Your hotel door in Tulum is where this tour begins. A private, air-conditioned vehicle is reserved for your group alone, no shared passengers, no stops at other hotels, and no meeting point to find. Tulum sits at the southern end of the Riviera Maya, making the drive to Chichen Itza approximately 2 to 2.5 hours each way.
We run two private tours from Tulum: the Standard full-day experience and the VIP Premium early-access tour. Both are 100% exclusive to your group. Both include hotel pickup, a certified guide, the entrance ticket, a cenote swim, and a meal.
Before you book, explore our private Chichen Itza experience to see everything across both tour options.
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Tulum travelers make a deliberate choice when they book private. On a route that covers 2 to 2.5 hours of driving each way, the vehicle you travel in shapes the entire day.
On a shared group bus, you sit next to travelers you have never met, wait while stops are added across Tulum, and arrive at the ruins already worn down. On a private tour, your group boards at your hotel door. You arrive at Chichen Itza fresh and ready, not already tired from an hour of picking up strangers.
At the ruins, your certified guide's attention belongs entirely to your group. For groups of four or more, the per-person cost of a private tour is closer to a shared tour than most people expect, and the experience is not comparable.
Pickup at 6:30 or 7:00 AM from your Tulum hotel, exact time confirmed at booking based on your hotel location. Your private air-conditioned vehicle travels directly to Chichen Itza, approximately 2 to 2.5 hours with no stops at other hotels.
You arrive around 8:30 AM and spend two hours exploring with your certified guide: El Castillo, the Great Ball Court and its remarkable acoustic system, the Temple of Warriors, the Observatory. You set the pace.
Lunch at a regional buffet in a genuine Mayan village, not a tourist restaurant. Then Cenote Nool Ha: open cenote, turquoise water, natural overhead light, life jackets included. An optional 30-minute stop in Valladolid is available on the return. Back at your Tulum hotel by approximately 6:00 PM.
Pickup at 6:00 AM from your Tulum hotel. From Tulum, that earlier departure places your group at Chichen Itza before the large coach buses arrive from Cancun and Playa del Carmen, a window of roughly an hour where El Castillo, the Temple of Warriors, and the Great Ball Court belong almost entirely to you.
Walking those structures in early morning light, in near-silence, with a guide whose only job is your group, that is the experience the VIP Premium tour is built around.
After the ruins: lunch at El Patio de Mi Casa, a proper sit-down Mayan meal at a family-run restaurant, not a buffet. Then a hidden cave cenote, away from the tourist circuit entirely. Underground, lit by a single shaft of natural light through the cave ceiling. Your group swims here for approximately 1.5 hours.
Both tours are equally great. Choose Standard for a complete classic day with an open cenote and an optional Valladolid stop. Choose VIP Premium for the earliest arrival at Chichen Itza and a more intimate cave cenote.
Every private tour from Tulum to Chichen Itza includes the same essentials, Standard and VIP both.
Not included: alcohol, souvenirs, tips and gratuities, personal expenses.
All prices are per group, not per person. Hotel pickup from Tulum is included at the same rate. 50% deposit confirms your booking; balance is paid on the day.
Per group, all-inclusive
| Travelers | Total | Per Person | Deposit 50% | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $890 | $890 | $445 | $445 |
| 2 | $890 | $445 | $445 | $445 |
| 3 | $990 | $330 | $495 | $495 |
| 4 | $1,090 | $273 | $545 | $545 |
| 5 | $1,190 | $238 | $595 | $595 |
| 6 | $1,290 | $215 | $645 | $645 |
| 7 | $1,390 | $199 | $695 | $695 |
| 8 | $1,490 | $186 | $745 | $745 |
| 9 | $1,590 | $177 | $795 | $795 |
| 10 | $1,690 | $169 | $845 | $845 |
50% deposit confirms your booking. Balance is paid on the day of your tour.
Early access, hidden cenote
| Travelers | Total | Per Person | Deposit 50% | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $920 | $920 | $460 | $460 |
| 2 | $920 | $460 | $460 | $460 |
| 3 | $1,273 | $424 | $637 | $636 |
| 4 | $1,273 | $318 | $637 | $636 |
| 5 | $1,474 | $295 | $737 | $737 |
| 6 | $1,474 | $246 | $737 | $737 |
| 7 | $1,698 | $243 | $849 | $849 |
| 8 | $1,698 | $212 | $849 | $849 |
| 9 | $1,922 | $214 | $961 | $961 |
| 10 | $1,922 | $192 | $961 | $961 |
50% deposit confirms your booking. Balance is paid on the day of your tour.
All prices in USD. Payment accepted by bank transfer, credit card, or cash (USD or MXN). Cancellation: 72+ hours before departure, full refund. 24 to 72 hours, 50% refund. Under 24 hours, no refund.
