COBA PRIVATE TOURS

Your English-speaking local expert will be waiting for you at your hotel or Airbnb lobby from Riviera Maya (between Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen) with a great smile at 7:00 a.m. We recommend this time so we arrive early and avoid the crowds and the midday heat inside Cobá.

We take the highway to Tulum and then a regular road to Cobá, arriving around 9:30 a.m. Since this is your private tour, we won't make additional stops unless you want. On the way, your local expert shares stories about Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula, the Riviera Maya, Mexican traditions and local life, plus a broad explanation of Mayan culture, and gives you space to relax — or sleep — during the 2 hour 30 minute ride. The van carries plenty of cold water for you.

We arrive around 9:30 a.m. so you're among the first ones there, exploring intimately without lines or crowds, feeling the freshness of the jungle. Cobá is the only site in the Riviera Maya where you can ride a bike and truly feel the jungle — reaching the main pyramid means pedaling about 1.2 miles (2 km) through fresh jungle, with the breeze, birdsong and sight of wild animals along the way.

You'll pass Mayan steles, a traditional ball-game court and small Mayan roads before reaching Nohoch Mul — the tallest pyramid in the Yucatán Peninsula. Park your bike, admire the summit, and take time to recharge and hydrate before heading back through the jungle at your own pace.

Everything is done at your pace and you can stay as long as you want. Your guide, fluent in English and certified by the INAH, gives an extensive narrative about the site and Mayan culture and loves answering questions.

After Cobá, we drive 50 minutes to start the second part of the adventure: an open-sky cenote and a cavern with an underground river, both hand-picked by our local expert — a snorkeling detective who has visited more than 300 cenotes and is always looking for the most authentic, least commercial spots.

Your guide keeps you safe and protected at all times — if you don't know how to snorkel, he'll teach you, and even if you're a pro, he'll give you tips to improve your experience, using professional, no-fogging, leak-proof equipment, deep cleaned and sanitized every day.

Our second stop is the open-sky cenote in the middle of the jungle, a pool of crystalline water where you can dive, jump, swim and take great photos. The last stop is a cave and underground river on a Mayan family's land, deep in the jungle — a door to the underworld and a place unlike anything else, an experience you won't forget.

Both cenotes have restrooms and changing rooms, so bring your swimsuit, towel and dry clothes to change afterward. Time at each cenote is free — you stay as long as you want and tell us when to leave. Photos from your guide are included too.

After an active day you'll have a big appetite. If you'd like, we can take you to a local, authentic restaurant — seafood or typical Mexican cuisine in Akumal, Xpu-Ha or Playa del Carmen, your choice. If you'd rather skip it, we'll take you back to your hotel or Airbnb as fast as possible so you can keep enjoying the pool or the beach. You decide if and when you want lunch — we adjust the schedule to what works best for you.

If you skip lunch, we head back to your hotel or Airbnb right after the cave, via the highway — about 1 hour 45 minutes from the Dos Ojos community to Cancún. The tour is planned to finish around 3:00 p.m., but since everything runs at your pace, the exact return time depends on you. If you do have lunch, add roughly 1 to 1.5 hours; you should be back at your hotel or Airbnb between 5:45 and 6:15 p.m.