Where, oh where, do I start?…read more We booked a trip for Tulum in February back in October and I hit Yelp to hunt for ideas for our trip. I came across a review for Yucatan Eli's Tours and was so impressed by what I read that I reached out to them to ask some more specific questions. Derek responded to me within a couple hours and not only answered all my questions, but encouraged me to reach out if I had more questions... which, because I am an avid planner, I did. Over the several months leading up to the trip Derek gave me many insider tips and local advice- we were basically best friends when all was said and done. We planned the Yucatan Wildlife Tour in the Premium Tour Packages. The price was incredibly reasonable, especially considering this is an ALL DAY excursion with pick-up, drop-off and lunch and snacks included. Eli picked us up at 7:30am with the kind of cheer and enthusiasm that confuses any New Englander, but he also had hot, fresh coffee waiting for us so we knew he was just an actual angel in a polo. This notion was only solidified when within 15 minutes we would be friends for life, because Eli is that awesome. Our first top was deep into the jungle in Coba. We hired a Mayan guide who deftly lead us into the jungle (in flip flops!) over and under dense tropical foliage making monkey calls with his hands cupped over his mouth. Eli followed closely behind quickly educating us on all that surrounded us. Not before long we see, HARK!, monkeys! A momma spider monkey and her baby skipped across the tree tops over our heads, and then we saw the ever elusive howler monkey, and lucky for us he was stopped to answer our Mayan guide's calls! Let me tell you something, nothing prepares you for how intense and cool a howler monkey's calls are! Even this experience alone would have been worth what we paid for the entire trip. From here we visited a local Mayan village and enjoyed some roadside fresh coconut waters (in the coconut like true tropical voyagers), chili covered mangoes, and handmade wares (of which I bought many, shop local, you know?!). From there we went back towards Tulum to enjoy a delish lunch at one of Eli's favorite local spots- he has great taste, and then off snorkel in an awesome unground cenote! The waters were so cool and refreshing and there were only a handful of other people there so it did not feel crowded. Our next stop was going to be snorkeling with the turtles in Akumal, but unfortunately Mother Nature was throwing a wind-party and whipping up sand so the visibility was null. Quick-thinking Eli came up with another plan for us to snorkel in a near by lagoon so that we could still see some of what the reef has to offer. We saw barracuda, massive schools of sardines, and rainbow parrot fish among others. We were sad to miss the turtles, but hey.... this is nature are dealing with, plus it is a great excuse to make another trip. This was hands-down one of the best experiences I have ever had. Eli clearly loves what he does and this translates through every part of the excursion. You better believe that we will be looking up Eli on our next trip to Tulum, and you should too! Thank you Derek and Eli for being one of our favorite parts of our Honeymoon!

We did the half day private tour to see monkeys near Tulum with Eli, and it was perfection! He's a…read moredelightful and fascinating person and made every minute enjoyable. We saw Mexican spider monkeys and black howlers, which was incredible, and also gorgeous butterflies and leaf cutter ants, and the forest walk was easy (even with terrible knees!). If you love nature and want to spend a delightful afternoon with an excellent guide, you will not be disappointed! Thank you, Eli!

We took a private tour of artisan workshops around Oaxaca, MX with the Mexico Kan Tours branch in…read morethat location. Jorge was our guide and Lucas was our driver. I can't say enough about how knowledgeable and enthusiastic they were. The workshops were incredible, to witness the artistry and industry first hand. We went to see black clay pottery, wood carving alebrijes, the master sculptor Jose Antonio of Manos que Ven, and a mezcal tasting at La Locura. It was a perfect way to learn about the region's history and get out of the city for a day. I highly recommend it.

Did the Chichen Itza & Cenote tour and had a great time - no complaints! Our tour guide was super…read moreinformative and the van was very clean and comfortable. The pick up was very punctual. If I had one critique- I do wish they could charge the full cost of the excursion at the time of booking so it's not something we have to do during the actual excursion. There was a 7% fee charged which felt unnecessary.

It doesn't get any better than this!!! So my best friend and…read moreI took the Mayan Backroads Bike Tour and the Sian Ka'an Mayan Wetlands tour and both were top notch!!! Hugo was our amazing tour guide on the Backroads Bike tour. This tour was absolutely life changing!!! If you're thinking about doing it, stop thinking, and book it. This tour is worth millions. Frank and Hugo are priceless! I don't even have the words to describe! This tour is pure adventure! We biked, hiked, canoed, zip-lined, and ate lunch in a Mayan village. I am so thankful for this experience. Wear a hat, wear sunscreen, take bug spray, drink the lemonade, and have the time of your life!! The Sian Ka'an Maya wet lands tour is pure joy!! Frank took us out on this one and I could have stayed forever! Floating in the canals and learning more about the ruins and eco system was pure perfection!! This place is absolutely beautiful. It's what dreams are made of. Once again, it's worth every single cent!! I couldn't thank Frank and Hugo enough for being great hosts! They are definitely on my Christmas list!!

