Two Maya cities in one day: a walled port on a cliff above the Caribbean, then a jungle city of long white roads and a 42-metre pyramid.
Tulum was a Maya trading port, walled on three sides and open to the sea on the fourth. It flourished in the centuries before the Spanish arrived, and it was still inhabited when their ships first sailed past.
Its main building, El Castillo, stands on the clifftop above a small beach, with the Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Wind God nearby. The site is small and gets very busy, so arrive when it opens.
Forty-five minutes inland, Cobá is far older and larger, spread through the forest between lakes. Its raised white roads, the sacbeob, connect groups of buildings, and its tallest pyramid, Nohoch Mul, rises 42 metres above the trees.
Rent a bike or take a bicycle taxi to cover the distances in the shade.
An early start makes all the difference.
Leave Playa early to be at Tulum's gate when it opens.
See El Castillo and the clifftop views before the crowds arrive.
Drive inland through the forest.
Cycle the white roads to Nohoch Mul and the ball court.
Cool off in a cenote near Cobá, or see spider monkeys at Punta Laguna.
.jpg?width=960)
.jpg?width=1280)
A car is easiest for both sites in a day; buses and colectivos reach Tulum, and buses run to Cobá.
Pay at each gate; Tulum now also sits within a national park with its own fee.
Guides at the gates can bring the ruins to life; agree the price first.
Playa del Carmen practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}