Rio Lagartos guided boat tour- Ek Balam from Valladolid
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Valladolid, Mexico
- 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
This fun-filled day tour combines some of the most amazing natural and archeological attractions around Valladolid, making it ideal for travelers with varied interests. Visit the nature reserve of Ria Lagartos with its beautiful flamingos, and the Maya site at Ek Balam. This is the easy way to fit three great sites into one day.
- Travel in comfort in an air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch will be provided
- Receive personalized attention on a small-group tour
- Entrance to and a boat ride at Rio Lagartos are included
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch
- Tourleader and Certified Guide for Ek Balam
- Entrance Ria Lagartos national park, guided boattour and boatrental
- Bottled water
- All Fees and Taxes
- drinks with lunch - tips
- Entrance Ek Balam for foreignersMX$709.00 per person
- Entrance Ek Balam for MexicansMX$242.00 per person
- Entrance Ek Balam for children from 3 till 12 years oldMX$210.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We can pick you up at all hotels, B&B, hostals and Airbnbs in VALLADOLID, Yucatan. Please give complete address with crossroads or indicate which hotel is close to your Airbnb. We don´t pick up in other cities as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, ... only Valladolid Pick-up is between 6:45am - 7:15am
Operating hours.7:15 am
Itinerary
1
Parque Natural Ria Lagartos
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Ek Balam
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 153 reviews
James_H, Nov 2025
Great day out, the wildlife was incredible and the boat trip was fun. The lunch was surprisingly good
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much James! It’s great to know you enjoyed the day and the wildlife out there. And yes, that lunch is always a nice surprise 😊
Greetings from Valladolid!
SamanthaM, Aug 2025
It was magical to be travelling on the water and see flamingos close up. The trip to Ek Balam was so interesting too
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you very much for your feedback, Samantha! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the tour
and had the chance to see the flamingos up close and explore Ek Balam. It truly is a magical
experience!
Tessa_S, Aug 2025
Late review lol but we had a great time on this excursion! My mother and I were actually the only ones who booked it that day so we had the boat all to ourselves, which was perfect since our primary goal was birding. We saw lots of target species including anhingas and flamingos. Ek Balam was also an amazing architectural site. Our guide was great but unfortunately I can't remember his name... it's been like 8 months since we went lol but I still think about how great of a trip it was from time to time, so that should tell you all you need to know! If I remember correctly, the price was a little higher than some of the other excursions to the area. I do think it was worth it in our case because we had a private tour. I don't know if I'd feel the same if it was a large tour with lots of people, but for what it ended up being, it was perfect :)
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re really happy to hear you and your
mother enjoyed the tour and had the chance to see so many amazing birds and explore Ek
Balam. It’s always our goal to make every experience special, whether in a small group or
private setting. If you ever return to the Yucatán, we’d love to show you even more of our
beautiful region!
David_B, May 2025
This trip was fantastic! It was just my wife and I on the tour. Jose picked us up in a lovely air-conditioned car and even offered us a coffee stop if we wanted.
We continued to Rio Lagartos where we jumped into a boat and began exploring the mangroves by boat. We saw a whole flock of flamingos and Jose and the boat captain were able to spot us a crocodile among the flora.
After seeing some incredible birds (anyone who's played Red Dead Redemption 2 will know these birds!), we went to see the pink lakes. Here, Jose gathered some of the mineral rich clay for us to use as a body mask.
We then took the boat at high speed back to the shore for a shower and a delicious lunch.
Then we drove to Ek Balam for some intriguing cultural history. We were allowed to climb the temple here which gave us fantastic photo opportunities.
Jose did offer to drive us to a nearby cenote or even a local tequila distillery, but unfortunately we were quite tired by this point and had no energy left.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your experience — it’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed the
day exploring Río Lagartos and Ek Balam with José! We really appreciate your trust in us and
your kind words, which are also very helpful for future travelers. All the best, and we hope to see
you again in the Yucatán!