What a great experience. We didn't want to waste time or energy figuring out how to see cenotes by…read moreourselves. Tulum Bike tours came through with the transportation, the bikes, the historical/cultural knowledge and the insider info that allowed us to just enjoy the adventure. All of this at an amazing price point. The groups are small enough to ensure you get personalized attention throughout your trip. We chose the Jungle Bike Adventure but there's a great menu of options (which we will be back for on future trips).

No words to describe the beauty of the cenotes. We were really happy with the day and our guide…read moreLuis. He was informative and was able to make our drive interesting with the history of the area, while we made our way to the cenotes. Enrique, our driver, was with the van while we had our adventures. It was great to be able to put our things in the van, instead of getting locker. We felt very well taken care of. We were provided with everything we needed, except for the towels, and they have some fun wicking towels for sale if you need them or want a cool souvenir. This is the best way to experience the area, hands down.

An Absolutely Incredible Experience -- The Highlight of Our Vacation!…read more 5 Stars - Exceptional Private Tour! Our private snorkeling and cenote adventure with Absolute Adventure was truly extraordinary, and much of what made it so special came down to three wonderful people: our guides, Pablo and Arturo, and our driver, Roberto. From the very beginning, what impressed us most was how genuinely friendly, personable, and engaging everyone was. Pablo and Arturo were absolutely phenomenal. Their knowledge of the local geography, geology, wildlife, and ecology was remarkable, but what really set them apart was their ability to share that knowledge in such a natural, conversational, and fascinating way. Rather than simply delivering a rehearsed tour or rattling off facts, they took the time to get to know us. Through our conversations, they quickly picked up on our interests, our curiosity, and just how deeply we wanted to explore different subjects. Whether we were discussing how cenotes form, the unique geology of the Yucatán Peninsula, or the fascinating plants and animals of the region, they tailored the experience to our level of interest. We never felt rushed, and they seemed genuinely delighted to share their knowledge and answer our questions. That kind of personalized attention is something you simply don't find on every tour, and we appreciated it enormously. The logistics were equally impressive. Our transportation was extremely comfortable and perfectly suited to our private excursion, with a large cooler generously stocked with refreshments. Everything throughout the day felt seamless, relaxed, and thoughtfully organized. Our snorkeling experience in Akumal was spectacular! In accordance with the regulations protecting the marine preserve, we were handed off to a local snorkeling guide who did an outstanding job. She made sure we were comfortable and safe while pointing out the incredible marine life around us. During our swim, we came within approximately 10 feet of what we estimated to be a dozen different sea turtles! Seeing these magnificent animals swimming freely in their natural habitat was unforgettable. We also encountered starfish and countless colorful reef fish. It was an absolutely magical experience. Our visit to the Taak Bi Ha cenote was another highlight, and the delicious lunch we enjoyed nearby was a wonderful addition to an already exceptional day. But when I think back on this experience, what I will remember most isn't just the spectacular scenery, the turtles, or the cenote. It's the people. Pablo and Arturo have that rare ability to make you feel less like a customer on a guided excursion and more like a friend being shown around by someone who genuinely loves where they live. Within a surprisingly short time, they felt more like traveling companions than tour guides. Their warmth, humor, curiosity, enthusiasm, and willingness to engage in meaningful conversation made the entire day so much more rewarding. Absolute Adventure delivered exactly what we hoped a premium private tour would be: personal, flexible, educational, comfortable, and filled with unforgettable experiences. More importantly, they provided something that can't simply be purchased or scripted: a genuine human connection with people who clearly take pride in sharing their beautiful corner of the world. We cannot recommend Absolute Adventure highly enough. If you're looking for something beyond a typical tourist excursion and want a truly personalized experience with knowledgeable, caring, and exceptionally friendly guides, this is the company to choose. A heartfelt thank you to Pablo, Arturo, and Roberto for making this one of the most memorable days of our vacation. You were all outstanding!

** Unforgettable Private Tour - Adrian Is the Best!**…read more My wife and I booked the private tour to Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, and it was the highlight of our trip. Our guide, Adrian, was outstanding: knowledgeable, passionate, and clearly proud to share the real history and culture of the Maya people. He brought both sites to life in a way no guidebook could, and we never felt rushed. Climbing Ek Balam and standing in front of El Castillo with someone who truly knows the story behind every stone was incredible. We were so impressed that we booked a second tour with him the very next day to see the Tulum ruins before our afternoon flight. He planned it perfectly, so we got a full experience and still made it to the airport with no stress. Professional, personable, flexible, and genuinely kind. It was worth every penny. Whenever we're back in Mexico, we'll book with Adrian and Living Dreams Mexico again and again. Highly recommend! -- Kevin & Sureni

We booked LeZebra hotel. We got Alondra and a driver the first day trip. The second day trip was…read morejust Alondra. She is an Ahh-mazing tour guide and person. She took photos for us and send a link so we didn't have to worry about getting our phones wet. She took us to local food and private cenote places that were incredible and we never would have found on our own. She is incredibly kind. Speaks fluent English and Spanish. She assisted with us shopping and other things we needed besides the tour. I would love to use her the next time we come back again.

