popcorn3

Any thoughts on which would be the better location to go to on a tour?

virginia

tulum is small and on the coast. coba is large and in the jungle. both offer guides. what would make a better experience for you?

ShellD

As Virginia mentioned they are both different types of ruins. Personally I enjoyed Coba better. It's more extensive and you can still climb the pyramid there. The ruins are less excavated, which actually made it more interesting. We had an excellent guide there as well. It had a more primitive feel to me, and I liked that. Tulum has a beautiful setting right on the ocean though. It is much smaller and you can see it in a much shorter amount of time.

We did Coba with alltournative tours and it was combined with a full day adventure tour, it was a great day!

wego

We have been to both.

Your question is "which one is better for a tour". I would say Coba. It is more spread out so having a guide would be more helpful. Tulum is very open and you can self-guide there very easily.

If your schedule permits, go to both. Very different.

Keith

I agree about doing both. Tulum may be one of the most beautiful places on earth, but it is park like.

At Coba most people visit just the tallest pyramid and then leave. If you visit a few of the other buildings, you may be the only one around. Only enough jungle has been cleared to let you get around. It felt like I might discover something new behind the next bush.

Keith

Suru11

We've been to both and both are definately worth going to. Tulum was right on the ocean, very small, and very crowded. It is also hot there with little shade. However, there is a great little beach you can go to and cool off.

Coba is in the jungle, large, and has many different types of ruins. You can climb the pyramid there, where at Tulum you could not go into the ruins at all. At Coba you can rent bikes and ride to all the ruins which is very fun. We have been twice and once you get away from the main areas, you feel like you are in the jungle all alone. Coba is also next a lake full of crocodiles and you can eat at a really good restuarant located across the street and watch the crocs swim around.

We drove to each place on our own and did not hire a guide at either area. We read up on the two ruins and felt we didn't need a guide.

You could probably see all of Tulum in less than 2 hours. You could easily spend half a day at Coba.

I would recommend both, but my family enjoyed Coba more than Tulum.

Marco13

We went to both sites a couple of weeks ago. Coba is much more extensive and being situated in the jungle made it kind of mysterious. Also cooler. We had a much better visit there than at Tulum. If you go to Coba, go VERY early. The tour buses swarmed the place by 11.

Tulum is very nicely situated on the ocean, but is a small site with relatively unimpressive structures.
We went very late in the afternoon and it wasn't that crowded.

We hired a guide in Coba for about $30 and he was quite dull and uninformative. Not sure how you get a good one. We did enjoy cycling between the various sites at Coba on the inexpensive bikes they have there. A good way to get around!