sparklegem

We are planning to visit Coba and would like to hear what others think of the site.

We were thinking of renting bicycles. Does anyone know if they have children's bicycles available?

Did you see animals (and toucans?!)? Also, how bad are the mosquitos?

I think that I read that there is something else to visit in the area. A village or monkeys? I can't remember.

Thank you in advance!

scottr

I visited Coba several years ago by renting a car in Play del Carmen and driving to Coba on the way to Chichen Itza. My friend and I enjoyed Coba even more than the more famous Chichen Itza b/c COba was less "preserved" and had a more jungle and unexplored feel. There were plenty of birds and monkeys (towards sunset) but I don't remember any mosquitos, possibly because there were thundershowers throughout the day. I do not recall bicycle rentals of any kind at the site, but the roads were very good, and there is an underground cave and cenote in the area that is worth a visit. I hope you have a great trip.

sparklegem

Thank you, Scott. It sounds like you had a great trip.

pepper131

You should get the Chichen Itza map from cancunmap.com - it has a lot of info on Coba and the surrounding areas.

The road to Coba from Tulum was nothing but major pot-holes in August - so plan extra time.

Nadia02

Loved Coba.
I only remember seeing adult bikes. You can ride on your own (regular bikes) or you can hire a driver with a special bike equipped with special sitting (2 people can sit-would work for you and your child).
I didn't see any animals.
And yes the mosquitos are bad so protect yourself, especially if they love you.
When you drive to Coba, you do go through villages...not sure if you're thinking about a specific village.
Have a great time.

ONZGO

We enjoyed Coba, but I don't recall any children's bicycles. We didn't encounter any mosquitos. I think it depends on what time of year you go. We went in November, although I would take along bug repellant, just in case. We find that the drier winter months don't seem to have as many mosquitos compared to the summer months when it tends to rain more. We didn't see any animals or tropical birds such as Toucans. On our tour we also went to a real Mayan village where they live without electricity. They had some farm animals around. It was a good trip and had a Indiana Jones feel to it and more rustic than Chichen Itza, but Chichen Itza is still my favorite ruin, but kids might enjoy Coba more.

Ryberg

They do have children's bikes. We went a couple of weeks ago and specifically noted several 20-inch bikes, so about the size for 7+ years. I cannot remember if they had a size between those and the adult bikes, but then the adult bikes are all rather low/small, anyway! (Mayan size, I guess.)

Mosquitos were not a problem, and it was hot and had been raining, so maybe it just varies from time to time.

Didn't see much in the way of animals.

The first part of the road from Tulum -- maybe for about 20 mins -- has been repaired and was quite smooth. However about halfway to Coba suddenly the holes began appearing in bunches. Took us about 45 mins to make that entire stretch.

Steve

pepper131

sparkle -

I think the area with monkeys is Punta Laguna, but they are in the wild and you don't always see them. They are usually high up in the trees, so take some binoculars.

There is a rotary in the road once you get near Coba. Go towards Pac Chen to reach Punta Laguna.

We tried to find monkeys at the Jungle Place (it's listed on locogringo.com under lodgings in Akumal). They have rescued spider monkeys. We took a long and not-knowing-if-we-are-going-the-right-way drive to find them. We found Jungle Place, but they were closed. There seemed to be nobody around, so we turned around with two disappointed kids. I had even sent them an email, but no response.

katharineclifton

Punta Laguna is a small Mayan Village which is a protected area. Limited numbers of visitors are allowed and you must be accompanied by a tour guide. At least this is the way it was a couple of years ago. I can't inagine the rules have changed. You will see lots of spider monkeys there.

http://www.yucatantoday.com/destinat...untalaguna.htm

I don't remember any mosquitoes either at Coba or in Punta Laguna.

sparklegem

Thank you to everyone, for the terrific information!!