Cozumel to Tulum

[cvchief]

Ron Lee: we just want to see it.

We did the Coba / Tulum run with a cenote in one day in July from Coz. It was a little much. We took the 0600 ferry and met my van guy. We were the FIRST to enter Coba. All the buses rolled in while we were there and as we were leaving. We hit Tulum late and near closing time. It was hot as a biscuit... The nephews and nieces were getting a little b%^&*y towards the end. I said "Shut and learn something, dang it, even if you get heat stroke. You gonna enjoy this if it kills you!!!"

Get the Mapchick maps. They were a great help.


I loved Coba a bit more than Tulum. Climbed the big pyramid and all.

Oh and from the afternoon guide we hired:

"What sound does the Mexican Pink Panther make?"

Wait for it.....

Tulum, Tulum..... tulum, tulum, tulum, tulum, tuluuuuum. (sing it, work with me here)

 

[driftwood]

Ron Lee: we just want to see it. It looks great and a must do. We live seeing ruins and anything we can.

Deliver: thanks for that reply. We are now thinking ove a day trip. As you could tell we are not regulars there I've been a few times. Looking more like a non diving day trip.

Who ever chose the site for Tulum had an eye for the dramatic. Tough to beat a Mayan pyramid on a cliff with the carib as a back drop. The catch is that Tulum was a very late Mayan site and not up to par with the other sites in the Yucatan.

Either Coba or Tulum make great day trips from Coz. I have been to CI and don't really have a need to see it again. If I were to make an overnight trip from Coz, then at the top of my list would be to return to Ek Balam. The only Mayan ruin I would spend vacation time to see again.

 

[sharky60]

I love Tulum, the temples are not as impressive as Chichen Itza or even Coba, (being a late post-classic period site), but being right on the coast, it's much more comfortable there than at most of the archeological sites that sit in the middle of the jungle. It's usually hot at the entry plaza, but once you are actually on the site, the ocean breeze really makes it nice.

You don't NEED to stay overnight to go to Tulum, unless you just want to. I've done both Coba and Tulum in one day. Just remember the archeological sites close at 4:00pm.

it's a full day, but it can be done. So if you're interested in just doing Tulum & seeing the surrounding area, staying overnight is not necessary. It would save you from having to pack an overnight bag & paying for an extra hotel night, when you have a perfectly good bed back on Coz that you are already paying for. unless you are planning checking out of your hotel in Coz, doing the hotel in Tulum and then going back and checking back in on Coz ... seems like a little much.

AND you will be already back the next morning so you can dive!

Take an early ferry over to PDC, & rent a car and drive yourself. You can even set up the rental car ahead of time with Isis Car rentals on Cozumel. They have an office in Playa as well.

You can usually hire your own private guide at most of the archeological sites in Mexico. We hired a private guide at Coba for $25 plus tip... or if you're sneaky enough, you can just slip in with one of the bus tours and get some free guide info. Just sort of stand off to the side of the group where you can still hear the guide talking.

I tried that at Coba. We got out of the car and saw 2 tour buses pull up. "hey let's just 'follow' them and get a little free tour!" I said. We walked up to the group and the tour guide started speaking German ... so THAT didn't work out

 

[DjDiverDan]

We walked up to the group and the tour guide started speaking German ... so THAT didn't work out

Nicht verstehe Deutsch? Das ist schade!

[I just realized that my German is very rusty. "Nicht verstehe Deutsch" is First Person, meaning "I don't understand German." Should have been "Nicht verstehen sie Deutsch." -- "YOU don't understand German." Oh well, Ich spreche ein bichen Deutsch.]

 

[Ron Lee]

Given your need you have been given good advice that it is just a day trip. If you have not been to Coba, try a Coba/Tulum trip.

Coba first and early to minimize the heat while climbing Nohock Mul. Rent bikes or a tricyclo (hired driver powered) conveyance.

Hire a taxi to take you to Coba, wait and then drop you off at Tulum. Catch another taxi or colectivo or bus back to Playa del Carmen.

Verify closing times. I thought it was 500 PM.

Have pesos just in case entry fees are to be paid in pesos only.

Here is how I went to Coba from Cozumel. Adding Tulum after Coba would have been easy.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ctivo-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

 

[cvchief]

Rent bikes or a tricyclo (hired driver powered) conveyance.

We had some bike and tricycleros. I would suggest the tricycle guys. Not much more and those guys need the money. I talked to the one guy and found both the bicycle rentals and MOST of the money for the tricycle goes to the guys who OWN the concession. The guy pedaling the tricycle does it for very little. I mean VERY little. I was glad we gave him some work and I slid him a small tip which was many times what the company would pay him for that run.

 

[lamarpaulski]

Can go to Coba and/or snorkle or dive cenotes near Tulum...esp with rental car...i did it in 1 day. Coba was great too.

 

[mstevens]

When we do this sort of thing, we rent a car from Isis Rentadora Playa del Carmen.

If you do the Coba/Tulum trip, stop in Macario Gomez at the Dzidzilche honey store and get a sense of why Yucatán honey is so famous.

We do this as a day trip, though part of that is probably because we have a free place to stay on the island. There are some very nice (but not cheap) hotels in Tulum.