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Hey guys and gals, I need some help. It's my 10th anniversary. I have all my diving booked, and I have my Sunday night in town squared away. Now what?
Should I go to Chichen Itza?
Should I rent a car/jeep and tour the island?
Should I go to Tulum? Or Xel Ha?
What about Xcaret?
Help me out guys! I'm a Coz virgin, and I need some direction! I have 3 days that are so far labeled "free", and I would like to fill them. I am staying at the Wyndham if that helps.
I appreciate all of your opinions, and I thank you in advance!
We went to Cozumel in May 2005. One day we rented a jeep and drove to the ruins on the island itself. There are some beaches that are cool to visit too. Another day we took the ferry over to the mainland, were met by a tour company called "Go!" and they took us diving in the cenotes. We drove into the Yucutan jungle, suited up, and jumped into the mouth of a cavern and they guided us through the underground rivers there. Don't miss cenote diving. It's worth it. On our last day of "off gassing" we took a tour to Chitzen-Itza. The ruins are phenominal. We dove all the great dive sites including "Devil's Throat." It was the adventure of a lifetime.
I have to strongly recommend visiting the archeological sites in the area such as Tulum, Coba and Chichén Itzá.
The easiest to visit is Tulum. It is also the most spectacular. You can catch bus service from Playa del Carmen down to Tulum and spend the day down there. Plenty of taxis for local travel around town. Take plenty of water.
Coba is a little more remote and provides a different experience, also spectacular. It is located about 45 minutes west of Tulum. You'll have to rent a car to get there. It's not really developed and you really feel like you're in the jungle. You'll have some long walks to get anywhere around the ruins, the trails are long. Off on some of the side trails on remote ruins I expected to get mugged but didn't see anyone. There is a steep pyramid that you can climb, spectacular views from the top that are best in the morning. (Afternoon glare makes the view difficult to photograph later in the day.) Take plenty of cash to bribe police officers who may stop you on your way there. Remember the US State Department's comment on Mexico: "Police courruption is legendary and true." I've done quite a bit of driving in Quintana Roo myself (a white boy) and never ran into any problems whatsoever.
Chichén Itzá is the most celebrated, most developed and most difficult to get to from Cozumel. The drive is several hours and a lot of people just fly to Chichén Itzá for the day from Cancun. I've never been there myself so I can't really comment any more.
There are tours to these areas, but I really don't recommend them. You'll spend your time in tourists traps where they want you to spend your money, not at the ruins themselves. For instance, I looked into a tour to Coba from Cozumel, $102 per person for the day, 13 hours total. Of that time, only 2 hours would be spent at Coba. The rest of the time you would be visiting tourist shops. Shucks, we drove to Coba, 13 hours round trip, and spent 7 hours at the ruins, had a nice lunch in Tulum and a great dinner in Playa del Carmen.
Have fun, check out my Cozumel photos for some photos of the ruins.
Last edited by Doc Harry; March 2nd, 2008 at 08:18 AM.
You could do the Tulum ruins and also dive the Dos Ojos Cenote which is close to Tulum. the cenote dive is a Zen like experience. You will be guided and the dive is shallow, you will carry a dive light though it is not completely dark. When I was there we booked a full day through Edventures tours which included the Cenote dive plus snorkeling at two different spots near Akumal, we could have done the Tulum ruins but no one in our group wanted to (we were limited on time because we were on a cruise ship stop)
I would definitely head over to Playa Del Carmen for starters. I'm a big fan of driving in foreign countrys and would recommend renting a car from Playa Del Carmen and driving south down to Tulum. There are some spectacular beaches along the way and the ruins are marvelous. If you spent one day shopping in Playa Del Carmen and another renting a car and driving down to Tulum you'll still have a day to explore Cozumel by car and check out the other side of the island. The beaches over there are quite beautiful with a couple of GREAT spots to grab a drink and appetizer and take in the natural beauty. ENJOY!!!!!!!! You'll go back time and time again!!!!!!
A trip around the island is a must, rent a jeep/trekker and send the day visting El Castillo, the original town on Coz about 1/2 way to Punta Sur (southern point of the island) coming south from town. Punta Sur is also a park with one of Coz's lighthouses that you can go up in and I think a croc reserve. Stop at the beach restaurants along the way, Rasta's, Bob Marley's, Chien Rio, Coconuts & Mescelitos for refreshments and snacks.
The "other side" of the island can be crowded on Sundays. Locals flock to the Caribbean side on Sunday and the beach clubs can be very busy, especially Chien Rio.
Spend some time on a secluded beach, just be careful of the rip tides, it is constantly windy over there and that makes for a constant wave action that creates a VERY strong rip current. so if you get in the water, don't wade out very far at all.
San Gervasio the main archeolgical site on the island is quite nice, bigger than you expect, and a good place to kick off mayan interests. It's a Late Period city so the buildings aren't as impressive as Chichen Itza, but it is worth the visit..."lots of lizzards" this one lady said as she left the site.
Tulum is also a Late Period city, but the walled city sits right on a bluff over looking the ocean. Very beautiful setting and a great history lesson. The Caribbean breezes keep it cooler there than at the sites that are in the jungle.
Chichen Itza is a full day trip no matter how you go. Tour bus, (yuck), takes 3-3 1/2 hrs to get there, pretty much the same if you drive yourself. The site is quite large and take several hours to do right. It's very hot there, very little breeze. We got those neck cooler thingys you soak in water and wrap around your neck to keep you cool, they really helped. Drink lots of water while you are there.
There is a tour that flys to CI from Coz. We did that the first time we went there, other than I personally would have liked to have had more time to myself, and not with the tour, it was a very good tour and worth the price of the ticket for a first timer.
Xel Ha, been there, didn't care for it, the snorkeling was terrible, visability in the lagoon was about 6'. I've heard that Xecart is better, but can't speak for it.
Also, something to do on Coz, visit the museum, it is one of our favorite places for a non-dive day breakfast at the second story open air restaurant, they are also open for lunch. The museum is packed with Mexican art and history of Cozumel. There is a guy at the back of the first level that has a mayan house set up and will run you thru the daily life of the maya, it's very interesting, give him a good tip
A trip around the island is a must, rent a jeep/trekker and send the day visting El Castillo, the original town on Coz about 1/2 way to Punta Sur (southern point of the island) coming south from town.
Thanks for everyones suggestions. Since we haven't been to Cozumel, or Playa del Carmen for that matter, we are a little torn on which trips to make. I am still thinking Chichen Itza at this point, and just wait for a future trip to Cozumel to see the others, or of course a possible future trip to PDC or Cancun.
I will for sure make a drive to the East side of the Island. This is going to be a great trip!
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Sea & Sea DX-2G w/YS-25; Nikon D200 topside
Originally Posted by sharky60
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