Coba holidays

Holidays to Coba are textbook tranquil – picture walks in the jungle, pyramid climbs and cenote swims.

A base between two lagoons

You’ll find Coba near the tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, just a couple of hour’s drive from Cancun. But holidays to this traditional Mayan village are a world away from the seaside nightlife hub, where party-hard hotels and tequila shots come in equal measure. Instead of bustling beaches, you’ve got a couple of statue-still lakes either side of the town centre, while thatched-roof restaurants take the place of boozy bars. Everywhere else, it’s just dense jungle – with sky-high ceiba trees, considered the ‘Tree of Life’, shading the route to the area’s main attraction…

Chichen Itza minus the crowds

Follow the pebbled paths to the Coba Ruins, and you’ll feel like you’ve discovered a hidden archaeological find. And in a way, you will have. Nowhere near as many tourists flock to this partially unexcavated site compared to Chichen Itza, Mexico’s most famous archaeological site, so there are fewer crowds to keep out of the background of your pictures. Speaking of, there are some seriously impressive photo ops here. We reckon the best one’s at the top of the Nohoch Mul Pyramid – it’s one of the tallest pyramids in the Yucatan Peninsula, and you’re allowed to climb it. That’s a good enough reason to treat yourself to some new hiking boots if you ask us.

Scenic swimming spots

Breaking a sweat just thinking about going on a tropical trek? Fear not. Coba has no shortage of cenotes – natural, water-filled sinkholes that’ll make you want to bring a swimming cozzie with you on all your sightseeing trips. Cenote Choo-Ha, which means ‘dripping water’ in Mayan, is a shallow number with a ceiling covered in stalactites (icicle-shaped rocks formed when mineral-rich water drips into a cave). And you can pair cooling dips with spider monkey sightings at the nearby Punta Laguna Nature Reserve. Or, if you’re up for a 45-minute drive, you can hit up beaches in Tulum. Playa Paraiso is famous for its talcum powder-fine sand, which leads the way to the Caribbean Sea.