Isla Mujeres is a popular day trip destination from Cancun. There are many organized tours based in the hotel zone that will usually include transportation, lunch, open bar and snorkeling. If you want to get there on your own, take a water shuttle out of the Playa Tortugas Terminal. You can also take a ferry from Puerto Juarez or water taxis from the Playa Linda Marine terminal and Playa Caracol.
Once on the island, you will be swept away by its beaches and underwater vistas. One of the best snorkeling spots in the world can be found in El Garrafón Park, located on the southern tip of the island. El Garrafón Park is named for a section of the reef formation, which happens to be part of the longest reef in this hemisphere. The shallow waters of Garrafón make it ideal for swimming and snorkeling.
One of the best beaches in the Caribbean is Playa Norte. It's also one of the most crowded. There are numerous restaurants and bars here that will deliver a drink to your towel or beach chair with a simple waive of your hand. It's a popular spot to see and be seen.
The small island is only five miles long and half a mile wide with a downtown district if ten square blocks. The terrain is flat with beaches on all sides. It offers many of the same attractions as the other cities of Cancun (dolphin encounter, sea turtles, snorkeling, diving, etc.) However it does offer some unique draws.
The Maya lighthouse, located on the southern end of the island is an ancient Mayan structure. It rises up from steep, jagged rocks high above the ocean surf. Situated just below are Ixchel's temple lords staring out over a breathtaking blue sea. The structure combined with the vistas is a potent combination.
Another notable site is the Hacienda Mundaca. Built by the pirate Fermin Mundaca, it once covered almost 40% of the island. The hacienda is surrounded by magnificent gardens including the solar clock garden called 'The Rose of the Winds'. Mundaca dedicated this hacienda to a local maiden 'La Triguena' (the brunette), who was 37 years his junior. The arches above the gates were called 'The Entrance of the Triguena' or 'The Pass of the Triguena'. However, his dedication to her was in vain for she married another who was her own age. To this day, his empty tomb still awaits him in the Isla Mujeres cemetery. Mundaca's own hands carved the skull and cross with his final message for La Triguena, 'As you are, I was. As I am, you will be'.
The origin of Isla Mujeres' name is unclear. Some say it is derived from the Spanish explorer Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who arrived on the island to find only women and stone statuettes of women, hence the name Isla Mujeres or Island of Women. Others believe the name comes from the fact that the island was once the worshipping ground for Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of fertility.
From the Cancun take a taxi or get on the `Ruta 13' bus, which will drop you off at Puerto Juárez. From the International Airport take an airport van to Puerto Juárez (15 minutes north of downtown) Express boats leave every half hour the crossing takes 15 minutes. The `People Ferry' still runs several times a day (takes 45 minutes.)
Hours: Express Boats: Mon-Sun. 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (leaving every half hour and once at 11:30 p.m.) Car Ferry Departs: Mon-Sun. 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Dolphin Swim: Mon-Sun. 9:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Dolphin Encounter: Mon-Sun. 12:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m.
Admission/Entrance Fees:
Express boats to the island - 35 pesos People Ferry - 10 pesos Dolphin Swim - Adults and children 8 and up $119.00 per person. Dolphin Encounter - Adults $59.00, Children 5-11 $49.00.
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