Isla Mujeres day trip

Isla Mujeres is the easiest and most rewarding day trip from Cancún. The island lies about 13 kilometres off the mainland, close enough that Cancún's skyline is visible across the water, yet it feels like a different place: a narrow strip around seven kilometres long and barely 650 metres wide, with a town of some 12,600 people at the 2010 census.

Its name is Spanish for "island of women", given by the Spanish after the many images of goddesses they found here. Before that the island was sacred to Ixchel, the Maya goddess of childbirth and medicine. A temple to her once stood at what is now Hacienda Mundaca, and a small Maya temple at the southern tip was badly damaged by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The island's southeastern point is the easternmost point of Mexico.

Getting there is simple. Three companies, Ultramar, Cancún Sailing and Jetway, run ferries to the island. Ultramar's Cancún routes leave from Puerto Juárez on the mainland north of downtown and from Playa Tortugas and Playa Caracol in the Hotel Zone, with daily departures. Its tickets can be bought online as one-way or return, and open tickets stay valid for six months on the route purchased, so you do not need to commit to a fixed return time.

Once on the island, most visitors split the day between the town and the beaches. Playa Norte, at the northern tip, is the best-known beach, and it recovered quickly after Hurricane Wilma in 2005. At the southern end, Garrafón Park has a reef popular for snorkelling and diving. The island is also known for sport fishing, especially for sailfish. To get around, people hire golf carts, mopeds or taxis; golf carts have long been the island's trademark, and a 2005 count found around 500 of them.

Isla Mujeres suits almost everyone: couples, families, snorkellers and anyone who wants a slower pace than the Hotel Zone. A full day lets you combine a swim at Playa Norte with a drive to the south of the island. Note that the island's turtle farm, the Tortugranja, closed in 2021, so do not plan around it.

Many boat tours to Isla Contoy include a stop on Isla Mujeres, and the Manchones gallery of the MUSA underwater museum lies in the waters near the island. Back on the mainland, the El Meco archaeological site, whose ancient inhabitants were linked to rituals on Isla Mujeres, is close to the Puerto Juárez ferry terminals.