.

From the popular beach towns along the Riviera Maya, it takes significantly longer, but it is absolutely no problem to visit Ek Balam from Tulum, Playa del Carmen, or Cancun. If you don’t want to make this long drive yourself, we have listed day trips below that will take care of everything.

Cancun To Ek Balam

How Far Is Ek Balam From Cancun?

Getting to Ek Balam from Cancun is quite a drive. The distance is approx. 172 km / 107 mi. The drive from Cancun to Ek Balam takes about 2.5 hours. It is doable though, just plan in an entire for this drip!

We recommend to visit the colonial town Valladolid while you are in the area to make to the most out of it.

Ek Balam Tour From Cancun

Tours to Ek Balam From Cancun are very popular. There are different tours to choose from: Private vs small group tours and combo tours visiting other sites as well.

During a day trip to Ek Balam, you can visit a cenote or even another Mayan ruin like Chichen Itza. Most Ek Balam tours provide lunch, especially if they are full-day trips.

➤ Private Tour To Chichen Itza, Ek Balam & Ik Kil Cenote With Lunch

➤ Private Tour: Chichen Itza, Ek Balam & Tequila Factory From Cancun

➤ Combo Tour: Chichen Itza, Ek Balam & Hubiku Cenote

➤ Full-day Tour To Ek Balam & Cenote Maya From Cancun

Ek Balam From Playa del Carmen

The drive from Playa del Carmen to Ek Balam is a bit shorter than from Cancun. The distance to Ek Balam from Cancun is about 157 km / 98 mi. The drive will take approximately 2 hours by car.

There are car rental stations in Playa del Carmen, if you decide to rent a car from there. See locations and check prices for rental cars here.

Ek Balam Tour From Playa del Carmen

Tours to Ek Balam will also leave from Playa del Carmen. You have several options to choose from:

➤ Private Tour From PdC To Chichen Itza, Ek Balam & Ik Kil Cenote With Lunch

➤ Full-day Tour To Ek Balam & Cenote Maya From Playa del Carmen

➤ Combo Tour: Chichen Itza, Ek Balam & Hubiku Cenote From Riviera Maya

Tulum To Ek Balam

Even though Tulum is located further south of the Riviera Maya, the drive to Ek Balam from Tulum is actually shorter. The distance is about 127 km / 79 mi. The drive from Tulum to Ek Balam is about 1 h 45 min by car and much shorter.

Ek Balam Tour From Tulum

Ek Balam tours also leave from Tulum. You can choose between a private Ek Balam Tour from Tulum, a small group tour or a combo tour visiting Chichen Itza on the same day trip.

➤ Private Tour From Tulum To Chichen Itza, Ek Balam & Ik Kil Cenote With Lunch

➤ Full-day Tour To Ek Balam & Cenote Maya From Tulum

➤ Combo Tour: Chichen Itza, Ek Balam & Hubiku Cenote From Riviera Maya

How To Get To Ek Balam From Valladolid

Getting to Ek Balam from Valladolid is super easy and quick. The distance is about 28 km / 18 miles. It takes only about half an hour from Valladolid to Ek Balam.

Tour To Ek Balam From Valladolid

The Ek Balam tours from Valladolid are different than the ones from the Rivera Maya. On a day trip to Ek Balam, you get to visit the Rio Largatos Biosphere Reserve and see flamingos and visit Las Coloradas, the pink lakes.

➤ Day Trip To Rio Lagartos & Las Coloradas & Ek Balam From Valladolid

Chichen Itza To Ek Balam

From Chichen Itza to Ek Balam it takes a little over an hour by car. If you decide to visit the Mayan ruins on your own you could visit both on the same day if you are ambitious.

Entrance arch at Ek Balam Ruins looking at Palacio Oval, the Oval Palace

Ek Balam Entrance Fee

The Ek Balam Ruins entrance fee is 75 MXN. In addition to the Ek Balam cost, there is another fee charged by the State of Yucatan which is a whopping 381 MXN.

So, in total, the entry fee to Ek’Balam is 456 MXN! Check the official website of the ruins for the most up-to-date prices.

There is no parking fee at the Ek Balam ruins.

