Private tours with hotel pickup in Playa del Carmen, Cancun and Tulum 5.0 · 1,500+ reviews on Tripadvisor
5.0 TripAdvisorCustomize my tour

★★★★★ 5.0 · 1,500+ reviews on Tripadvisor

Riviera Maya Private Tours from Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Cancun

Just your group, a certified local guide and hotel pickup. From $75 USD per person.

Snorkeling with a sea turtle and stingray in clear turquoise waters near Playa del Carmen, an immersive experience by Carey Tours.
Akumal · sea turtles
Group enjoying a serene moment at a Tulum cenote, guided by local experts, capturing the essence of nature by Carey Tours.
Cenotes
Visitors admiring the impressive El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá during a private tour by Carey Tours.
Chichén Itzá
Private group enjoying a scenic view of the Caribbean Sea in Tulum during a relaxing day tour by Carey Tours
Tulum

5.0 ★★★★★1,500+ reviews on Tripadvisor

2021–2025Travelers’ Choice, 5 years in a row

Your group onlycertified guide and hotel pickup

Since 2018family-run in Playa del Carmen

  • Excellence in Tourism Award Winner 2026Excellence in Tourism2026
  • Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award 2025Travelers’ Choice2025
  • Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award 2024Travelers’ Choice2024
  • Travel Hospitality Award 2024 winnerTravel Hospitality2024
  • Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award 2023Travelers’ Choice2023
  • Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award 2022Travelers’ Choice2022
  • Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award 2021Travelers’ Choice2021

Most booked

Our most booked private tours in the Riviera Maya

These are the nine tours our guests book most, from the most booked down: a snorkeling tour on the reef, a cenote tour, a tour of Tulum and more. Prices are per person for two guests and drop in larger groups.

Snorkeling experience with a graceful stingray in the vibrant coral reefs of Tulum by Carey Tours.
4-5 hours · Hotel pickup
Eco TourMarine wildlifeReef & snorkel
$175 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $70 per person in groups of 10+
Serene underground cenote in Tulum, reflecting natural rock formations and crystal-clear water during a private tour by Carey Tours.
6-7 hours · Hotel pickup
CenotesEco TourReef & snorkel
$150 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $80 per person in groups of 10+
Quiet moment in a turquoise cenote in Tulum, surrounded by natural rock formations, captured during a private tour by Carey Tours.
8 hours · Hotel pickup
CenotesEco Tour
$195 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $140 per person in groups of 9+
A serene moment swimming with a sea turtle in the turquoise waters of Tulum, capturing the beauty of nature by Carey Tours.
4-6 hours · Hotel pickup
CenotesMarine wildlifeReef & snorkel
$200 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $135 per person in groups of 10+
Exploring the lush mangrove waterways on a private tour near Tulum, guided by local experts from Carey Tours.
6 hours · Hotel pickup
Eco TourMaya ruinsReef & snorkel
$210 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $135 per person in groups of 10+
Group of travelers enjoying a serene kayaking experience on a tranquil lagoon surrounded by lush jungle by Carey Tours.
6-8 hours · Hotel pickup
CenotesEco TourReef & snorkel
$190 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $130 per person in groups of 10+
Visitors admiring the impressive El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá during a private tour by Carey Tours.
8-9 hours · Hotel pickup
CenotesMaya ruins
$250 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $155 per person in groups of 10+
Archaeological site of Tulum showcasing ancient ruins set against a clear blue sky, highlighting the history and beauty by Carey Tours.
7-8 hours · Hotel pickup
CenotesMaya ruinsNature & lagoons
$185 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $125 per person in groups of 10+
Exploring the ancient ruins of Tulum with a knowledgeable guide, surrounded by lush jungles and serene atmosphere by Carey Tours.
7-9 hours · Hotel pickup
CenotesMaya ruinsReef & snorkel
$180 USD per person · 2 guests
As low as $120 per person in groups of 10+

Something different in mind?

Not the perfect mix for you? Customize your private tour

You have seen the towns and our most booked tours. If none of them is exactly your day, design your own adventure: tell us where you stay, the date and what you want to see, ruins, cenotes, turtles or all three. The family plans it around your group and replies on WhatsApp with the itinerary and the exact price, free, within 2 hours.

★★★★★ 5.0 from 1,500+ guests on Tripadvisor

Home - Customize your private tour

What can you do on a private tour in the Riviera Maya?

Most private tours mix Mayan ruins and cenotes, or the reef and the sea turtles, in one day trip. Here is what each type of excursion covers.

