Sayil tour options
Sayil is normally combined with Kabah, Xlapak and Labná as the heart of a Puuc Route. The sites are close together, so a day can include all four plus lunch.
Two formats cover most requests. A shared sayil guided tour fits solo travellers and couples watching the budget, while a private car and guide suits families, photographers and anyone who wants to set the pace. For Sayil tours, the quote form is the quickest way to confirm timing and pickup.
- Shared small-group day trip from Mérida
- Private tour with your own driver and guide
- Puuc Route day with Uxmal at the start
What's included on a Sayil tour
Common items are:
- A local guide for the visit
- Bottled water on board
- Stops at Xlapak and Labná
- Entrance fee: shown in your quote as either included or paid on arrival
- Usually not included: meals, tips and souvenirs
- Return transport from Mérida in an air-conditioned van or car
Sample Sayil tour itinerary
- 8:00 Pickup in Mérida
- 9:30 Uxmal
- 11:30 Kabah
- 12:30 Sayil and the palace
- 13:15 Lunch nearby
- 14:30 Xlapak and Labná
- 17:30 Return to Mérida
Sayil tour prices
For planning, small-group Sayil tours from Mérida generally run about US$60–95 per person, and a private vehicle with a guide for two people about US$230–330.
Request a quote for Sayil tours to see the exact figure.
| Option | Typical price | Notes |
|---|
| Small-group tour | US$60–95 per person | Fixed schedule, shared van |
| Private car and guide (2 people) | US$230–330 | Flexible start and stops |
| Private, larger group | Per-vehicle price | Often cheaper per head |
| Site entry fee | About MXN 80 (2026) | Paid at the gate unless your quote says otherwise |
What you'll see at Sayil
The Great Palace has three tiers that step back like a wedding cake, with rows of Puuc columns, doorways and a frieze of Chaac masks. It had about 90 rooms and may have housed a few hundred residents. The proportion and rhythm of the columns is its main appeal.
A trail beyond the palace leads to El Mirador, a temple with a roof comb, and to a stela showing a fertility figure. Because the Puuc region has no rivers, you can also see chultunes, stone-lined cisterns that collected rain.
- Great Palace
- El Mirador temple
- Fertility figure stela
- Chultun cisterns
Best time to visit Sayil
Morning is best for light and heat. The dry season from November to March is the most comfortable; summer afternoons bring storms.
Bring water, as the closest food is in nearby villages, and repellent for the forest trail. Planning Sayil tours around the weather and your energy makes the day easier.
Combine Sayil with nearby sites
Puuc Hills & the South · from US$150Puuc Route ToursA Puuc Route tour is the classic day out from Mérida for visitors who want more than Uxmal: Kabah, Sayil, Xlapak and Labná sit along the same quiet road, each with its own architecture.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$55Uxmal Tours & Day TripsUxmal tours go to the finest Puuc-style Maya city in Yucatán, a UNESCO World Heritage Site set in low hills south of Mérida.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$60Kabah Tours & Day TripsKabah tours visit a Puuc Maya city famous for one building covered in stone masks, an easy 25-minute drive beyond Uxmal.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$50Uxmal Light & Sound Show ToursAn Uxmal light and sound show tour lets you see one of the Puuc region's best ruins after dark, when projected light and narration bring the Nunnery Quadrangle to life.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$70Uxmal, Kabah & Choco-Story TourAn Uxmal, Kabah and Choco-Story tour follows the Puuc route south of Mérida, with two of its best Mayan sites and a chocolate museum in one day.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$70Maní Tours & Day TripsA Maní tour brings you to one of the most historically loaded small towns in the Yucatán, a quiet place in the Puuc hills where a 16th-century Franciscan convent stands on the site of an older Maya centre.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$70Ticul Tours & Day TripsA Ticul tour is a day in the busiest town of the Puuc hills, known for its shoemakers, potters and market stalls, and a natural base for the nearby Maya sites.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$70Tekax Tours & Day TripsA Tekax tour heads into the southern Puuc hills, where limestone ridges, caves and cenotes make a very different landscape from the flat north of the state.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$55Loltún Caves ToursA Loltún Caves tour goes underground in the Puuc Hills to a cave system that was used by Maya people for thousands of years and now has guided walking tours. Sayil tour FAQs
Puuc Hills & the South · from US$150Puuc Route ToursA Puuc Route tour is the classic day out from Mérida for visitors who want more than Uxmal: Kabah, Sayil, Xlapak and Labná sit along the same quiet road, each with its own architecture.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$55Uxmal Tours & Day TripsUxmal tours go to the finest Puuc-style Maya city in Yucatán, a UNESCO World Heritage Site set in low hills south of Mérida.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$60Kabah Tours & Day TripsKabah tours visit a Puuc Maya city famous for one building covered in stone masks, an easy 25-minute drive beyond Uxmal.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$50Uxmal Light & Sound Show ToursAn Uxmal light and sound show tour lets you see one of the Puuc region's best ruins after dark, when projected light and narration bring the Nunnery Quadrangle to life.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$70Uxmal, Kabah & Choco-Story TourAn Uxmal, Kabah and Choco-Story tour follows the Puuc route south of Mérida, with two of its best Mayan sites and a chocolate museum in one day.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$70Maní Tours & Day TripsA Maní tour brings you to one of the most historically loaded small towns in the Yucatán, a quiet place in the Puuc hills where a 16th-century Franciscan convent stands on the site of an older Maya centre.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$70Ticul Tours & Day TripsA Ticul tour is a day in the busiest town of the Puuc hills, known for its shoemakers, potters and market stalls, and a natural base for the nearby Maya sites.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$70Tekax Tours & Day TripsA Tekax tour heads into the southern Puuc hills, where limestone ridges, caves and cenotes make a very different landscape from the flat north of the state.Puuc Hills & the South · from US$55Loltún Caves ToursA Loltún Caves tour goes underground in the Puuc Hills to a cave system that was used by Maya people for thousands of years and now has guided walking tours. Want this trip planned for you?
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