Why visit
Unlike Chichen Itza, Ek Balam still lets you climb its main pyramid, and from the top the flat Yucatan jungle stretches to the horizon. The preserved stucco of the Acropolis, with its open-jaw monster doorway, is among the finest Maya art you can see up close.
The site is small and rarely crowded, so an hour or two is enough. Combine it with the nearby Cenote X'Canche, reachable by bike or on foot, for a half day before heading back to Valladolid.