How to get to Isla Mujeres

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Eduardo
Isla Mujeres Travel Tip

Do you know Isla Mujeres? Isla Mujeres is a beautiful place that you have to know in your visit to the Caribbean Mexico and here we will tell you a little bit about it and most importantly, we will tell you how to get to Isla Mujeres.

Isla Mujeres

This island has a rich history that dates back to the times of the ancient Mayans, whose vestiges can be seen in a temple – observatory on top of a reef at the southern tip of the island.

In 1517 Francisco Hernández de Córdoba arrived on the island and decided to give it the name Isla de Mujeres, since he came across many wooden idols of a Mayan goddess.

In the following centuries, Isla Mujeres, like many islands in the region, became a haven for pirates, smugglers, and slave traders.

After so much history, life on the island continued quite calmly until it became a tourist destination. Isla Mujeres constitutes one of the 11 municipalities that comprise Quintana Roo and is located in the Caribbean Sea 13 kms. from Cancun. Isla Mujeres consists of kms. long 15 and about 500 meters wide.

The island became world famous in the 70s when the famous Mexican oceanographer Ramón Bravo introduced the world to the Cave of the Sleeping Sharks. The prestigious diver made the world see how sharks slept by discovering them in a cave that they called the Cave of the Sleeping Sharks.

Isla Mujeres has a lot to offer, as it has a magnificent hotel infrastructure, international and regional food restaurants, bars where you can listen to island rhythms, beach clubs, a Caribbean show, swim with dolphins, a turtle farm and endless things to discover. Today it is one of the favorite destinations for those looking to relax, for professional divers and for the increasing number of tourists arriving from Cancun to spend a full day on the island.

Its constant sea breeze wraps it in a cool climate, the sun shines most of the year and its sunsets are beautiful. This is the ideal place to kick back, relax, enjoy enchanting views, white sand beaches in a peaceful environment, diving, snorkeling, swimming, windsurfing, boating, archeology, ecology and cycling, the excitement is far and wide of this great little Caribbean paradise.

Whether you are a tourist or local and want to know how to get to Cancun’s Isla de Mujeres on a day trip or as a vacation destination to relax and enjoy, you will probably arrive in Cancun first. While Cancun is famous for its parties and nightlife, Isla Mujeres is better known for its diving and coral reefs than for its clubs.

So how do you get to the island? Read on to find out about all the transportation tips and advice available that will take you to this truly heavenly destination.


How to get to Isla Mujeres

As you will understand, you cannot drive from Cancun to Isla Mujeres and another important detail is that the island does not have an airport. You can’t get there on foot because there is no bridge, and you probably don’t want to try to swim the nearly 12-kilometer stretch.

Ferries are the option that you will have available and a good fact is that you can choose where to take the most convenient one. There are boarding points from Cancun in Boulevard Kukulcan and services by taxi or by the urban bus of route 1 “Puerto Juárez”. It is important that you know that you must pay for these ferry tickets in US dollars.

To cross from the hotel zone to Isla Mujeres, you have the terminals of Playa Caracol, El Embarcadero and Playa Tortugas. But how do you get from your hotel or airport to the terminals?

There is an alternative that offers you the best experience and confidence in your transfer with an affordable price and many services such as shopping, tours and private services, here we recommend the services offered by Transfer Cancun Airport, they do not make stops and departures are made at time and work 24 hours, plus they will take you directly to the hotel entrance, or take you from your hotel to another destination. You can contact them through the numbers +52 998 120 5674 and +121 0757 0376

There are many advantages of opting for this company since it has infinite comforts and attention to its customers.

Once you finish the reservation process, which is quite simple, you will be assured the punctuality of your employees when they receive you at the airport or look for you at the entrance of your hotel.

You can pay by credit card, cash and even PayPal, in addition to choosing between their two transport services (standard and VIP), they have a variety of vehicles (if you visit their website you can check the available vehicle models) with satellite monitoring, Qualified and bilingual staff at your disposal 24/7.

Now that you know how to transfer from the airport or hotel, we will show you in detail how to get to Isla Muejeres starting from the terminals that we show you below so that you can plan to reach your destination in the best way.

Ferry route to Isla Mujeres

On the ferry trip from Cancun to Isla Mujeres you will find one of the most incredible turquoise blue stripes in the Caribbean, so it is fair to say that the journey to Isla Mujeres is well worth it. The general tips of the route are:

-Journey time: 20 – 25 minutes
-Schedules: You can departure before 7am and return on the last ferry around 12pm
-Ticket types: single trip (one way) or round trip (round trip). There are no discounts on roundtrip tickets.

Ultramar Ferry Terminal

It is a very comfortable company in terms of services and schedules. Almost every half hour the ferry leaves, the price of the ticket is $15 round trips, simple $8.

Children from 0 to 12 months do not pay. From 12 months to 1.20 cm of height they pay $7 simple and $12 the round trip, 15 years and older enters the adult rate.

Ultramar is the most important and has departures from four ports along the Cancun coast and in the hotel zone: Playa Caracol, Playa Tortugas, El Embarcadero and Puerto Juarez.

Punta Sam Terminal

This terminal is primarily for moving large loads such as vehicles, this option will be adjusted to you if you have your car and in this way you will not have to pay for the parking of any terminal. It is a journey of approximately 1 hour, plus the time to get the vehicle on the ferry.

Currently they only transport a car with the driver, not only people. The ticket price for conventional cars about $15 each way.

Puerto Juarez Maritime Terminal

This is an economically accessible option when thinking about how to go to the island, in addition to the fact that in this port you will have access to parking, free Wi-Fi in the facility, a coffee shop, and effective transportation at low cost. It is the preferred option for those who want to travel comfortably at the lowest price. There are departures every 30 minutes. They will assist you by phone through the telephone number 52 (983) 832 6101, between 6:00 am and 8:00 pm.

This terminal is 400 meters from Ultramar, there are two companies operating. One is Naveganto and another smaller company from the same terminal. The cost of the tickets is $13 round trip, one way $7. Naveganto, as they say on its own website, is 100% Mexican and is part of NAVINSA, one of the most important shipping companies in the country that has more than 30 years of experience in the maritime environment, transporting personnel and cargo in the safest way.

They are focused on transporting in the safest and most comfortable way: tourists and passengers, on time, traveling the route between Puerto Juarez and Isla Mujeres.

This company takes care of every detail and meets the highest safety standards. You will also want to know that they now have a new boat with more comfortable seats, with more space and its design makes it lighter, which allows you to get to Isla Mujeres faster, being cleaner and friendlier with the environment.