The Mexican island of Isla Mujeres (Island of Women, Isla Mujeres) is located in the Caribbean Sea, 16 km from the mainland towards Cancúna. If you are looking for the cleanest white sand beaches, you will find them on Isla Mujeres. Even during the period of the most intense algae invasion, the beaches on the north side of the island were absolutely clean. If you like beaches without waves — There are almost never waves on the main beaches of Isla Mujeres. The water here is always clean and indescribably «Caribbean» azure color.
Isla Mujeres — one of the most popular resorts in the Caribbean. Guests of the state come here directly from the airport and spend their entire vacation without leaving the island. The island, with an area of just under 16 square kilometers, has tropical jungles, super-modern hotels, and even ancient architectural landmarks. This is truly a paradise for those who, apart from beach holidays, don’t need anything else.
Getting to Isla Mujeres is only possible by ferries, which operate from several terminals in Cancún. You are also allowed, of course, to rent a yacht or buy a tour to the island, including an open-bar, sea fishing or snorkeling. But here we will talk about an independent trip to the Island of Women.
To take the ferry to the island, you first need to get to Cancún if you are from somewhere on the Mayan Riviera.
Ultramar terminal in Puerto Juárez
The most popular ferry route to the island starts from the Ultramar terminal in Puerto Juáreze, in the northern part of Cancúna. From the Hotel Zone there is a city bus R-1, the fare is 12 MXN ($0.6). From the central part of Cancúna, in addition, it is possible to get there by bus R-6, the fare is — 10 MXN.
A taxi from the Hotel Zone to Puerto Juáreza will cost about 180 MXN ($9.5), back — about 130 MXN.
Ferries from depart regularly every half hour from 5:30 to 23:30. The last ferry returns from Isla Mujeres to Cancún at 24:00. Travel time — 25 minutes.
The price of travel depends on whether you are using Quintana Roo resident benefits. Tariffs are presented as of November 1, 2019.
| MXN (peso) / US$ | One way | There and back |
| Non-residents of the state of Quintana Roo, including visitors | ||
| Adults | 160 / 8.3 | 300 / 15.6 |
| Children | 130 / 6.8 | 250 / 13.0 |
| Residents of the State of Quintana Roo | ||
| Adults | 78 | 146 |
| Children | 46 | 84 |
The tariff also includes transportation of 1 piece of luggage weighing up to 25 kg.
Tickets can be purchased at the terminal box office either in cash or by credit card. You can pay with cards from foreign banks without any problems. When paying by card you will be asked to show your ID. In addition, tickets can be purchased on the company’s website Ultramar.
There is only one ferry terminal on Isla Mujeres, in other words, where is the pier on the island, and from there you will return to Cancún.
All Ultramar ferries — ultra-modern and fast. Ferries have two decks — the upper one is covered and the lower one is air conditioned and has a bar. On such a ferry, even a short walk along the sea will leave an unforgettable impression.
Old ferry terminal in Puerto Juárez
Now this terminal serves the ferry company Naveganto, whose ferries are not as modern as those of Ultramar, but they cost somewhat less.
It is just as easy to get to as the Ultramar terminal; it is located a little further down the road. If you take the R-1 bus, get off near Ultramar (this is the last one) and walk exactly 500 meters forward. Bus route R-6 stops right outside the terminal.
Naveganto ferries depart approximately every two hours from 6:00 to 20:00. It is better to check the schedule on the company website Naveganto.
The fare is as follows:
| MXN (peso) / US$ | One way | There and back |
| Visitors | ||
| Adults | 140 / 7.3 | 256 / 13.3 |
| Children | 115 / 6.0 | 220 / 11.5 |
| Mexicans | ||
| Adults | 105 | 190 |
| Children | 85 | 160 |
The price also includes transportation of 1 piece of luggage weighing up to 25 kg.
Fromdifference from Ultramar, which never has any discounts or promotions, Naveganto often offers its tickets with good discounts. In addition, the company offers significant discounts for groups of 10 people — 220 MXN round trip.
Tickets can be purchased both at the terminal box office and on the company’s website. You can pay in cash or by credit card.
As soon as you get to the old ferry terminal in Puerto Juáreze, you will immediately be surrounded by barkers offering to travel to Isla Mujeres on small boats and yachts. The capacity of such vessels is — up to 20 people. In addition, you have the right to offer live sea fishing, snorkeling on the island and in general anything else you want.