JORGE! Our favorite day during our stay in Tulum was spent with Jorge, Clemente and El Captain of…read morePunta Allen! Jorge customized a wonderful snorkeling trip for us (family of 6) through Sian Ka'an. He provided such great wisdom and knowledge of the landscape. He opened our eyes to the beauties in nature, and the unfortunate reality of what human development has contributed to the destruction of nature and all it has to offer. What an interesting experience to see it in both ways. Spend a day with Jorge - come out a new person. MAGICAL. We saw so many magical things... birds, sea turtles, dolphins, fish, rays, lush vegetation and a small sleepy fishing village called Punta Allen. Words cannot describe the beauty of that day and our trip around a small part of Sian Ka'an Biosphere. Thank you Green Maya, Sara, Jorge, Clemente, and our wonderful boat captain - a Punta Allen resident.

I had the most amazing get away in Tulum with my tour guide Jorge! We did Jungle Trekking and…read moreCanoeing at Punta Laguna Nature Reserve. We went to beautiful underground cenotes and swam around in the water. He took us to a quaint little restaurant with a view of the water and great hospitality. I feel like I got a genuine experience-Tulum wouldn't have been the same without Green Maya!

Up early again for our 2nd excursion organised by Kay Tours Mexico, this time was to Isla Mujeres,…read morevia a luxurious catamaran with a snorkelling tour in the world's 2nd largest reef, beaten only by the great barrier reef. Never seen so much colour under the sea before, felt so privileged especially when an inquisitive turtle swam up to have a nosy at us. On Isla Mujeres, instead of staying in the north of the island (where we docked), John was excited to rent a golf cart and so we toured the less touristic, south part the island. The north also had it's own charm, street vendors, Playa Norte (rated in the top 10 of the world's best beaches) plus it was also home to a phenomenal dulce de leche icecream, so much so I had 2 of them in about half hour

I would highly recommend Kay tours. It was easy to book, and change the booking when more of our…read morefamily decided they wanted to come. We took the tulum/cenote tour and it was great! David was our tour guide, and on the ride to tulum gave us a lot of history about the mayas. At tulum, he took us around and told us about each site. The cenote was awesome. Again, David had tons of information about the ecobiology of cenotes, led us around, helped my son when he got scared, etc. highly recommend! Great tour and easy company to work with.

