One of my goals in Mexico was to see Chichen Itza, one of the seven wonders of the world. However, after talking to a few locals and reading a few blogs, I realized that once Chichen Itza became one of the seven wonders of the world, tourists flocked to it, rules got stricter, and the experience became less rewarding. Coba’s remote location makes it less touristy, and the ancient Mayan city has that old world charm that make it just as impressive as Chichen Itza. If I’ve piqued your interest enough to visit yet, then read on for your complete guide to visiting the Coba ruins.
History of the Coba Mayan Village
Coba is an ancient Mayan city on the Yucatan Peninsula. The word Coba means “waters stirred by the wind,” which is an appropriate name considering the Coba ruins are located between two bodies of water. In the city, you can see many engraved stone slabs depicting ceremonies, traditions, and general life events in the Mayan culture during this period.
It’s believed that Coba had about 50,000 inhabitants at its peak and dates back to around 50 BC and 100 AD. Elevated stone and plaster roads known as sacbeobs (white roads) connect Coba to various sites nearby. Coba was one of the most powerful and biggest sites, with new temples being built and old temples being well maintained until about the 14th century when the Spanish arrived.
Each village in the city had about 15 houses. The villages were connected by sacbeobs (the raised white paths). These white roads are the main reason maps of the Coba ruins could be made. The longest sacbe runs over 100 km (62 miles) west towards Chichen Itza. The archaeological site has the largest network of stone causeways in the ancient Mayan world.
Visiting the Coba Ruins
Coba is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To visit the Coba ruins, it costs 50 pesos ($2.50 USD) to park and 70 pesos ($3.50 USD) to enter. The main pyramid you’re looking for is about 4 km (2.5 miles) roundtrip from the entrance to the ruins. You can easily walk, but there are bike taxis that will take you where you want to go. Or you can rent bikes and ride yourselves, which is what we chose. It was a really cool way to get around the Coba ruins and explore, and I recommend it. It’s only 40 pesos ($2 USD) to rent a bike, which is well worth it for the long ride. You’ll probably spend anywhere from one hour to two and a half hours at the Coba ruins.
The first ruins you come across are small building with tunnels between the stones. You can climb the few stairs to the top, but there’s not much else to see at this stop.
The next thing you’ll come across on your way to the great pyramid is an area with an ancient Mayan skull, an animal skull, a tombstone, grave stones, and short pyramids that make me think this was some type of burial site.
The next piece you’ll come across looks like a temple or church, which the Mayans built in three stone sections. I felt like Daenerys walking around the House of the Undying when I walked around this building!
Finally, you come up to the center of the town, the main pyramid. Nohoch Mul is the name of the pyramid in Coba, meaning “Great Mound”. It’s the tallest temple pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula and second tallest Mayan pyramid in the world. There are 120 steps to the top (Chichen Itza has only 91 steps). From the top, the Mayan jungle below looks like a soft green carpet spreading out in all directions. Only in a few breaks can you see sunlight glinting off the nearby lagoons that sandwich the city. The pyramid is 137 feet (42 meters) tall, and the climb isn’t for the faint of heart. However, heights terrify me and I climbed to the top! There’s a rope that helps you go up and down, and most people scoot down while sitting. One thing to note about the main pyramid is that it’s one of the few Mayan pyramids left you can still climb.
There are other walkways off the main route to the pyramid where you can see more ruins, villages, and a cenote, but you can’t ride bikes down these routes. Because we didn’t want to leave our bikes stranded while we explored (and because it was so hot in June), we didn’t explore anything off the main path.
Getting There
Coba is in a remote location, which means less tourists visit and a more enjoyable experience if you’re willing to go off the beaten path a bit. It’s about an hour northwest of Tulum, along one road into the jungle. It’s about an hour and a half southwest of Playa del Carmen and two hours and fifteen minutes from Cancun. The site is actually still largely unexcavated due to the dense jungle surrounding the site and the difficulty in getting to the ancient village.
From Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, you can join a day trip. For the budget-minded, you can take the ADO bus system. Additionally, you could take a colectivo (public taxi van); if you’re coming from Cancun or Playa del Carmen, you’ll just have to change vans in Tulum.
If you are planning to check out Coba, which I highly recommend, I would also suggest visiting a cenote. There are lots of cenotes along the route to Coba, but some of the most popular are Dos Ojos and Gran Cenote.
Have you been to Coba? Have you visited any Mayan ruins? Would you climb the 137-foot tall pyramid? Tell me in the comments below!
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P.S. You might also enjoy Complete Guide to Visiting the Tulum Ruins or Complete Guide to Visiting the Gran Cenote