Can you climb the ruins in Cancun?

You Can Climb All the Way to the Top Ek Balam ruins are some of the tallest in the area, standing at 95 feet tall. You're allowed to climb to the highest point of the ruins, which will take you high above the treetops and give you a stunning view of the peninsula.



People Also Ask

The ancient Mayan pyramid of Kukulkán is a Unesco heritage site, protected by law and the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH ). It is forbidden to climb it and fines range from $4000 to $8400 for trespassers, depending on the amount of damage caused.

MORE DETAILS

Many travelers confuse the city of Chichen Itza with its largest and most famous pyramid, El Castillo. Like the other ancient Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, El Castillo cannot be climbed. Archaeologists and local conservationists are protecting this ancient wonder for generations to come.

MORE DETAILS

Chichen Itza – Mexico The architectural styles of the area are said to be different than in any other Mayan city, which many historians believe is due to the diversity of the region. The area is the most visited archeological site in Mexico and roughly 1.2 million tourists comed to marvel at the ruins each year.

MORE DETAILS

Ek Balam ruins are some of the tallest in the area, standing at 95 feet tall. You're allowed to climb to the highest point of the ruins, which will take you high above the treetops and give you a stunning view of the peninsula.

MORE DETAILS

Climbing the temples at Chichen Itza has been illegal for some 15 years now, with the ban coming into force in 2008 over concerns about the safety of those climbing and the potential long-term damage to the ancient structures themselves.

MORE DETAILS

No one has been allowed on the pyramid and definitely not inside the pyramid for decades now.

MORE DETAILS

To answer your question though - yes, the ruins are safe. Chichen Itza is a bit of a trek (3 hours drive each way) and being inland in the jungle, it can be extremely hot there. Tulum is much closer and the setting is spectacular (the ruins are on top of a cliff).

MORE DETAILS

There are several restrooms at the main entrance and several more behind El Castillo.

MORE DETAILS

And visiting Chichen Itza without a tour is actually pretty simple. The number one way to visit Chichen Itza and avoid the crowds is to arrive as early as possible in the morning, before the tour buses from Cancún, Tulum or Mérida arrive a few hours later. Depending on where you're staying this may not be possible.

MORE DETAILS

6) Dress for success at the Chichen Itza ruins It can also be extremely hot, especially around El Castillo and the Great Ballcourt where there isn't any shade. Be sure to have lots of water on hand, along with a hat, sunscreen and maybe even an umbrella to protect yourself from harmful UV rays.

MORE DETAILS

Tourist whacked with stick after climbing Mexican pyramid, video shows. YUCATAN, Mexico - A tourist was captured on video being surrounded and beaten with a stick after climbing a protected Mayan monument in Mexico.

MORE DETAILS

El Castillo (Spanish pronunciation: [el kas'ti?o], Spanish for the castle), also known as the Temple of Kukulcan is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid that dominates the center of the Chichen Itza archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatán.

MORE DETAILS