Getting to Coba

There are two ways to get here. You join a bus tour, or you can rent a car. Driving in Mexico is fun. The roads to Coba are excellent (for Mexican standards). You can blast along this road as fast as a racecar driver (always an eye out for cops). There will be some smaller villages on your road though. Please slow down for them, as Children will be playing on the road and farm animals will cross unexpectedly. To make sure you really slow down, they put in some really nasty speed bumps that are designed to break your car into pieces if you don’t slow down.

I would recommend taking 307 south and following the exit to Coba (near Tulum). From Cancun you could also take Highway 180, pay a fee on it, and then turn south to Coba. It won’t even get you there faster so don’t do it. Once you took the exit, you are on the jungle road I mentioned earlier. There will be only one intersection. Take the south route and you will get directly to Coba.

Coba

GPS: 20°29.450 N 87°43.986 W

There are several ways of getting around in Coba. You can either rent a rickshaw, a bike or walk. Rickshaw drivers will double up as a tour guide. Alternatively you can rent a tour guide (English or Spanish) on foot or just venture off into the city all by yourself. The city is rather large and exploring it by foot takes some time and strength, but I never saw Indiana Jones going after a lost treasure on a rickshaw. Take your time when visiting Coba, there is much to explore.

Coba is one of the oldest Mayan settlements in Mexico. It is also one of the largest with 50,000 inhabitants. At its peak the city covered about 50 square kilometers. The park at Coba covers about 6 square kilometers.

Nohoch Mul Pyramid

Unquestionably the most impressive sight in Coba is the Nohoch Mul Pyramid (see first image on this page). It rises 42m (138ft) and is thus the tallest of the pyramids on the Yucatan peninsula. Looking up from the base of the structure it looks far less impressive than looking down from the top of the pyramid. Take it slow when climbing the 120 stairs in the tropical heat. Getting up is still easier than getting down. In fact, this pyramid is so steep and decayed, that most people prefer to crawl down on their hands and feet or even take it one by one while sitting on their butts. You will have an amazing view from up there. Far above the treetops you will see many of the other structures of Coba and the surrounding lakes.

The temple on top of the pyramid has the famous Bee God carving that can be found on most pyramids in the area. Honey was one of their most valued export goods.

The Ball Court

The ball court in Coba is smaller than the gigantic ball court in Chichen Itza.

The goal of the game was to get the ball through the small hoop at the top of the slanted walls without using their Hands or Feet. A score was so hard to achieve, that it usually marked the end of the game.

The game had an important political and religious background. While it was mostly played for entertainment purposes, it is believed that it also served to resolve disputes, in case of which the loosing team would loose their life. Captured rulers may have been forced to play the game before being sacrificed.

When you are standing in the ball court, you begin to wonder how anyone would be able to get a ball through the hoop without using Hands or Feet. It seems impossible.

Other structures

The church is the second tallest building in Coba at about 24m (79ft). This structure can be seen from the Nohoch Mul Pyramid. You are not allowed to climb it though until it has been restored.

Carved stones are on display under little straw roofs. Most of them have decayed almost beyond recognition. The Carvings of Ek Balam are much better preserved.

Coba Trip Advice

The sanitary facilities in Coba are real Mexican style I guess. Avoid them if you can. When we were visiting, there was a guy selling some soft drinks inside but if you visit during off-season I wouldn’t bet on him being there, so bring something to drink, you will need it. It is best to bring plenty of water, a hat and sun blocker.

Punta Laguna

Head north from Coba towards Tres Reyes. After about 15 minutes or so, you will see a hand painted sign that reads “Punta Laguna”. Punta Laguna is a small Mexican Village and Home to the Spider Monkeys. Researches come here, since this is one of the few places where the Monkeys can be studied in the wild.

You can go on a guided or unguided tour through the jungle. I highly recommend getting a guide though, as they are really good at spotting the monkeys and calling them to show their faces. The guides are native Mayan people, who are rather short. While I was sweating bullets in the tropical humidity and getting stung by mosquitoes, those guys didn’t have any of my problems. They were used to the weather and the mosquitoes didn’t bother with them. Our guide spoke English very well. With each other they were speaking a mix of English, Spanish and Maya. We saw two kinds of monkeys, the smaller spider monkeys and some larger black howler monkeys. It would have been hard to spot any of them myself. I was cursing myself for not having a telephoto lens though.

Punta Laguna is part of a 5000-hectare nature reserve called Ma'ax Yetel Kooh ("House of the spider monkey and the jaguar" in Mayan language).

On the jungle trail you will pass several ancient Mayan sites, most of which are still unexcavated and will probably remain like this forever.

Punta Laguna Trip Advice

Even though we brought mosquito repellant we got stung several times. Be very careful when you apply yours. If you leave out the tiniest spot, the mosquitoes will find it. The stings are very nasty and will start to swell almost immediately.

The heat and humidity also seem worse in the jungle. Bring some water.

Credits

All images and text by Andre Gunther

http://www.aguntherphotography.com