Isla Mujeres Yacht Trip from Cancun

Where Isla Mujeres is

Isla Mujeres is the long, narrow island across the Bahía de Mujeres from Cancun's hotel zone, roughly 7 km from end to end. Playa Norte sits at the northern tip, where the water is shallow, calm and pale turquoise. Punta Sur is the southern tip, a rocky headland facing the open Caribbean, with the remains of a small Maya temple to Ixchel and a sculpture garden on the cliff.

It is the most-run route on Cancun's charter boats: the bay is sheltered, the water is clear, and both ends of the island fit in one charter. The other routes, and every Cancun boat, are on yacht rental in Cancun.

How the boat gets there

It depends on the marina. Boats that leave from the Nichupté lagoon side of the hotel zone, such as Marina Puesta del Sol, Marina Aquatours and Sunset Marina, cross the lagoon first, come out into the bay and pass Playa Tortugas and the shallow sandbanks of Los Blanquizales on the way north. Boats that leave from Puerto Cancún, Muelle Flamingos on the Punta Sam road or Marina V&V at Playa Mujeres start closer to the island and spend less of the charter crossing.

Each boat card names its marina and its usual route. The captain sets the exact line and the stops on the day, from the wind, the sea and the hours you booked.

The day at the island

The usual plan is a swim stop off Playa Norte and a run along the island to Punta Sur. At Playa Norte the boat anchors in water shallow enough to stand in near the beach, and the group swims, floats or snorkels from the swim platform. At Punta Sur the cliffs, the lighthouse and the temple remains are seen from the water; the sea there is more open, so it is usually a pass, not a swim.

Most boats carry snorkel gear, life jackets, water, sodas and ice; the card lists what is aboard. Going ashore for lunch on the island is possible on some routes and has to be agreed before the day, because it depends on where the boat can tie up.

A short trip or a full island day

A shorter charter reaches the island for a swim off Playa Norte. A longer one adds the run to Punta Sur and an unhurried stop. A full island day covers both ends, a long swim, lunch on board or ashore, and a slow ride back past the hotel zone. From the marinas nearest the island, the same hours buy more time at anchor; pick the hours on the boat card.

If the group also wants the sunset, end the day on the lagoon: the route on the Cancun sunset yacht cruise page starts where the island day finishes.

What the trip costs and includes

Each boat card is the price for the hours you choose, with the captain, the crew and the fuel. The boat is private: no other group boards it. Food, a photographer, a drone, decorations, a jet ski or a van from the hotel are add-ons on many boats; each is priced on the booking page and added with the charter. A 50% deposit paid online holds the boat; the balance is paid in person on the day.

Snorkeling over the reefs near the island is its own page, the Cancun snorkeling yacht tour, because some reef areas are inside the national marine park and have their own rules.

Weather and the season

The dry months, roughly November to April, bring the steadiest sea. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, with the busiest weeks usually from August to October. When the port authority closes the port to small boats for wind or swell, no charter leaves, and the trip moves to another day or another hour. Seaweed on the Caribbean side varies from year to year; the bay side, where Playa Norte faces, is more sheltered.