Valladolid to Kabah Road Trip: Route, Tolls & Stops

By admin, 13 October, 2026

By road, Valladolid and Kabah are about 132 miles (212 km) apart, or roughly 3 h 16 min of driving.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Yucatán — Level 1, Exercise Normal PrecautionsAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Yucatán is the Mexican state that contains Kabah. See the full advisory for current details.
Ik KilChichen ItzaRing of cenotesValladolidKabah
Route from Valladolid to Kabah with the 3 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance by road132 mi (212 km)
Driving time, no stops3 h 16 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-295 → MEX-180D → MEX-180 → YUC 18 → MEX-184 → MEX-261
Mexican states on the routeYucatán
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-180D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 5.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below3

Driving this route in a car with U.S. plates

Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Required: this route is outside the zones where U.S.-registered cars can skip the temporary import permit (Baja California, Baja California Sur and part of Sonora)
Mexican auto insuranceRequired for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you drive

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

On the road from Valladolid to Kabah

MEX-180D (55 mi) and YUC 18 (9 mi) carry about 48% of the 132 miles. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-180D. Of the 3 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

Road-by-road breakdown: Valladolid to Kabah

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
MEX-2950–44Yucatán
MEX-180D4–5955Yucatán
MEX-18059–678Yucatán
connecting roads67–692Yucatán
local roads69–8920Yucatán
YUC 1889–989Yucatán
connecting roads98–991Yucatán
MEX-18499–1034Yucatán
local roads103–11613Yucatán
connecting roads116–1182Yucatán
local roads118–1279Yucatán
MEX-261127–1325Yucatán

Where to stop on the way to Kabah

Ik Kil

Mile 27 · Cenote · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Outside Pisté near Chichen Itza, Ik Kil is a cenote within the Ik Kil Archeological Park in Yucatán's Tinúm Municipality.

Chichen Itza

Mile 28 · Ancient city · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Chichen Itza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, is a former Maya city between Mérida and Valladolid where you can walk past El Castillo (Temple of Kukulkan), the Temple of the Warriors, the Great Ball Court and the round El Caracol observatory.

Ring of cenotes

Mile 83 · Nature area · 0.4 mi from the route

Yucatán's Ring of cenotes (Anillo de cenotes) is a state-protected natural area: a semicircle of cenotes linked to the asteroid impact that formed the Chicxulub crater some 65 to 70 million years ago.

In Kabah itself

Sayil

Archaeological site · in Kabah

Sayil is a pre-Columbian city built by the Maya in the Terminal Classic period, located in southwestern Yucatán state, south of Uxmal.

Kabah

Archaeological site · in Kabah

Kabah is a Maya archaeological site in the Puuc region south of Mérida, inscribed in 1996 together with Uxmal, Sayil and Labna as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Uxmal

Archaeological site · about 11 mi from Kabah

Founded around A.D. 700, the Maya city of Uxmal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Puuc-style buildings such as the Pyramid of the Soothsayer, the Governor's Palace and the Nunnery Quadrangle carry carvings of the rain god Chaac.

More drives to Kabah

From Valladolid to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Valladolid to Kabah?

About 3 h 16 min of driving without stops, over 132 miles.

What is the driving distance from Valladolid to Kabah?

About 132 miles (212 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.

Do I need a permit to drive my U.S. car from Valladolid to Kabah?

Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car on this route, which is outside the zones where it can be skipped. Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle.

Is it safe to drive from Valladolid to Kabah?

The U.S. State Department rates Yucatán Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Valladolid to Kabah use?

In order: MEX-295, MEX-180D, MEX-180, YUC 18, MEX-184 and MEX-261. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Valladolid and Kabah?

Closest to the road: Ik Kil (cenote, mile 27, 4 mi from the route); Chichen Itza (ancient city, mile 28, 3 mi from the route); Ring of cenotes (nature area, mile 83, 0.4 mi from the route). All stops are described above.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.