Tourists enjoy the beach near the Mayan ruins of Noh Hoch, also known as The Castle near the Mexican caribbean resort town of Tulum. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)

Most people know Cancun as a beach resort and spring break destination.

But if you're an adventurous traveller looking to channel your inner Indiana Jones, there are also ancient Mayan ruins to be explored within a short drive of the beach.

Located in the jungles of Quintana Roo, Mayan culture in Coba dates back 3,000 years. As the largest archaeological site in the Yucatan Peninsula, Coba also holds the distinction of being the least excavated.

Archaeologists have explored only a few of the 20,000 structures that once stood here.

Coba was a major Mayan economic centre, and La Iglesia -- the church -- is one of the first structures you'll see upon entering. Mayans came here to make sacrificial offerings to the gods, including jewelry, food, animals and even humans.

Nohoch Mul -- Great Hill -- is the tallest pyramid in the area, at 42 metres high. Its steps are crumbling and steep, and I wasn't sure I'd make it to the top. A sturdy rope is attached to the steps to help visitors make the climb.

The view from the summit is worth the trek. The dense emerald jungle stretches before you, dotted with gray where the ruins are visible. Sapphire lakes glisten in the distance.

At the peak is a small temple decorated with a figure of the Descending God -- a winged deity heading to earth.

You can still see portions of the white limestone roads called sacbe that the Mayans built through the jungle, straight and wide, to link Coba and other Mayan centres like Chichen Itza.

You'll also encounter plenty of exotic birds taking flight and a few iguanas on the grounds. Use insect repellent; mosquitoes are thick.

Tulum, a half-hour southeast of Coba, is more accessible and in some ways more beautiful.

After walking down a barren road to the entrance, and through a long corridor to the ruins, you'll find yourself in a walled oceanfront city that once served as a trading post for merchants to exchange goods.

The crown jewel of this place is El Castillo, the castle. The Mayans came to this shrine, perched on a limestone cliff, to show reverence to the gods. It also served as a watchtower for them to keep sight of enemies approaching by sea.

Other buildings worth seeing are Gran Palacio -- Great Palace -- and Templo del Dios Descendente -- Temple of the Descending God. They are roped off to protect their fragile frescoes, but can still be viewed.

Tourists climb the ruins of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Penninsula, Mexico. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)

Relaxing on the beach is a nice way to end the day at Tulum. Its pristine sands and alluring waters rival those found in Cancun.

Back in Cancun, Mayan history can be found not only along dirt roads, but also on major thoroughfares.

Kukulcan Boulevard is the heart of Cancun's hotel zone, even though the street is surrounded by water -- the Caribbean Sea on one side, and a lagoon, Laguna Nichupte, on the other.

This 22.5-kilometre strip bears the name of the 13th-century ruler of Chichen Itza, who sacrificed himself to the rain gods by being cast alive into an 18-metre well. He survived the ordeal from dawn to midday, and rose to power throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.

El Rey, the main archaeological ruin in Cancun, is located on Kukulcan. This site is small compared to Coba and Tulum, but is worth visiting. You can walk amid the stone plazas and buildings that made up this fishing village, believed to have been inhabited from the 10th to 16th centuries.

The Kukulcan Boulevard passes over the Nichupte lagoon as the Caribbean Sea can be seen in the back in the resort city of Cancun, Mexico.(AP Photo/Israel Leal)

El Rey means the king; a skeleton found at the site may have been Mayan royalty. Also known for its high iguana population, El Rey is an easy way to sample the world of an ancient civilization.

If You Go...

Getting there: Tulum is 130 kilometres south of Cancun; Coba is 172 kilometres south of Cancun, and 41 kilometres west of Tulum.

Admission: Entry to Coba and Tulum is $3.50 US, free on Sundays and holidays. Tour guides are available for an extra fee.

Hours: Coba and Tulum are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

A large iguana lounges at the Mayan pyramids located in the Mayan Riviera in the Xcaret ecological reserve.(AP Photo/Israel Leal)

Weather: Temperatures in Cancun range from about 20 C in January to 32 in July and August.

Lodging: Villa Arqueologica Coba, a Club Med resort, is the closest hotel to Coba; www.clubmedvillas.com ). More accommodations can be found in Tulum, including all-inclusive resorts like Sunscape Tulum. Other hotels can be viewed at www.tulum.com.

For more information: Mexico Tourism Board: www.visitmexico.com or (800) 446-3942. Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau: www.cancun.info. Mayan ruins: www.visitcancun.com. Mexico's National Anthropology and History Institute: www.inahqr.gob.mx.

Tourists climb up a pyramid known as "The Church" at the archeological ruins of Coba, in the Yucatan, Peninsula, Mexico. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)