You can and should bargain with them! The last time we were offered a round trip to Isla Mujeres for 150 MXN per person, but we didn’t bargain, so probably the price could be even lower.
Basic disadvantages of such sea trips — sometimes you have to wait for the required number of passengers to arrive, and you can get seasick at sea. But in strong waves, such ships do not go to sea.
Previously, Marinsa ferries could also be reached from the old terminal in Puerto Juárez to Isla Mujeres, however, in January 2019, the company stopped services on this route. It is still possible to find schedules for such ferries on the Internet, but in reality they no longer operate.
Ultramar Terminals in the Cancúna Hotel Zone
In the separate zone of Cancúna there are three terminals of the Ultramar ferry company. These are exclusively guest government terminals. Any of these terminals can be reached by city buses R-1 or R-2, and in addition by taxi.
The price of travel to Isla Mujeres from the Cancúna Hotel Zone is denominated in American dollars, no discounts are provided:
- adults: $15 one way, $21 round trip
- children: $10 one way, $15 round trip
Playa Tortugas. Ferries from from depart almost every hour from 9:00 to 20:30.
Playa Caracol. Ferries run 6 times a day from 9:00 to 16:45.
El Embarcadero. Ferries from depart every 1:15 from 9:15 to 18:45.
It is better to check the schedule on the company website Ultramar. Tickets can be purchased at kiosks near the terminals or on the company’s website.
All beaches Isla Mujeres
Terminal Punta Sam — by car
The cheapest ferries to Isla Mujeres depart from the Punta Sam terminal, located even further than Puerto Juárez, towards Costa Mujeres / Isla Blanca. It is approximately 9 km from the center of Cancúna. Although traveling to Isla Mujeres by car looks like a bad idea, you can also transport your car to the island from Punta Sam.
You can get to Punta Sam by public transport. First you need to take buses R-1 or R-6 to the Ultramar terminal in Puerto Juárez, and then immediately change to the bright green colectivo (minibuses) going towards Costa Mujeres. The total fare will be about 20-22 MXN. A one-way taxi ride from the Hotel Zone will cost 250 MXN, which makes the idea completely unattractive.
Getting to Punta Sam by car is also very easy. Continue along Avenida López Partillo towards Puerto Juáreza and then straight ahead towards Costa Mujeres. Don't pass by.
Both passenger and freight services from Punta Sam to Isla Mujeres are provided by Marítima Isla Mujeres. The schedule is constantly changing, it is better to check it on the company page Marítima on Facebook. The company's ferries operate 10 times a day from 5:15 to 19:30 on weekdays and Saturdays and 5 times a day from 7:30 to 19:30 on Sundays. Travel time — 45 minutes.
The cost of passenger transportation on the Marítima ferry from Punta Sam to Isla Mujeres is:
| MXN (peso) / US$ | One way | There and back |
| Non-residents of the State of Quintana Roo, incl. non-residents | ||
| Adults | 66 / 3.4 | 132 / 6.9 |
| Children under 9 years old | 27 / 1.4 | 54 / 2.8 |
| Residents of the State of Quintana Roo | ||
| Adults | 46 | 92 |
| Children under 9 years old | 27 | 54 |
Tariffs for freight transportation depend on the type of vehicle. For non-residents, including foreigners, transportation of a motorcycle will cost 184 MXN ($9.6), a sedan-type car will cost 184 MXN ($9.6). up to 4 meters long — 298 MXN ($15.5) one way, including transportation of the driver himself. Rates are lower for residents of the state of Quintana Roo. Transportation of passengers traveling with the vehicle is paid separately.
Transportation can only be paid at the terminal's ticket offices and only in cash.
More than one company, Ultramar Carga from offers only freight transport services from Punta Sam to Isla Mujeres. The company's ferries operate 7 times a day on weekdays, five times — on Saturdays and 4 times — on Sundays starting at 6:30 am.
The cost of transporting a motorcycle on the Ultramar Carga ferry reaches 125 MXN ($6.5), a car up to 4 meters long — 295 MXN ($15.4) one way, including driver. For transportation of each adult passenger — a non-resident of the state of Quintana Roo will have to pay another MXN 150 for a child — 100 MXN. For residents of the state of Quintana Roo, fares for the transportation of passengers traveling with a car are lower — 50 MXN and 30 MXN, respectively. Tickets can be purchased at the terminal box office, including with a bank card.
The current schedule and tariffs for freight transportation from Punta Sam can be found on the Ultramar Carga company website: schedule.