Today we are off to see the ancient Maya city of Coba. It is a big site covering approximately 40 square miles, though only a little has been excavated. It is also a very good idea to get there early for two reasons: beat the heat and beat the crowds. With that being said we are up and away by eight, pretty early by Canadian vacation standards. A quick stop to drop off laundry and on to the highway to catch a collectivo. The collectivo costs us 40 pesos, roughly four dollars and takes us into the town of Tulum, about twenty or so kilometers away. From Tulum we were going to catch a bus into Coba, but the taxi guys say there are no buses, only for tours. We really don’t believe him as all the guides books say there are buses. However he offers us a ride for 540 pesos, Coba and return. That’s $54 dollars for a round trip of eighty-five kilometers, and since we are not 100% certain of the bus schedule, or even where to catch the bus, we decide for the luxury of an air-conditioned taxi.
The ride is uneventful, the highway is in very good condition, straight as an arrow and flatter than Saskatchewan. We did go through three small villages and pass several cenotes which lead us both to believe that an explore is a very good possibility at a later date.
In order to get to the old city of Coba, you first pass through the new town of Coba. Plenty of small tourist shops and several restaurants, with a few hotels. If you plan on spending some time in the area, be aware that Coba is not really on the tourist route, so be prepared for Mexican standards. You pass through Coba, around one of the two fresh water lakes before ending up at the dirt parking lot, the beginning of our explore of the Ancient city of Coba. The taxi driver pays for the parking, but you must buy an entrance ticket. The ticket booth is on the right hand side of the entrance, behind one of the tourist vendors’ shops but in front of the washrooms. Just follow the washroom signs and you will find it. There is a lot of confusion and hustle and bustle right at the entrance, so just take your time, relax and don’t panic.
Our guide books recommend renting a bicycle and we concur with that recommendation. The rental shop is about 100 yards past the entrance. You can walk, but biking allows you to see all of what this place has to offer. Besides it’s hot, you will do some climbing, and there is a lot of distance between excavations. So do yourself a favour and rent the bikes! Don’t rent the bike taxis, they only go on the main trail and you will miss some pretty interesting stuff unless you know where you are going and direct the taxis to where you want to go.
After a quick guide book and partner consultation, we decide on not hiring a guide and also decide to head right for the furthest site and work our way back. Along the way we pass dozens of unexcavated sites, several developed sites, a sacbe or Mayan highway, lots of other tourists, bikes and bike taxis before we arrive at the El Castillo pyramid, the second tallest in the Yucatan, taller than El Castillo at Chichen Itza and the Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal. This is the showpiece of the Grupo Nohoch Mul excavation site and of the entire site. From the top you can see the forest covered mounds of numerous unexcavated sites and all the way back to park entrance. We also found out after that you should be able to see the tallest pyramid at Ek Balam, forty-eight kilometers away.
From here we follow our route back to the entrance taking every side trail we can find. We follow a route sign that even isn’t in the guide books and end up at a fabulous site full of carved stelae, stone monuments, several excavated sites, a half excavated pyramid and many many unexcavated sites. What’s also amazing is we have this entire area all to ourselves! No one, just us, the jungle birds and the ruins of an ancient past. What a great way to finish our trip to Coba.
