If you still want to climb a pyramid. I would highly recommend this place. Lots to see , climb and walk around. From the top of one of the pyramids you can see the tops of the trees in the jungle. So cool.

Absolutely amazing archeological site. We only ended up here because the roads to Chichen Itza were closed by Indigenous protestors during our visit. Most of the buildings have stairs you can climb and each offers a new and interesting view of the rest of the site. The big pyramid is incredible and the carvings are in excellent condition. We didn’t pay for a tour but there were lots of tours happening around us so we were able to pick up interesting tidbits about Mayan culture and some of the carvings. We spent about an hour and half exploring, including climbing up the pyramid, which was tough in the hot sun but very rewarding. On the drive in you’ll hit a big group of local guys who will charge you 100 pesos for a parking pass. Whether it’s above board or not is your call but we were forewarned and prepared to pay and they were very friendly to us. Tickets for the ruins are 499/adult. Afterwards we went to cenote x’canche which 2km from the site. Separate tickets at 170 pesos/person. Definitely recommend. It’s a great way to cool off after walking around in the hot sun.

Ek balam was amazing. Was able to climb every pyramid there.but once you climb the taller pyramid and see the other ruins from the top view was so cool. Exactly was I was wanting. Lots of clear artifacts from the mayans. One of my best times yet. Highly recommend you visit this archeological site.

This was my first time visiting Ek Balam though I have been to other ruins in Mexico (Coba, Monte Alban) during prior stays in Mexico. One reason we chose it was because of proximity to a cenote, promise of smaller crowds, and because they still allow climbing the pyramids which is no longer an option at the other Mayan ruins in the Yucatán. It was also a manageable size to walk around and had lots of trees and shade. We chose not to have a guide though there were many offering services upon entrance. The fee was rather expensive and seemed like it was recently increased as it was more than what I had read on recent blogs/reviews. I was ok paying it though as it was evident that lots of archeological research and further excavation of ruins was actively underway. There were “hills” on the fringes of the site completely covered in vegetation and trees and looked like they could just be part of the landform, but a closer look revealed they were ruins that just had not been uncovered yet. Except for the main towering pyramid which visitors make a beeline for, the rest of the place was nearly empty on the Sunday afternoon except for the many iguanas that pop out of nowhere from the stones and scare the hell out of you. Getting in to Ek Balam was a bit dodgy with a guy stopping cars at the beginning of the road off the highway. I knew there was another unofficial “parking toll” gate further up the road but I didn’t expect this one. The guy was youngish and friendly and clearly trying to look official and asked if we had “registered” and had a reservation. There was a car with a couple tourists pulled over “registering” with a lady set up with a small table and chair on the roadside. I speak Spanish so asked him if he had anything in writing about this process and how come the car in front of me didn’t need to “register”. I then with a serious expression explained I actually wasn’t going to the Ek Balam archeological site, but rather the pueblo. He merrily waived us on at that point. I think he knew I wasn’t falling for the scam. Further down the road, I did indeed turn into the pueblo in an attempt to skirt the parking toll as the map seemed to show a back way. Unfortunately it was gated off and we had to turn around and deal with the men charging the 100 pesos parking fee a full 1km before the ruins. The guy wasn’t really intimidating so I told him what I thought of their bs shake down before handing over the money because I didn’t want any further trouble. A few of their crew were in the lot “helping” people park (pointing to one of the dozens upon dozens of open spaces). When we left for the day with an hour or so before last admittance, the make shift toll gate had completely vanished and there was no sign of it. It must not be worth their time to hang around past 3pm. I wish this enterprise of theirs wasn’t tolerated.

This was the only site in the Riviera Maya that we were able to climb the pyramids there. The site is more recently excavated than many of the others, it is less known and less visited than the other sites as well. This makes for a less pressured visit and a fun experience. We went to this site as a part of a tour and got interesting information about the site. In the shadow of Chichen Itza, this was an important location for the Mayans during the same time period. It contains the burial site of one of their kings, and also a very well-preserved ball court, similar to the one in Chichen Itza. From what we understood, this was a kingdom that was attacked and abandoned even though it seemed very defensible. In the end, we had a great time climbing to the top of the pyramid and surveying the peninsula all around.

Absolutely amazing. It is nearly as complete as Chichen Itza but smaller. It has a smaller footprint so not as much walking as Coba or Tulum and it has a tree shaded plaza that none of the other 3 have. You can still walk up all of the staircases to access the buildings and rooms and the view from the top of the Acropolis is amazing. We spent nearly 4 hours onsite just enjoying the views, exploring and resting to eat some snacks we brought. It was not crowded but there were a couple larger groups of 15 or more that we had to work around to get photos. I climbed the Acropolis twice and was alone at the top both times. A bonus was watching the leaf cutting ants and the caterpillars that were about 3" long. Parking is 100 Pesos and is run by the nearby town of Hunuku as near as I can tell from the ticket. The toll area is a set of cones set up in the road to stop you about 2km before the actual parking lot. When you first turn down the Ek-Balam road there will be a little lean-to with some guys with clip boards. They are trying to get you to to visit their cenote and are not affiliated with Ek-Balam or Xcanche cenote. When we told them we weren't visiting any cenotes they wished us a good day.

I wish the reviewers who accused locals of scamming visitors had done some research before posting here. Yes, like almost all touristed sites in Mexico and elsewhere in the world locals trying to earn a living hope to get your business. We read the negative reviews and then asked questions of several reputable people. The site of Ek Balam is owned by the Mexican government. To access it you drive through the territory of the Mayan village of Hunuku. The village via their Union de Servicios de Estacionamiento charges each vehicle $100 pesos ($5.51 USD) to drive through and park. Its a legitimate business authorized by the Hunuku municipality. I posted photos of the parking ticket below. Ek Balam is a jewel of an archaeology site that contains the second largest known Mayan building in the Mayan world. Its uncrowded, peaceful and still has unexcavated buildings. Go see it and don't begrudge or accuse local Mayan people of earning a legitimate living.

This is a VERY under rated Mayan site. Relatively little of it is fully uncovered and restored, but what is uncovered is spectacular. It is far less developed in terms of tourist infrastructure, and much less crowded than Chichen Itza . Wear solid closed toe shoes or boots to visit this site and if you can, climb up the pirámides to see the amazing Crocodile tomb entrance and the view to Coba and Chichen Itza. We went with Cancun Bay tours, but I could not write another review for them. Our guide Ana was terrific and our driver Pepe was excellent. I highly recommend visiting this site

Ek Balam is a great day trip from Cancun. Much less tourists and a great climb to the top. Top off with a stop a Valladolid. Fascinating look at Mayan life past and present.