We took the private tour to Ek Balam & Xcanche cenote and had an incredible day!
Since we were on Isla Mujeres, we took the first ferry of the day at 6:00 AM. Our CARM driver Martin was waiting for us at 6:20 AM at the Gran Puerto Juarez Ultramar Ferry Dock, ready for the 2.5 hour drive.
Martin!
NOTE: Since the ruins are in a different state (Yucatan) than Cancun (Quintana Roo), the time there was 1 hour behind us. We arrived exactly at 8:00 AM, just as the ruins opened.
PRO TIP: Arriving early to the ruins beats some of the heat of the day but, most importantly: allows you bypass the surge of people arriving on huge public tour buses that don’t start arriving until 10:00 AM. So, the sites are not so crowded. On this day, we literally had the entire site to ourselves-there was not one other person until 8:30 AM – incredible! 
You can choose to add on a certified tour guide during booking, and that guide will be with you the whole day. We opted for no tour guide. But, if we had changed our minds, there are also tour guides available in all languages at the entrance of the ruins.
When we entered, a cute mama dog came right out and led us to through the winding site. She waited as we stopped to take photos and admire the structures. Amazingly, she led us the Acropolis (the main pyramid) and started climbing up with us, all the way to the top! The site was so peaceful and the view was incredible! We were able to take amazing photos. What a bucket list item, climbing to the top of a pyramid!
Why visit Ek Balam? Ek Balam is the ONLY Mayan ruins site in the Yucatan where you can still climb to the top of the ruins.
Sites such as Chichen Itza & Coba no longer allow you to climb the ruins. Also, Ek Balam is a small site, and less crowded and hectic. Chichen Itza can get crowded with tour groups at every turn.
We really wanted a more tranquil site, with all the same magic and history. The only sounds were the birds and nature. It truly felt magical. We were NOT disappointed! (TIP: Bring lots of sunscreen and/or an umbrella if you are sun sensitive. We brought bug spray as well but, did not need to use it).
We want to help you be aware of SCAMS at the Cancun Airport!
There are 4 separate terminals at the Cancun Airport. 
My name is Trina. I moved to Cancun in 2005 from the United States. It was not an easy move and I had to overcome many challenges, but along the way I met some awesome people. I worked for many years for a travel agent here in Mexico before I decided to go out on my own and offer travelers the best service and advice about Cancun that I had learned over the years. This is my dream come true.