Cobá
Unlike Chichen-Itza, you can still climb the ruins of Coba. The name of these Mayan ruins means “water stirred by wind,” probably because the site is located between several lakes. At one point Cobá was a city covering 27 square miles with a population estimated at 55,000. Fewer tourists visit these ruins since they are farther away from Playa than the more popular Tulum site.
This affords visitors a wonderful opportunity to explore the giant pyramids in quiet. Allow two hours to explore the ruins at leisure. Multi-lingual guides are available for a small fee, and you can rent a bicycle if you’d rather not walk. Visitors are urged to wear comfortable shoes and to bring water and insect repellant. There are several daily buses between Playa del Carmen and Cobá, or you can park at the site for $2.
The Gran Cenote in Coba is quite large and there are several points on the property where you can jump in (water is cold!) Cenotes, underground rivers, were created years ago, some say from a meteor that crashed in Mexico. There will be large openings for a while and then the river is underground, but you can swim it or tube through the underground portions. The water is clear and in many of the cave areas you will see bats flying around.
Location: 2 hour drive from Playa del Carmen, Playa Del Carmen.