Robert_H, Mar 2025
Our guide and driver Gilberto is a good man! The trip overall was spectacular, especially the Rio! Ek Balam is a hidden gem.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you, Robert, for trusting us! We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and that you
loved Río Lagartos and Ek Balam — they truly are special places.
Kylie_J, Dec 2024
Jose, our tour guide, was great! Very knowledgeable about the area and Mayan culture. A long day but a really enjoyable one. Would recommend.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Hi Kylie, thank you for choosing us for your Yucatán adventure! We’re so glad you enjoyed the
day and that José’s knowledge made it memorable. We hope to welcome you back for more experiences in Mexico soon!
Gareth_S, Nov 2024
Great experience. Rio Lagatos was not pink when we visited due to recent weather but the boat ride and the wildlife were great. Impressive to see Ek Balam a less visited archaeological site. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and engaging.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you, Gareth! We’re glad you enjoyed the boat ride and wildlife at Rio Lagartos, as well as
the visit to the impressive and less crowded Ek Balam. We’re happy we could meet your
expectations and hope to welcome you back for more Yucatán adventures!
Erin_G, Apr 2024
This was an amazing day trip with our excellent guide Gilberto. The boat trip at Rio Lagartes was excellent - I can't believe how close we got to the crocodiles and I loved seeing the flamingos (and so many other birds that Gilberto was able to identify for us).
Ek Balam was incredibly impressive, with a great tour & information provided. The Xcanche cenote afterwards was a perfect end to a very hot day!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
We’re so glad you enjoyed such a full day with us! Gilberto loved sharing the wildlife at Rio
Lagartos, the wonders of Ek Balam, and the refreshing Xcanche Cenote. Thank you for joining
MexiGo Tours, and we hope to welcome you back for more Yucatán adventures!
Chelsea_P, Mar 2024
Firstly, we will start with the positive. Our guide Jose was great - we couldn't fault him. He picked us up on time, he was very knowledgeable and helpful.
That being said, this was the most expensive tour we went on during our time in Mexico and I really cannot understand where the money we paid goes. It obviously pays toward the tour guide (Jose), it paid for fuel and maintenance of the vehicle Jose was driving, it paid for lunch and paid for the boat tour, but there is no way any of that comes close to the money we paid for the trip (over £285 for 2 adults). We were told we would be able to visit both Ek Balam and the Cenote but we didn't (we had to choose which one we would prefer) and we had to pay additionally to enter to what we had already paid for the trip. We were under the impression we would see the pink lakes of Los Colorados but we didn't.
In all honesty I wouldn’t recommend the tour for the price we paid. It was gutting to get all the way to Rio Lagartos and not be able to see the pink lakes as that is what we had booked the tour to see and we only had this day to do it so there was no other opportunity for us to see it.
breinca, Jan 2024
Amazing and unique experience with a very informative guide. We left the trip with more knowledge about the unique ecosystem in Rio Lagartos as well as the Mayans in the Yucatan. There wasn’t a question which was left unanswered.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you very much for your wonderful review!
Great to hear you enjoyed the mix of nature and culture, and that the explanations about Río Lagartos and the Maya world made the day special.
We’re happy everything was clear and informative — you’re always welcome back in Valladolid!
Ambra_C, Dec 2023
We enjoyed so much the experience with our guide Jilberto, very funny and knowledgeable guy. The time of the visit at the different sites has been very well managed (no rushing feeling at all) and the experience has been very intimate. We did this tour at the end of December and just a few flamingos showed up, however there were enough crocodiles to make us happy!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for your kind review!
Great to hear you enjoyed the day with Gilberto and the relaxed pace of the tour.
We’re glad the crocodiles made it memorable.
Thanks for choosing MexiGO Tours!
Bailey_M, Dec 2023
We had a fantastic day with Jose seeing flamingos in all their uniqueness, covering ourselves in mud, and getting a knowledgable tour of Ek Balam. From the helpful communication at booking to our guides care throughout each part to the mouthwatering food served at lunch, we would tell anyone we know going to Valladolid to book this tour! Between our guide Jose and the boat captain, any question we had about birds and mangroves could be answered. And Ek Balam has so many details you would miss if you were there without a guide. We swam in the cenote afterwards and it was worth the extra cost to cool off after walking up the main structure. Spend a day doing this, absolutely!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for your wonderful review!
