Overview

• Day 1 – Isla Mujeres
• Budget for a day trip to Isla Mujeres
• Day 2 – Playa Delphines
• Schedule Puerto Juarez

Day 1 – Isla Mujeres

Cancún has a lot of white sand beaches, but Isla Mujeres has nothing to envy to Cancún, especially with Playa Norte.
From Cancún Downtown you can take a taxi-van, a Uber or a taxi to reach one of the many ports. Ferry are leaving from Puerto Juárez every 30 minutes, but there are cheaper options from Punta Sam. Instead of paying M$160 in Puerto Juárez, a trip will cost only M$45 from Punta Sam. The con is that the ferry is leaving only a few times per day. You can find the ferry schedule here below:

You can find the ferry schedule from Puerto Juárez at the end of the article.

A taxi van from downtown to Punta Sam costs about M$15, and a regular taxi M$150.

On Isla Mujeres, tour operator are offering pretty much the same tours, but price varies between US$25 and US$50, so comparing the offers and negotiating is definitely worth it. We also experienced a strange situation: paying in USD was cheaper than paying in Mexican Pesos, because the exchange rate was US$20 = M$500.

Included in the tour were first snorkelling around the light tower, and visiting the underwater “Musa” (The Underwater Museum of Art). The last one is not exactly like you would see it on the pictures in the Internet, because the statues are 10m deep in the ocean and with only snorkelling gear you only see them from above (unless you are a freediving master).

You can also swim with dolphins and/or cat sharks on Isla Mujeres. But the animals are in cage, and we don’t want to support the captivity of this animals. We could see the dolphins in the swimming pool from the boat, and even if they were playing with the tourists, it was sad to see them there. There is a Turtle farm on the island too, its mission is to protect the turtles. Eating turtles is still popular in Latin America.

After a 3 hours trip, there is still plenty of time to look for souvenirs or chill at Playa Norte. There are less people at Playa Pancholo, but swimming is forbidden because the currents are strong.

If you are not into snorkelling, you can rent a bike, a scooter or a golf cart to discover the island. Golf carts are really popular on Isla Mujeres.

What budget to plan for Isla Mujeres

This was our budget (per person):
> Taxi: M$150 split between 3 = M$50
> Lancha (because we missed the ferry): M$150
> Snorkelling Tour (lunch included): M$500
> Ferry back to Punta Sam: M$47
> Van Taxi from Punta Sam to downtown: M$15

Total: M$762 = 35,90 EUR

It can be cheaper if you plan in advance

Day 2 – Playa Delphines

Cancún is famous for the hotels along the 10 kilometers long beach. It is only 20-30 minutes bus ride away from downtown.

Following the advice from our hostel owner, we went to Playa Delphines. There are less people than on other beaches like Playa Marlin or Playa Chac-Mool.

You can reach Playa Delphines with the R-1 bus (Routa 1) for only M$12. You can actually go to every beaches with the same bus, and for the same price. You can see here below where to catch the bus from Downtown:

Depending on the traffic you can reach the turquoise blue water beach in about 30 minutes. There are parasols, toilets and showers for free. Vendors walk down the beach and sell fruits and cool drinks. You can even order tacos, ceviche and burritos.

If you need more action, renting a jet-ski or parasailing is possible.

Same way to come back: take the bus along the road. There is a bus every 5 minutes.

Schedule Purto Juarez