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Comments: Well, I didn’t think I would be writing another Coba trip report so soon.  After waiting about 35 years to get to Coba for the first time I found myself there for a second visit less than 12 months later.  (See the earlier report about last year’s trip below under AB).

This year I decided to rent a car and go to Tulum and Coba from Playa del Carmen.  We got a late start and arrived at Tulum around 12:00 noon—which turned out to be good timing since there were almost no tourist busses—I guess they all were at lunch.  The entrance to the site has changed since last year—now you don’t enter from the front but have to walk to a side entrance—which is better because it leads you in a path from top to bottom and you can see the site in order. I didn’t notice anything else which had changed at Tulum over the last year except there is now a good book store at the entrance.

>From Tulum to Coba is about 1 hr. by car—the road is still full of potholes and “topes” (speed bumps).  It is a fairly monotonous drive but you do get the sense that you are leaving civilization.

When we arrived at Coba we decided to have lunch at the small Club Med that is located on the side of the lake.  It was good, but overpriced.

>From there we entered the site, and did the same thing as last year—hired one of the “tricycle taxis”—still the best bargain in Mexico.  For about $8.00 the “driver” peddled both of us over miles of rocky paths to all the different pyramids, ball courts, and other buildings.  Unless you enjoy walking miles and miles on rocks and stones,  either hire the taxi, or rent a bike. We didn’t  need a guide since the driver knew the basic history of all the places we visited—quite a deal!

A couple of things have changed since last year in Coba, the tricycle taxis now have horns, and, more importantly, there is now a rope to hold on to if you decide to climb to the top of the big pyramid.

It was great to see Coba again—one of the most interesting sites in Mexico.

Bruce

Posted by katherine on 04/04/02

Several  years ago i spent the summer touring a lot of the ruins on the Yucatan.  Coba was my favorite.  We took the bus from Playa.  What an experience... The bus driver kept stopping to pick up more and more passengers.  We stood up to let some older ladies sit and still we kept packing on more passengers.  Have you ever seen Soylent Green?  It felt something like that.
     Anyway, Coba was one of the last sites to be 'discovered'.  So it has had less time to be restored.  This primative quality is what makes it so great.  We didn't have a guide.  Just a map and a compass.  We found all the main structures, eventually.  I could have wondered around in that jungle for days.  We saw leaf cutter ants, 8 inch long yellow millipede...  Coba is more like an adventure than a tour.
     However, if you do go to Chichen Itza, make sure you go inside the main pyramid to see the older one underneath.  They only let you in at certain times of the day.

Posted by Panchita on 11/15/01

This is one of my favorite sites...

I grew up on National Geographic and this area reminded me of old photos I'd seen as a kid - it's so cool to look around from the top and see other structures that haven't been cleared of all the growth sticking up out of the jungle.  Definitely something worth seeing if you're interesting in the history of the area..

Posted by Ab on 11/13/01

I started my trip to Tulum and Coba from Cozumel early in the morning first by taking the ferry to Playa del Carmen. From there I found the site for "colectivos", communal vans, which were going to Tulum, my first stop. It took about 45 minutes to reach the Tulum archeological site after 10-15 stops--picking up and dropping off passengers. The cost of the colectivo was only $2.00 US.

Tulum is relatively small and can be visited in a short period of time but is a very impressive site due to its location on the cliffs. The main problem I encountered was the number of tourists visiting the site. There were wall-to-wall tourists covering almost every square inch of the site and making it a less than desirable visit. I strongly suggest that you either go before the tourist buses arrive or after they have left the ruins.

I wasn't sure how to get to Coba from the Tulum ruins, which were a couple of miles outside of the city of Tulum, so I caught another colectivo going to the city of Tulum but as it turned out this particular colectivo was continuing on to Coba.

The route to Coba is on a narrow road filled with pot holes and is about 45 minutes from Tulum. The problem with the colectivo I was taking to Coba was that it only came within 2-3 miles of the Coba ruins so I was let off in the middle of the jungle to walk the last couple of miles on my own. For a few minutes I was wondering if the driver had played a trick on me by giving me the wrong information since there was no sign of life in sight, but I soon came upon a few houses and restaurants outside of the Coba archeological site--which was quite a relief.