Ek Balam Hours

Ek’Balam is open for visitors every day of the year. The Ek Balam opening hours are from 8 am until 5 pm. The last entry to the ruins is at 4 pm.

Summary: Ek’Balam

Ek’Balam Ruins, Mexico

Entrance Fee

456 MXN

Opening Hours

8 am to 5 pm every day
last entry 4 pm

Directions

Directions to Ek Balam here!

Valladolid To Ek Balam

28 km / 18 mi
approx. 30 minutes by car

Tulum To Ek Balam

127 km / 79 mi
about 1 h 45 min by car

Playa del Carmen To Ek Balam

157 km / 98 mi
approx. 2 hours by car

Cancun To Ek Balam

172 km / 107 mi
approx. 2 h 20 min by car

Ek Balam Tours

Find all Ek Balam Tours here.

Ek Balam Cenote (Cenote Xcanche)

There is a cenote at the Ek Balam ruins – Cenote Xcanche. Some just call it the Ek Balam Cenote however.

The swimming hole is not directly located at the archaeological site. To get to Cenote Xcanche a 15 minutes walk is required. You can also rent a bicycle to get there quicker.

Ek Balam Cenote Entrance Fee

The price for Cenote Xanche is not included in the ruins ticket. The Ek Balam Cenote entrance fee is 170 MXN. This includes the bike rental.

Cenote Xcanche Price – Adventure Package

If you want to do zip lining across the cenote and rappelling down you can get the Cenote Xcanche adventure package which is 500 MXN.

If you just want to zipline across the swimming hole, you can pay 50 MXN directly at the cenote.

Ek Balam Tours And Excursions

Ek Balam Vs Coba

Nohoch Mul Pyramid at Coba Ruins Mexico — Coba Pyramid between Tulum and Valladolid

If you are wondering if Coba or Ek Balam is better, you are in for not an easy decision to make. Both archaeological sites are great to visit and have pyramids that you can climb or, to be more precise, used to climb actually.

Ek Balam Vs Coba: Pyramid Climbing

You used to climb up the Coba Pyramid near Tulum until Covid-19 hit. Since then, the pyramid is closed for climbing. However, you can still see it from up close, just not climb up anymore. Read more info about climbing the Coba Pyramid here.

At Ek Balam, you can still climb up the Acropolis aka Ek Balam Pyramid. So if you are looking for climbing a Mayan pyramid, you should visit Ek Balam.

Ek Balam Vs Coba: Entrance Fee

Additional things to consider are the entrance fee and location. Coba is a lot cheaper to visit than Ek Balam. For more info about the current entrance fee to Coba read on in our Coba post.

Depending on where you are staying around the Yucatan Peninsula, you may find Coba or Ek Balam closer by and opt for that one.

Ek Balam Vs Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza Mayan Pyramid in the Yucatán Peninsula — Chichen Itza Pyramid near Valladolid

Which one is better, Ek Balam or Chichen Itza? If you can’t visit both and have to decide on one Mayan pyramid to visit we recommend visiting Chichen Itza instead of Ek Balam. Chichen Itza is the main and most popular pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula. The iconic Kukulcán Pyramid, which surely you have come across already, is simply majestic!

If you can manage to visit both the Ek Balam and Chichen Itza pyramids we’d recommend visiting both.

Ek Balam Or Chichen Itza

Another point to consider when comparing Ek Balam vs Chichen Itza is that Chichen Itza is the most famous pyramid in Yucatan, Mexico, which means the archaeological site is a lot more crowded. There will be a lot more people and tours visiting Chichen Itza than Ek Balam.

Another aspect to take into account is where you visit the Ek Balam pyramid from. Visiting the Ek Balam Archaeological Site from Valladolid is super quick. To Chichen Itza from Valladolid, it takes almost an hour.

From Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Cancun it also takes slightly longer to get to Chichen Itza vs Ek Balam.

So when comparing Ek Balam Vs Chichen Itza, consider the crowds and take the way to get there into account as well.

Ek Balam Ruins, Mexico & Cenote Xcanche

We hope you found our Ek Balam Ruins Guide and info about Cenote Xcanche helpful and are inspired to visit one of the few remaining Mayan ruins in Yucatan that you can still climb up.

Julia & Felipe

Follow our adventures on Instagram! @piscoandbier