We are so glad we did this tour! We saw Mérida, 3 different Mayan ruins and a Cenote(the best part). We didn’t care to be in the car for so... read more long and my stomach wasn’t so happy with the lunches provided, but at the end it was worth it for the experience. Manny and Jose were our guides and they really made it a safe and wonderful trip to remember. Manny is so knowledgeable about the Mayans and their culture. He really seems to enjoy what he does and that added so much more to it. Thank you guys!

  If you are looking for a private tour of the Mayan ruins -- several notches above the busy group tours shuttled though by bus -- this is the tour company... read more for you!

We were incredibly happy with our private guided tour to Chichen Itza, Valladolid, then Ek Balam. Getting to Chichen Itza early was a brilliant suggestion by Special Mayan Tours as we beat both the crowds and scorching sun getting there when the gates opened. Pepe, our tour guide, kept us engaged with his storytelling style -- going through the amazing history of the Mayans as it relates to Chichen Itza and Ek Balam while leading us through the ruins. He was very customer-focused as he skillfully paced and guided the tour to our needs and requests.

It was a full 11-hour day of Mayan culture and history, with a wonderful stop at Valladolid in the middle for lunch. Valladolid, a beautiful Spanish colonial town, was an excellent suggestion by Pepe for lunch at El Mesón del Marqués. What an authentic setting -- beautiful Spanish architecture designed courtyard offering delicious traditional regional cuisine.

Rubin, our driver, was great too. He stay back in our luxury van, watching our belongings and making sure the van was cool when we returned from our humid walking tour of the ruins.

Totally worth it!

  This is the only tour company you need. Pepe responded quickly and efficiently to my emails before we went on our trip. On the actual tour day, he was totally... read more brilliant: great English, very knowledgeable, fun, and helpful. The tour itself was amazing. He also helped arrange a fishing trip on another day. If I could give more stars, he deserves them all. Do not hesitate to contact him - you will not be disappointed! More

  My hubby and I spent 5 days/4nights on a private tour with Special Mayan Tours in late October 2018, which is the off-season so sites were not crowded. We traveled... read more across northern Yucatan from Cancun to Merida and back in a small van with a guide and driver. It was wonderful - a really standout experience.Highly recommend going in the off season, and highly recommend this particular tour company. We normally are independent travelers, but when it comes to visiting archeological sites, having a knowledgeable person with you is priceless, and having a driver and hired vehicle takes all the stress out of finding your way around. Our guide Abraham did an outstanding job of showing us several Mayan sites, explaining what we were seeing (there is very little signage), relating one site to the next, and painlessly giving us a good education on how the culture changed over time. He and our driver Jose made us feel like it was truly their pleasure to give us a good experience. The itinerary was thoughtfully arranged by Pepe, our point of contact at the tour company -- I definitely recommend taking his advice on what to see and in what order. These guys know their stuff. Be aware that the pyramids themselves can be a workout if you choose to climb all the (steep!) stairs to the top, so you'll get the most from the visit if you are at least moderately fit. But the pyramid visits (we saw Ek Balaam, Kabah, Uxmul, and Chitzen Itza) are broken up with 1-2 hour drives between sites, as well as with visits to small villages, town squares, churches, markets, and a cenote, so even an aging couch potato like me can handle it just fine. Most days we started at 8 am and were returned to our hotel mid-afternoon. Even though our days were short, we probably saw much more than we could have on our own, just because we didn't have to find our own way. Highly recommend the Special Mayan Tours company -- I'd go on another trip with them any time!

  This adventure delivered exactly what we wanted: five days hitting major and smaller Mayan archeological sites with timing and restaurant options catered exactly to our desires. A small... read more group tour turned out to be a private tour with Abram, a university educated historian from Merida....More

  Today Manny and Ruben took us to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. We also had a fabulous lunch, at their recommendation and visited an amazing sink hole. ... read more They were great drivers and even better tour guides, explaining everything about the ruins. They helped us take photos and made several recommendations that made our day even more enjoyable. Manny and Ruben also had plenty of refreshing cold water for us on a hot day. Would go do another tour with them any day 10/10 would recommend. Thanks Manny & Ruben!