Start your Viator Exclusive tour after early morning pickup from your Playa del Carmen hotel and take a scenic 90-minute drive to Coba. Join your guide, a certified archaeologist, for an in-depth tour of the ancient Mayan city, considered one of the largest pre-Columbian settlements of the Classic period. You’ll arrive at the site and take in this tranquility just in time to beat the crowds!
As you walk through the ruins of Coba, which in the Mayan language means ‘place of choppy water,’ your specialist guide provides informative commentary. Learn about the archaeological studies of the site, spanning approximately 43 square miles (70 square km), and the Mayan civilization that occupied it.
Hear about how the city developed around the surrounding five lakes, the water sources that supported about 50,000 inhabitants. Gain insight into the network of roads you come across during your tour, as well as large stone monuments called stelae, and hieroglyphic texts.
Huff your way to the apex of Nohoch Mul Pyramid, the tallest Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula, and from 140 feet (42 meters) above the rainforest floor, capture stunning panoramas of the rainforest jungle.
With this Viator Exclusive, your early morning visit to Coba allows you to discover the site at an easy pace, without worrying about crowds, and then experience another beautiful site after seeing the Mayan city. Continue on to a cenote, an underground cavern with a pool of water, and enjoy an hour of downtime in the naturally illuminated cave.
Wrap up your outing with a hearty buffet meal at a nearby restaurant featuring local cuisine, pastas, salads and desserts. Your tour ends with transport back to Playa del Carmen.