Cobá

Cobá is located 47 km southwest from Tulum. Among the largest of Maya cities, Cobá offers the chance to explore mostly unrestored antiquities set deep in the tropical jungle. Cobá was settled much earlier than Chichén Itzá or Tulum and the construction reached its peak between AD 800 and 1100. Its architecture is a mystery - its towering pyramids and stelae resemble the architecture of Tikal, which is several hundred kilometres away.  

Archaeologists are also impressed by the sacbés (stone-paved avenues) on the area. The scientists now estimate that Cobá contains some 6500 structures, of which just a few have been excavated and restored. Today, four sections of this complex: Coba, Chumuc Mul, Macanxoc and Nohoch Mul have been partially preserved. The Nohoch Mul pyramids is the only structure the public is allowed to climb.