This was the highlight of my recent trip to Mexico. Chichen Itza, the Cenote and a short visit to an old Mexican town would have been a great day... read more on its own, but Pepe's knowledge, commentary and recommendations made it into a 5-star trip. I highly recommend Special Mayan Tours and Pepe for a full-service guided tour.

  This was a very good tour that encompasses many of the most worthwhile Mayan sites in the Yucatan Peninsula. The price is very reasonable, the guide was knowledgeable, and the... read more accommodations were suitable. My only complaints are the travel time- which cannot be helped, skipping...More

  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

  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!

  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 was the highlight of my recent trip to Mexico. Chichen Itza, the Cenote and a short visit to an old Mexican town would have been a great day... read more on its own, but Pepe's knowledge, commentary and recommendations made it into a 5-star trip. I highly recommend Special Mayan Tours and Pepe for a full-service guided tour.