My wife and I can't recommend My Quest Concierge Private Tours enough. Shout-out to our amazing…read moreguide, Heriberto Lopez. He took excellent care of us for the day. It was just us three. We loved having a guide all to ourselves. We stayed at Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen. My wife found out about My Quest from Tripadvisor. We booked a "VIP Tulum Private Tour" over two months in advance through Viator. It cost $340, prepaid online, and we tipped Heriberto $75 in cash after the tour ($415 total in US dollars). We thought it was worth it. The preferred method of communication for My Quest, like most of Mexico, is WhatsApp. Two days before our tour, we got a WhatsApp text message from Carolina to confirm details. Our only gripe with My Quest came in this message. The company wanted to change our pickup time from 7:30am "to 6:45am since we have found more people due to the season." We were a bit annoyed with that because we booked and prepaid with My Quest in order to get a private tour at the time we specified months ago. I politely replied and asked if we could keep the original reservation time. I received a prompt response, yes. Around 8:30pm the night before our tour, we got a message from Fernanda. She confirmed our pickup time, told us that Heriberto would be our guide, and gave us his phone number so that we could message him via WhatsApp. Once again, I had to correct the pickup time from 6:45am to 7:30am. I messaged Heriberto to make extra sure. Heriberto showed up on time at 7:30am. He picked us up in a company car, a GMC Acadia, I believe. It could've been a GMC Terrain. I don't remember exactly. The SUV had a transmission issue where it would downshift unexpectedly, usually after we got going on the highway. This mildly concerned both us and Heriberto. He reported the issue to My Quest. Heriberto is local to Playa del Carmen, where My Quest is based. He's friendly and intelligent. We could tell he is passionate about his job. He loves his family, Mexico, and the environment. We felt safe when we were with him. Our tour consisted of three stops, each of which I reviewed on Yelp. In order, they were: 1. Zona Arqueologica de Tulum 8:45am to 10:00am (times approximate) https://www.yelp.com/biz/zona-arqueol%C3%B3gica-de-tulum-tulum-2 Zona Arqueologica de Tulum is the famous ruins of Tulum. This is a popular tourist attraction. Heriberto and My Quest proved to be very valuable here for two main reasons: First, Heriberto knew the most efficient route through the ruins and he was terrific at timing our stops so we were rarely around other people. He made our tour of Tulum feel special and intimate. Second, Heriberto was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Tulum and the Maya people. He brought an iPad to show us pictures and diagrams, which added another layer to his history lessons. 2. Cenote Xunaan Ha 10:30am to 11:45am (times approximate) https://www.yelp.com/biz/cenote-xunaan-ha-ciudad-chemuyil 3. Cenote Taak Bi Ha 12:15pm to 1:45pm (times approximate) https://www.yelp.com/biz/taak-bi-ha-zona-hotelera-tulum Cenote Xunaan Ha is an open, above-ground cenote. Cenote Taak Bi Ha is a closed, underground cenote. At both cenotes, Heriberto provided us with life jackets and snorkeling gear. Life jackets came from the cenotes and snorkeling gear came from My Quest. Xunaan Ha was a leisurely swim and snorkel. Taak Bi Ha was a guided tour. We absolutely loved both. Cenotes are some of the most beautiful natural occurrences on earth and they must be experienced in person. No hiking was involved, but the swimming, especially in the cold water of Taak Bi Ha, did take some energy. Eat a good breakfast and bring snacks for the car. Heriberto had bottled water for us. We arrived back at the resort around 3:45pm. We were gone for over eight hours. Due to highway traffic, it took over one hour to get from our resort in Playa del Carmen to Tulum and it took over one hour to get from Taak Bi Ha back to our resort. Therefore, there was a lot of drive time. We also made a pit stop at a Pemex gas station on the way back. At all three stops, Heriberto took care of everything: translation, parking, restrooms, escorting, tickets, access, etc. He was also great at taking pictures and videos of us, and knew all the best spots and angles. He knew how to make the pictures look as if there weren't other people there, especially at Tulum, which had large groups of tourists. We appreciated that even though we didn't ask for it. He just made it happen. Heriberto was fantastic. Tips: - Both Viator (via an emailed link to a web page) and My Quest (via WhatsApp messages) will tell you what to expect, what you can and cannot bring, and what's included and not included (e.g., lunch was not included on the tour we booked). - Don't wear sunscreen to the cenotes. It's generally not allowed because it harms the cenote ecosystems. - Strongly consider bringing water shoes. Ours came in handy at Taak Bi Ha.

This tour was the highlight of our trip to the Yucatan Peninsula and will forever be one of my…read morefavorite travel memories. Our guide, Manuel, was not only communicative and informative but went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable and relaxed the entire day. He even stopped at a pharmacy on the way out to find a good medicine for my mom's back, which she hurt a few days before our trip. Without that she would have been miserable and unable to enjoy any of the activities at our stops. The pyramid at Chichén Itzá was breathtaking and Manuel took amazing pictures of us from the perfect vantage point. I have been interested in and studied Latin American history for several years so I found his knowledge about new and relevant information only just being released in academic circles incredibly fascinating. Our lunch at Paladar De Cura in Valladolid was the best meal I had our entire stay, and we also did a tequila tasting and some souvenir shopping in town. After lunch we headed to Cenote Chukum where we swam in the cool waters of a cavernous sinkhole with small catfish flitting beneath our feet. It's no mystery why this tour is rated the #1 activity on Tripadvisor out of 700 others. You will not regret booking it.

Omg, the absolute highlight of my birthday trip. Shoutout to the crew for taking care of us! Jesus,…read moreAlex, Axel, Lola, and Dustin! Es muy bien! :D My friends and I did the 5-hour In-Ha Snorkel & La Bocana Tour. The yacht included a paddleboard, snorkeling, and fishing gear. The crew was so nice and friendly. Towards the end, it was a party with them, it was such a great way to end my trip. The vibes were WONDERFUL. During the experience, we had freshly made ceviche and burgers. They were also accommodating with my dairy allergy and the drinks they made were fantastic! I appreciated the crew prioritizing safety while keeping the environment exciting and fun. I loved it! Lola took AMAZING photos of our entire experience. Jesus got photos of my friends and I snorkeling and some fishes that we saw. It was beautiful! Thank you for making memories with my friends and I definitely would do that again!

Aldo and crew were AMAZING!!!! I've been on plenty boats but this was the best. The hospitality was…read moreamazing ! They were so attentive! They even helped my 2 year old swim while I was on the boat. The guacamole was delicious and fresh. I legit have zero complaints.