A great little community.
Welcome to Ek Balam! This small but amazing community in Yucatan, Mexico, offers an opportunity to live unique moments full of history, culture, and adventure.
We invite you to explore the wonders of this charming town and its archaeological zone. By visiting this community you will be able to immerse yourself in the rich Mayan culture that still lives in its inhabitants.
Connection with the Mayan Culture
In Ek Balam, you will not only visit a place, you will live an intercultural experience.
Its inhabitants preserve many ancestral Maya traditions such as milpa farming, embroidery, hammock weaving and tortilla making, and are more than willing to share these traditions with you through community and bicycle tours of the village.
Unajil Ek Balam: Community-based Tourism at its Best
The Unajil Ek Balam ecotourism center, located a couple of kilometers from the archaeological site of Ek Balam, will allow you to immerse yourself in the nature and culture of the region hand in hand with the community.
Activities and services
- Community and milpa tours
- Lodging in cabins or camping
- Restaurant with traditional dishes
- Bicycle rental
Lodging in Mayan-style cabins
Ek Balam offers lodging in traditional cabins that have everything you need for a comfortable night in contact with nature. The cabins are equipped with bathroom and double beds, double, triple and quadruple rooms are available.
Camping accommodations
During your stay in the camping area within an ejido reserve. The camp has communal bathrooms and a multipurpose room. Check out 24 hours after check in.
*Camping equipment is not included.
A Cooperative that Transforms the Community
The U Najil Ek Balam cooperative, started by the ejidatarios of Ek Balam in 2000, has had a positive impact on the community, providing employment and helping to stem the rural exodus.
The cooperative’s members are farmers who cultivate their cornfields, practice small-scale livestock and/or beekeeping, and engage in other service activities such as cab transportation.
Discover the Milpa
The milpa tour is an activity not to be missed. With certified guides, you will learn about this traditional agro-ecosystem of Mesoamerican origin and discover how corn, beans, squash, yucca, among others, are grown.
Not only will you learn about these ancient agricultural practices, but you will also have the opportunity to taste these delicious fresh produce from the countryside.
Community Tour
Enjoy a relaxing visit to the village in the company of a local guide. Discover how this community brings together traditions and modernity, using tourism in a new way to reinforce its identity and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants, while safeguarding the natural and cultural wealth it possesses. Get to know the traditional way of life and homes of the Maya people of Yucatán. Participate in workshops while learning how to prepare tortillas by hand, weave hammocks and do machine embroidery.
Food Service
Enjoy delicious traditional Yucatán dishes and antojitos (breakfast, lunch, dinner) at the cooperative’s restaurant or in local homes (subject to availability).
More than a Destination, an Experience
As Federico Chan Tuz, founding member of the cooperative, said:
“The people are also very interested in offering everything that their product has, by taking them in the village where they teach them hand warping, embroidery, where they make them handmade tortillas, it is also given to them so they can taste it, and why not, take them also to our milpa….”.
Come to Ek Balam and live an unforgettable experience. Connect with nature, discover an ancestral culture and let yourself be captivated by the warmth of its people.
OTHER VIDEOS RELATED TO EK BALAM