• We leave Playa del Carmen at around 7.30 am.
• Visit to the ruins of Coba. We'll take our time in Coba and spend a couple of hours there.
• Lunch is served at a typical family-run Yucatecan restaurant with a view of the lake (and its caymans) . Tasty lunch featuring authentic local food served with homemade tortillas, a special treat!
• Our next stop is a pristine and spectacular cenote/cave. We'll go for a swim in the refreshing water and have time to explore.
• On our way home from Coba we'll pass a few small villages where we can stop and pick up some nice handicraft if there's interest. We'll be back in Playa around 5 pm.
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We can also customize a private tour with this or a similar itinerary. Read more on the Private Tours page. |
Designed for people who 'don't do tours'
This tour, brought to you by Yucatreks, to the ancient city of Coba, combined with lunch in a traditional Yucatecan restaurant, a swim in a spectacular cave/cenote, and stops in local villages, provides a glimpse of both old and new Mayan culture. You'll find a more detailed description of the tour in the itinerary to the right.
Coba
The
Coba Treasures excursion invites guests to explore what is one of the most interesting Mayan cities in the Yucatan. Much older than the ruins of Tulum and dating from about 200 BC-1450 AD, this important trading hub is believed to have supported up to 55,000 people during its peak and contains around 6,500 structures, most of which are still hidden in the wild, overgrown depths of the jungle. You can read more about the ruins of Coba here.
The Day
Our early jump on the day often translates into our group being one of the first to arrive to the site. We allow enough time at the archeological site to truly enjoy it - no rush. We are joined by INAH-certified local guides at Coba, all of whom are Mayan people who grew up in the area. Understandably quite proud of their heritage, they offer incomparable insight into Mayan history, tradition, and ways of life. During the leisurely stroll through the shaded jungle path, they also point out trees and other vegetation that were important to the Maya for various reasons.
You will see many culturally-significant buildings such as pyramids, temples, roads, watch towers and ball courts. Exotic birds and butterflies are also a common sight, and walking past the countless unexcavated ruins covered with tropical vegetation will leave you marveling at the size of this ancient Mayan treasure.
For many people, the pinnacle of the tour is climbing the pyramid Nohoch Mul, the tallest Mayan structure on the Yucatan peninsula. This 42 meter/138 feet climb is rewarded by breathtaking views of the jungle and the cayman-inhabited lakes which surround Coba.
Lunch
Our lunch deserves another mentioning, too. We take you to a typical family-run Yucatecan restaurant, located just by the lake of Coba., where you can choose from a number of traditional dishes, such as Poc Chuc or Pork Pibil, served with great homemade corn tortillas. Quite often a cayman will be cruising by in the lake, providing a perfect photo-op!
The cenote
If you have never seen a cenote before, it's almost wrong to take you to Cho-Ha first - it's so spectacular, it just seems unfair to the other cenotes. Even if you have seen many cenotes before, this one will surely blow you away. Your jaw is bound to drop further and further with each step you take down the sturdy staircase leading to this amazing cave. Photos can hardly make it justice either, you just have to see it for yourself!
The villages
Heading back to Playa, we will make a stop in a Mayan village we pass along the way. First we visit the Honey Coop's distribution center, where they sell all kinds of products make from the famous Yucatecan honey. We will also visit a great little handicraft store at the home of a delightful Mayan family, where we can see how people live in the countryside. The many cute kids, beautiful gardens, Pancho the Spider Monkey and free range farm animals also provide us with many more great photo-ops.
We can also customize a private tour with this or a similar itinerary. Read more on the Private Tours page.
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