Coba Pyramid & Sac Actun: A Private Day Exploring Maya Ruins and the Riviera Maya’s Underground River

Coba•moderate

Difficulty

moderate

Duration

5 hours

Fitness Level

Suitable for travelers with moderate fitness—able to climb stairs, walk unpaved paths, and swim short stretches.

Overview

Climb the Yucatán’s highest pyramid and swim through one of the world’s longest underwater cave systems on a private 5-hour trip from the Riviera Maya. Expect jungle bike rides, a 42-meter summit, and a guided swim through Sac Actun’s blue-lit passages.

Coba Pyramid & Sac Actun: A Private Day Exploring Maya Ruins and the Riviera Maya’s Underground River

Bus Tour

Other

Wildlife

Sightseeing Tour

Select participants and date

Date

Thu, Oct 30

Travelers

The day begins with a pre-dawn pickup from your Riviera Maya hotel and a ribbon of highway unspooling toward the low, humid green of the Yucatán. At the Coba archaeological zone, the jungle pushes at the paths and the tallest pyramid in the peninsula rises ahead—Nohoch Mul’s 42-meter shoulder cuts the skyline like a human-made hill. You climb, each step a shallow push through ancient stone, and from the summit the canopy reads like a map: palms and cedar crowns, broken temple roofs, a horizon that feels younger than the millennia beneath your feet.

Adventure Photos

Coba Pyramid & Sac Actun: A Private Day Exploring Maya Ruins and the Riviera Maya’s Underground River photo 1

Adventure Tips

Wear water-friendly shoes

Choose closed-toe water shoes or sturdy sandals—the cave floor and temple steps can be slippery and uneven.

Use reef-safe sunscreen

Apply biodegradable sunscreen before you arrive; the guides recommend it to protect both you and the reserve.

Pack a waterproof pouch

Keep your phone and documents dry—bring a small dry bag or waterproof phone case for cave sections and transport.

Hydrate and pace the climb

Bring a refillable bottle and sip steadily—climbing Nohoch Mul (42 m) and walking in humid heat is moderately strenuous.

Local Insights

Wildlife

Great blue heron
Howler monkeys heard in the canopy

History

Coba was a major Classic and Late-Classic Maya center connected by sacbeob (ancient causeways); Nohoch Mul is one of the Yucatán’s tallest pyramids at 42 meters.

Conservation

Sac Actun and surrounding reserves are protected; visitors should use biodegradable products and follow guides’ rules to limit impact on fragile cave formations and aquatic life.