I was aware that the Coba ruins were spread out over several miles of trails so I was happy when I came across a place to rent bicycles and "tricycles". The tricycle is actually a bicycle with two tires in front and has a seat to carry two passengers propelled by the cyclist in the rear--sort of a Mexican rickshaw. I decided to hire the tricycle and driver so I wouldn't have to walk several more miles. This was probably the greatest bargain in Mexico. For about $8.00 US you can rent the tricycle and driver for two people for the length of your visit to the ruins and the driver will take you to all the various ruin locations spread out over the entire site.

I found Coba to be one of the most interesting sights I had visited in Mexico although there is still much to be excavated. There are two ball courts, the main pyramid, along with other smaller sites of interest. Also, the unique location next to several lakes, and being off the beaten path, make it a good site to visit. However, the tour buses have also found their way to Coba--but not nearly to the extent as in Tulum. Since I had to return to Cozumel early I didn't get too spend as much time as I would have liked at Coba but it was still a very worthwhile trip.

I wasn't sure how to get back to Tulum, or Playa del Carmen, so I went to the local "bus station"--at the Bocadilla restaurant and asked about the next bus. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to pass by for several hours so I asked a taxi driver how much he would charge to take me to Playa del Carmen. After a bit of haggling, we settled on $30.00--which I felt was a bargain.

The trip back was uneventful and I was able to catch the ferry to Cozumel without waiting around--although you do have to be careful with the schedule since the ferry doesn't run every hour.

Overall, this trip was a bit too much to do in one day for the way I did it--using public transportation. If I had it to do over again I would definitely rent a car in Playa del Carmen for the day although that definitely wouldn't be as interesting as the colectivos, taxis, and walking in the jungle.

Posted by Donna on 07/11/01

We did this but rented a car in Playa and liked this alot since we didnt have to depend on or wait on a bus to take us any where. We went to COba first and then to Tulum. This was an all day thing but we liked it alot. Just be sure to take along plenty of water to COba and a fan. I have pictures of these if you want them let me know.

Posted by R&R on 01/23/01

largest pyramid in the Yucatan, I think it is 145' tall, rises above the trees and you can see for miles from the top.  This is not a trip for the faint of heart.  From the entrance gate it is about 1 1/2 mile hike through jungle, wear good shoes and take water!!!  But well worth the visit if you are into Mayan history!!

Nohoch Mul

Posted by Joel on 11/09/00

I agree with Jidan.  Get an early start and catch the ferry over to Playa.  Rent a car there and just head south on 307. You can easily do both in one day.

You will reach the ruins of Tulum first but not too far past that is the (right) turn to Coba.  It is just amazing to see the immediate difference in lifestyle you will encounter within a couple of kilometers of the turn off...It's like you've gone back 50 years in time.  The road will eventually lead you right to the ruins in Coba.  We were there in October and following were some notes I took then:

About 45 minutes west of Tulum, are the very impressive ruins at Coba.  Due in large part to its location between Tulum and Chichen Itza and its abundant water supply, at its height, from about 400-800 A.D., Coba was a trading center with a population of over 55,000.  While restoration is now an ongoing process, currently less than 5% of the ancient city has been reconstructed. It is an excellent trip for those seeking a site that does not attract as many visitors as some other better-known ruins.  Among the structures there are the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan, two beautiful small ball courts and some still impressive remnants of the Mayan road system.  On a recent trip in October, 2000, the entrance fee was N$30 (just over US$3) per person and the optional services an English speaking guide for 1-1/2 hours for a group of 4 was an additional N$350 (less than US$40).  While still relatively close to the Cancun-Tulum corridor, the modern village of Coba is still very much “Old Mexico” where you’ll find that Mayan rather than Spanish is still considered the first language.

Posted by Ron and Robin on July 3, 2000

We took a tour to Coba and Tulum and really enjoyed both.  You have to take the ferry over to Playa, then a bus takes you on to the ruins.  Coba was the first stop and the tour guide marched us off into the jungle on a mile and a half hike and he spoke continuously about the Mayan people and
their history.   It was hot, humid and exhausting but well worth it if you enjoy history and ruins.  No time was given for exploring on your own since you could bet lost very easily out there.  Not a good tour for anyone unable to make the long hike.  After that we stopped for lunch, then arrived at Tulum in the afternoon so it was less crowded.  Tulum is breathtaking but small.  You can easily tour all the building in an hour at a leasurely pace.  There are also many stores and vedors to sell the usual stuff but we noticed the prices were much higher than in Cozumel. Very good tour, left Cozumel at 8am, returned at 7pm.

