Coba is thought to have been the largest city in the Mayan empire, said to be home to some 50,000 inhabitants at one point, yet it remains largely unexcavated and wonderfully overlooked by most visitors who make a beeline for sites such as Chichen Itza.
With lots of this once thriving city still lying undiscovered in the surrounding jungle (its boundaries remain undefined), you can simply wander through its two miles of well groomed trails (or hire a bicycle rickshaw) to unearth, much like an explorer would, Coba’s temple pyramids, dwellings and structures such as some beautifully preserved ball courts. The Ixmoja pyramid is 42 metres tall and for those brave enough to climb it, gives you fantastic views stretching over the jungle canopy.
The city’s prominent size could support theories that Coba was a once important trade city linking the coast to the interior. Located around two lagoons, Coba is 90 kilometres east of Chichen Itza and 44 kilometres north west of Tulum.