Both tours include a cenote swim. They are not the same cenote, and for Tulum travelers who already know the difference between a tourist cenote and a real one, that distinction matters.
An open-sky natural pool with turquoise water and natural overhead light. Life jackets are provided; entry is easy and comfortable for all swimming abilities. A proper swim, not a rushed photo stop. One of the most photographed cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula.
A cave cenote off the standard tourist map. Your group enters a cave system lit by natural light from above, quiet, uncrowded, and a completely different experience to the popular open cenotes. Your group has approximately 1.5 hours here, entirely alone.
4.9 out of 5 from travelers departing from Tulum
“Staying in Tulum Beach and the driver was at our gate at 6:28 AM. The whole day ran exactly as described, Chichen Itza, Mayan village lunch, Cenote Nool Ha. Our guide knew the Ball Court in real detail. Not the scripted version, actual depth about the acoustics and the sport. Cenote at the end was cold, clear, and not crowded because we arrived before the large groups from Cancun. Home by 5:45.”
“VIP Premium from Tulum. I have visited Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, Petra. Early access at Chichen Itza belongs in that category. El Castillo with perhaps thirty people on the entire site. Our guide was the best I have had at any archaeological site, genuinely knowledgeable, curious about the same questions we had, not scripted. The cave cenote, the light through the ceiling, nobody prepares you for it. Book the Premium.”
“We nearly booked a group tour to save money, then decided the private option was worth it for the drive alone. Four hours of travel in your own vehicle with people you actually like, completely different to sitting in a coach. The ruins lived up to every expectation. Guide was brilliant.”
“Family of five including three kids aged 8, 11, and 14. Guide was excellent with all of them, found different explanations for different ages and kept everyone engaged at the ruins. Cenote Nool Ha was the kids' favourite of the whole trip. Life jackets, easy entry, beautiful water. Very smooth day from 6:30 to just after 5:30.”
“Easy booking on WhatsApp. They confirmed the pickup address, sent a message the evening before, and the driver was there exactly on time at 6:00. For a trip this long and this far from home, that kind of reliability matters more than anything.”
“Group of three from Tulum. Guide was excellent, vehicle comfortable, cenote was beautiful. The drive back felt long, that is the nature of being further from Chichen Itza than Cancun. Would choose VIP Premium next time for the early access and cave cenote. Overall very happy with how it was organized.”
Yes. Pickup is from your Tulum hotel or accommodation, no meeting point, no extra charge. We cover hotels across Tulum town and the Tulum hotel zone. Confirm your exact address via WhatsApp at booking.
Approximately 2 to 2.5 hours each way, depending on your hotel location within Tulum. It is the longest drive of the three departure cities in the Riviera Maya, which is precisely why the comfort of a private air-conditioned vehicle matters particularly on this route.
Standard tour: 6:30 AM or 7:00 AM depending on your hotel location. VIP Premium: 6:00 AM for early access to the ruins. Exact pickup time is confirmed at booking.
No. The price is the same regardless of departure city. Hotel pickup from Tulum is included at the standard tour rate, no surcharge for the longer drive.
Yes. Both tours include a cenote swim in the price. Standard includes Cenote Nool Ha, an open cenote with life jackets provided. VIP Premium includes a private hidden cave cenote. No additional charge for either.
Yes. Standard includes a regional Mayan village buffet. VIP Premium includes a sit-down meal at El Patio de Mi Casa. Both are included in the tour price, no separate payment required.
On the Standard tour, yes, an optional 30-minute stop in Valladolid is available on the return drive. On the VIP Premium tour, Valladolid is not included, the route focuses on depth of experience at the ruins and cenote rather than additional stops.
Your guide operates in one language per tour, English or Spanish. Choose at booking. Both are available for all Tulum departures.
Yes. The entrance ticket is included in the price of both Standard and VIP Premium tours. You do not pay separately at the gate.
Yes. The drive is longer from Tulum than from Cancun, 2 to 2.5 hours each way, but the total day runs comparably to most full Tulum day trips. Most travelers from Tulum rate the Chichen Itza experience as one of the standouts of their entire trip. The private format means no wasted time picking up other passengers, and arriving early means the ruins are significantly less crowded.
Message us on WhatsApp, no payment needed to enquire. Tell us your travel date, group size, hotel location in Tulum, and preferred tour. We confirm pickup from your hotel and hold your booking with a 50% deposit. Balance is due on the day.
Message us on WhatsApp with your date, group size, and preferred tour, Standard or VIP Premium. We confirm your Tulum pickup address, hold your booking with a 50% deposit, and send a confirmation the evening before your tour.
Staying somewhere else? See pickup details from Cancun or Playa del Carmen.