Great to hear you enjoyed the day with José and the boat captain — the wildlife, the mud experience, Ek Balam and the lunch.
We’re very happy the tour became one of your best days in Mexico.
Thanks a lot for recommending us!
Andrew_H, Dec 2023
Absolutely superb trip. Our guide was excellent company. The food at Rio Lagartos was great and we loved the boat ride, seeing the flamingos and crocodiles! Ek Balam was also stunning, especially the recently discovered Mayan sculptures. We thought it was more interesting and visually spectacular than Chichen Itza. The cenote at the end with the rope swing and zip line was the icing on the cake. Would definitely recommend this trip.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Thanks a lot for your positive feedback. Nature, culture and a good lunch are one of the better combinations. All the best!
Nimay_K, Nov 2023
Amazing experience! Our guide was very informative and having him enhanced the entire experience. A wide variety of sights covered on this tour, and you will learn a ton. Highly recommend
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thank you very much for your review Nimay_K! Glad you liked the guiding at Rio Lagartos, Ek balam and the cenote. Hope to see you back one day!
April_M, Jul 2023
Wow! Rio Lagartos was a fantastic trip! We saw a crocodile, flamingos, and varied birds. We experienced a mud bath and saw the pink lakes. We enjoyed time swimming in the Rio Lagartos. And lunch was amazing…..so delicious. Ek Balam was great to see with a tour guide who gave us educational experience. Highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for your wonderful review!
We’re so glad you enjoyed Rio Lagartos, the mud bath, and Ek Balam with our guide. It was a pleasure having you with us — we hope to see you again on another adventure!
Dana_W, Feb 2023
We loved our tour with Jose! He is very knowledgeable, relaxed, and has a great sense of humor. At Rio Lagartos he taught us so much about the area and the birds etc. He took good care of us, and made sure we had time for a swim in Cenote Xcanche.
Christa_S, Sep 2022
We went as a family and ended up being the only ones on the tour with our tourguide José. He was super friendly, explained a lot and answered all our questions. We can highly recommend this tour.
Philipp_K, Apr 2022
Nice Trip, boat Tour was awesome. El Balsam was informative and there is absolutely no need to stop more than 10minutes at las coloradas
Fabienne_C, Jan 2022
We were delighted to start our journey in Mexico with this excursion. Mangroves, flamingos, pelicans and crocodiles were there. The visit to Ek Balam accompanied by interesting explanations from our guide was a great introduction to the Maya world.
On the other hand, Las Coloradas has no interest except for social networks!
Keri_C, Jan 2022
This was a super easy way to see three great sites. Our guide, Jose, was very informative and we learnt lots about these areas as well Mexico more generally. I particularly loved Ek Balam and being able to climb the ruins here.
Shane_L, Dec 2021
Boat trip was lovely and seeing flamingos (and so many other birds) in the wild was a beautiful experience. Pink lake was ok, just a photo opportunity really. Ek Balam was amazing. Ending the trip with this is perfect especially with the sun going down. Was really magical.
Response from Host, Dec 2021
Thank you very much for having trusted us.
Yumbootik (Thank you)
SarahLisa_H, Mar 2023
Der Ausflug hat sehr viel Spass gemacht und war sehr spannend. José hat uns viel über die Mayakultur erzählt, es war wie eine Geschichtsstunde :) Río Lagartos hat uns auch sehr gefallen und das Mittagessen war sehr sehr gut. Alles in allem 5 von 5 Sternen :)
Manuela_G, Dec 2021
Der Bus ist super pünktlich erschienen, wir hatten eine super Tour, echt empfehlenswert. Wir hatten viel Spass.
From $198.00
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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Rio Lagartos guided boat tour- Ek Balam from Valladolid
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