Mayan Ruins of Mexico

My Central America trip was expected to be full of visits to Mayan ruins, and it was, well sort of, in the beginning at least.  My second full day was spent renting a car and driving to the Coba ruins outside of Cancun with a couple other people.  Coba ended up being the first of four ruin sites that I went to, and they were all within the first three weeks.  The first couple were the best, surprise, because they were new to me at that point, but you can only see so many before you need a break.

Tulum was the second stop in Mexico and just as exciting as Coba, but for different reasons.  Coba was climbable.  We went up the main pyramid, covered in sweat, and excitement brewing to get to the top.  It was a sort of terrifying climb up as it was pretty steep, but well worth it.  The climb down, a bit more terrifying with questions popping up like, “what happens if you trip?” or “I wonder if anyone has fallen down this before?”  The second answer is probably no, because we were still able to climb it.  There were smaller pyramids and plazas that you could also climb, while others were blocked off.

Tulum was exciting because it was right on the ocean.  There are two beaches that are part of it, but they were closed when we went.  There were also lizards everywhere, which I found pretty exciting.  It turned into a game of who could spot them first, a game at which I am terrible.

The view from here though is the main reason to go.  The ruins themselves aren’t the best or most impressive, but they have an ocean view that I didn’t want to walk away from.  Another plus, since the beaches were closed, they weren’t littered with people!

Have you been to Coba or Tulum?  Which did you like better?  What are your favorite ruins?