Posted by gg on June 20, 2000

We took two kids ages 10 and 12 to both Tulum and Coba. We had a rental car. Tulum is extremely tourist driven and commercialized.  It's beautiful, but they try to sell EVERYTHING to you. They even put their hands out at the bathroom door. By contrast, Coba is an unbelievable gem in the jungle. Truly gives the sense of mayan history and how life really was. Hard to get to, bumpy road and the poverty in Coba city is heartwrenching. But an experience the kids will carry with them for life.  Lots of walking and climbing.

We went on an air conditioned motor coach tour of Coba and Tulum in February.  We had a wonderful day and really enjoyed both.  (Check out my posted trip report.)  I would imagine that it would be more hot and humid this time of year on the mainland, so be sure to bring a water bottle....though there were cold water bottles provided on our bus as well as $1.00 Coronas.  There is a lot of walking to do at Coba.  And we did not see anyone excavating when we were there.  Sorry.  We are very happy that we took the tour and would like to take our daughters there sometime.

Posted by Panchita on June 6, 2000

I was there in Feb/March and I really liked it.  I don't know if you've been to ruins in other areas of Mexico, but Coba is still largely un-excavated.  Unlike Tulum, Chichen Itza, etc.  there are very few structures that you can go inside, and there are a lot of trees growing out of the sides of the buildings - like I said in my trip report, it's all very National Geographic.  The large pyramid is pretty grand (I think it holds the title of tallest pyramid in North America), and when you get to the top, you can look around and see all these unexcavated buildings sticking out of the jungle canopy - very cool!
Unfortunately, I didn't see any work being done there - from what I understand digs happen few and far between at Coba these days.  

Posted by BB on January 25, 2000

We also went on our own to Coba.  I highly recommend getting a guide. We wouldn't have known what we were looking at without one. It was a great history lesson, and it was in English. The cost for the guide was 320 pesos, which we split with other people.  They allow 10 people per guide, so you can hitch up with any other people once you get to the gate.

Posted by Amando Rose on January 25, 2000

Definitely go to see Coba.  I went on a tour from the Iberostar in PDC; my tour guide's name was Mirtha and she was great.  She had lived with some of the Mayan families in the area for several months and knew a lot about the site and the people.  If you go on your own, it would probably enhance your experience to have someone to ask questions to and to get more info than what is provided on site.  The only way you could not be impressed with Coba (this has been my favorite Mayan site so far) is if you like to see a site completely excavated and 'cleaned up'.  But from what I gather from your posts on this site, you don't impress me that would be a prerequisite for you.  Definitely follow Shell's advice and bring and drink lots of water.  Be careful about going off the beaten path as it is easy to get lost there if  you lose your bearings.  Enjoy it, wish I could be there exploring it with you!!!

Posted by Jodi on January 24, 2000

I've been there twice.  It really is spectacular & if you have the energy to climb the pyramid (I think it's near 90 some steps) it is well worth it.  Not only to you feel a great sense of accomplishment, but the view is incredible.  You can see for miles.  Both times I went, we used the tour that was part of our orientation package with our charter package.  Both times the guides were great.  Very knowledgeable, although they'll tell you themselves that they may make up some of it as they go!  The stories are still very interesting and entertaining.  They also took us to Tulum (very beautiful) and Akumel the first time & a cenote where everyone went swimming the second time.  All in all, I thought it was money well spent & was very happy to have a guide.  In fact, the first time we went, it was my birthday.  The guide also was a strolling musician, and met us at Santiago's & serenaded us (it was two girlfriends & me) for over half an hour.  It was so much fun!  He sang songs for us - my friend has beautiful green eyes & he sang a song about those, etc.  Like I said, we definitely got our money's worth!  I still remember his name!  Feel free to e-mail me if you want more info.

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