Escape the Resort: A Cancun Daytrip to Isla Mujeres
I’ve just returned with a mild sunburn and a perhaps no-so-mild hangover from a week on the sunny shores of Cancun (map). If you haven’t been, it is pretty easy to summarize: take a gorgeous strip of beach alongside a massive lagoon and pile it with hotels and resorts. Voila: Cancun. I don’t mean that to sound negative, but the real treat of Cancun is a holiday where you sit around with bottomless margaritas and enjoy piles of tasty Mexican food. Many of these resorts are all-inclusive, meaning you have no reason to stray far from your beach lounger, except perhaps to hop into the hot tub or you spa appointment.
I did enjoy the resort lifestyle – it’s a great way to unwind from a busy few months – but after a few days I was ready to get out and get around. Our trip to Isla Mujeres (map) for the day was a real highlight. Here’s why.
Getting There and Getting Around
I found all of the websites with Isla Mujeres information really confusing – there were reports of a 15 minute ferry but we never managed to find it. It seems like the simplest option is the 45 minute each way journey from Puerto Jarez, which is along towards the end of the hotel zone. There are massive signs marking the ferry stop so you can’t miss it. The same ferry also continues on to Playa Blanca further down, so that might also be an easier option for you. The ferry is $15USD round trip. It’s a fantastic ride as much of the route is along the most turquoise waters I saw while in Cancun.
Once you arrive into the only port/ferry dock in Isla Mujeres, you’ll be swamped with budding entrepreneurs who would be happy to take your cash in exchange for all sorts of tours and experiences. I’m afraid I don’t have a good way to tell you who’s legit and who isn’t, so just be smart about who you go with. You have several options to get around the island:
- Taxi: the most experience, but super easy. From the port to the southern tip of the island was about $7 each way.
- Bicycle: maybe not ideal if it’s quite hot, but a good way to get some exercise.
- Golf Cart: might sound cheesy, but it is the most popular choice, and 95% of the traffic you see on the roads are either taxis are golf carts. It is a little intimidating near the ferry terminal, but it gets much calmer out further away on the island.
Sights and Sounds
Now that you’ve got your taxi, bike, or bike (or have decided to walk, which isn’t all that practical), what is there to see? The island is relatively small and there are a handful of attractions that get most of the attention.
- The Beach: If you came all this way, I’m not sure you’d want to sit on the beach since you could do that at your hotel, but rest assured the beach just north of the ferry docks is absolutely beautiful, with soft sand and very turquoise waters.
- Punta Sul: This is the southern most point on the island, and my favorite stop. From the parking area you can go to an overlook covered by iguanas (huge iguanas, I might add), and stop into a few souvenir shops. Otherwise there is a $3 to go out onto a sculpture park featuring random, weird modern art from around the world. At the end of the park is an old Mayan temple ruins that was supposedly the highest point in the Yucatan peninsula – it doesn’t look that high to me, but perhaps things have shifted over the years. The highlight though is a waterside walkway that you can hike down to – the views are spectacular.
- Turtle Farm: There’s a small turtle farm where you can see several species of turtles – some enormous, some tiny, some white. We also saw several fish and a very close up view with a tiny octopus – fun!
- Snorkeling: Snorkeling is huge on Isla Mujeres, and many of the vendors who stalk the ferry port will want to offer you a “great deal” on snorkeling. Most visitors go to the underwater museum, which we didn’t do but supposedly is very cool, with hundreds of statues and other artifacts you can check out under water. (They were placed there – they aren’t relics of a former age or anything.)
If you have plenty of time, you might want to investigate heading over to Isla Holbox, another small island which is another ferry ride away. I had a couple of other travelers recommend this to me, but we had our hands full with a day on Mujeres so we didn’t have to explore any further.
Photo Credits: Copyright Andrew Hayes
Disclosure: Portions of the author’s trip were sponsored by Royal Holidays and Yucatan Holidays, which have no bearing on the contents of this article.
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