Mayan ruins: Chichen Itza, Tulum, Coba and Ek Balam

Your tour guide explains Mayan history and culture at each archaeological site: the astronomy of Chichén Itzá, the sea port of Tulum and the jungle roads of Coba ruins, and how Mayan culture lives on today. We arrive at opening time, before the tour groups and the buses.

Cenotes

Cenotes are natural sinkholes of fresh water that the Maya people treated as sacred. Choose an open cenote, a cave cenote or an enclosed cenote; some tours visit three in one day.

Snorkeling with sea turtles and the reef

Go swimming with sea turtles in Akumal or snorkel the reef of Puerto Morelos, with a guide in the water and all the gear.

Whale sharks and deep sea fishing

From June to September, swim with whale sharks north of Cancun on a boat ride to the feeding grounds between Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy. Deep sea fishing goes out on private boats from Playa del Carmen and Puerto Aventuras.

Free plan and exact price within 2 hours

Swim with whale sharks this season

Whale shark season runs from June to September; July and August book up first, so make your booking early. The excursion leaves from Cancun and the Riviera Maya, from $199 USD per person.

Best private tours in the Riviera Maya for every trip

Each day private tour is a guided tour planned around who is coming. These are the excursions we suggest most often when you message us.

Families with kids

A shorter day tour with a cenote and the sea turtles of Akumal, a slower pace at the ruins and lunch where the kids can eat well.

Couples

The Bacalar sailboat private tour on the lagoon of seven colors, or the Tulum ruins at opening time followed by a quiet cenote and the beach.

Groups, friends and events

For groups of 10 or more the price per person drops on most tours. We plan birthdays, weddings and company trips around your group.

First trip to Mexico

The tour to Chichen Itza with Cenote Saamal, or Coba ruins with a cenote, covers Mayan history, Mexican history and the life of the Mayan people today in one excursion. From there you can plan future excursions with us on the same trip.

What is a private tour with Carey Tours like?

A private tour means your own guide and your own driver for the whole day, with private transportation from your hotel. You set the pace and the stops, and we change the itinerary for kids, grandparents or a celebration. It is an authentic Mayan experience run by a local, family-run tour company, not a call centre, and a different day from the big group tours.

How does booking a Riviera Maya tour work?

Booking takes a few minutes online, or one message on WhatsApp.

1. Choose

Pick a tour, or tell us what you want and we build a custom tour for you.

2. Get your plan

We reply on WhatsApp within 2 hours, daily from 7:00 to 21:00, with the plan and the exact price. Or finish your booking online in minutes.

3. We pick you up

The evening before, you get the name of your driver. We pick you up at your hotel.

Private tour or group tour: which is better?

What changes
Private tour with Carey
Shared group tour
Who is in the vehicle
Your group only
Travellers you don’t know
Start time
You choose; ruins at opening time
Fixed by the operator
Pace and stops
Yours, changed on the day
Same for everyone
Pickup
Your hotel on almost all tours
Meeting point or a long hotel loop
Tour guide
Certified local guide for your group
One guide for a whole bus
Price
From $75 USD per person, lower in groups of 10+
Lower per seat

Wall of love

What do guests say about Carey Tours?

5.0★★★★★
1,500+ reviews · Tripadvisor

Carey Tours is rated 5.0 out of 5 from more than 1,500 reviews on Tripadvisor, with the Travelers’ Choice award every year from 2021 to 2025, Excellence in Tourism 2026 and the Travel Hospitality Award 2024.

★★★★★

“Carey customized the tour to our groups specific requests.”

RuthAnn W, Logan, UtahTulum and Muyil private tour · August 2026

★★★★★

“Great Snorkeling experience for a family of all first timers and not great swimmers.”

Siva KPuerto Morelos snorkeling private tour · August 2026

★★★★★

“The turtle snorkeling trip was a top memory for my kids.”

Eli RTulum ruins and turtle snorkeling · July 2026

Frequently asked questions about private tours in the Riviera Maya

Private tours with Carey Tours start at $75 USD per person for two guests. On most tours the price per person drops as the group grows, down to the group price for 10 or more.

Yes, if you want to see Chichen Itza, Tulum or the cenotes before the crowds, at your own pace and with a guide only for your group.

Yes, on almost all tours, from hotels in Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Cancun. The Playa del Carmen express snorkeling trip meets at the town marina.

Message us on WhatsApp and we confirm availability for your date within 2 hours.

Yes. We run customized tours, so you can join ruins and cenotes, add lunch or change the itinerary.

95% refund if you cancel 48 hours before the tour.

English, French and Spanish.

Updated October 2026 · Carey Tours, family-run in Playa del Carmen since 2018