Isla Mujeres Day Trips from Playa del Carmen

Isla Mujeres is one of the most popular destinations for tourists coming to the Riviera Maya, especially since Playa Norte was chosen as one of the ten best beaches in the world. Easily accessible from almost anywhere along the Quintana Roo coastline overlooking the Mexican Caribbean, Isla Mujeres is a destination not to be missed on your visit to Playa del Carmen.

Besides its beaches, Isla Mujeres is also an ideal place to practice nautical sports, live the best snorkelling experiences, visit coral reefs and go scuba diving. Here are the best excursions you can choose from Playa del Carmen to Isla Mujeres.

This is one of the most common excursions from Playa del Carmen to Isla Mujeres. Normally, they will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the port.

From there you travel by catamaran to Isla Mujeres, first passing a coral reef where you can snorkel and scuba dive.

Once on Isla Mujeres, you'll have time to explore the site at your own pace, shop in the centre of the island, which has a tourist-friendly shopping centre, and then, depending on the tour operator, you'll be taken to a private beach club or to see some of the island's most beautiful beaches, such as Playa Norte.

Some tours also include the entrance to the Isla Mujeres Sculpture Space, which is located on the southern tip of the island and has a lookout point from which you can contemplate the immensity and crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean.

These tours include the permanent assistance of an expert local guide and also, as the case may be, lunch and open bar, both on the catamaran and at the private beach club, as well as snorkelling and scuba diving equipment.

Details of interest

• Price of the excursion... Starts at 47 euros per person with hotel pick-up and expert local guide. Some excursions may also include lunch and open bar. The price does not include the island's port fee, which is around 15 euros.
• Duration of the excursion... Approximately 10 hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... It is an excellent option in terms of price and quality.

This is an ideal excursion to get to know Isla Mujeres and also Isla Contoy, which is located to the north of Mujeres and stands out for its Natural Reserve and the coral reefs that surround its coasts.

On a tour of this type you can explore the Caribbean Sea by catamaran and snorkel. These excursions usually include a shopping stop in the centre of Isla Mujeres.

Some tours include lunch, an open bar, snorkelling and snorkelling equipment, as well as the assistance of an expert local guide who will point out the main spots along the Riviera Maya coastline and Cozumel Island.

In some cases these tours include hotel pick-up, but please note that the price does not include the Isla Mujeres port tax, which costs approximately fifteen euros per person.

Details of interest

• Price of the excursion... Starts at 138 euros per person with hotel pick-up, expert local guide, snorkelling and diving equipment and lunch with open bar. The price does not include the island's port fee which is around fifteen euros.
• Duration of the excursion... Approximately 8 hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... It is a good option to get to know Isla Contoy and all its natural flora and fauna.

On these tours you can visit Garrafón Park, one of the most renowned activity parks in the Riviera Maya, located in the cliffs of the southern tip of Isla Mujeres.

In this park you can do water sports, access natural pools, snorkel and eat at some of the restaurants on the property.

These tours usually include hotel pick-up and transfer to the port, from where a ferry takes you to Isla Mujeres. These tours usually include lunch and an open bar.

Snorkelling, scuba diving and kayaking equipment are also available at an extra cost. At Garrafon Park you can also go zip lining.

This is an ideal excursion for you if you feel like visiting a theme park but don't have time to visit Xcaret from Playa del Carmen or to do a trip to the cenotes and you prefer to visit Garrafon and at the same time visit Isla Mujeres, one of the most beautiful islands in the Mexican Caribbean.

Details of interest

• Price of the excursion... Starts at 109 euros per person with hotel pick up, entrance to Garrafon Park and lunch with open bar. The price does not include the island's port fee which is around fifteen euros.
• Duration of the excursion... Approximately 10 hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... You will get to know one of the best parks in the Riviera Maya.
• Disadvantages of this excursion... You may have little time to explore the island on your own.

If you are travelling in a large group or with friends, this may be the ideal option for you, as you will be able to travel on a private boat exclusively for your group to Isla Mujeres.

The boat usually makes an intermediate stop to snorkel in the coral reefs, a very interesting experience where you can see parrot fish, lobsters, turtles and barracudas.

On Isla Mujeres you will have access to an exclusive beach club where you will have an open bar, restaurants for lunch and close proximity to the centre of the island in case you want to shop or visit the North Beach, one of the treasures of the Mexican Caribbean.

The duration of these excursions depends on the tour you book, but they usually last half a day or a full day.

In all cases these excursions usually include round-the-clock assistance from the boat crew and an expert local guide, snorkelling equipment to enjoy the coral reefs at the intermediate stop and entrance to the private beach club.

On this tour you can see from the Caribbean Sea to Cancun Bay as well as the shores of Cozumel.

Details of interest

• Price of the tour... Starts at 142 euros per person for groups of four visitors, including entrance to the beach club, snorkelling equipment and local guide assistance. The price does not include the island's port fee which is around fifteen euros.
• Duration of the excursion... Depending on the excursion booked it can last between four and eight hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... You will be able to enjoy a pleasant experience in which you will not have to worry about the organisation because everything will be left in the hands of the boat's crew.
• Disadvantages of this excursion... It can be an expensive option if you are not a large group.

Reservations for an excursion to Isla Mujeres from Playa del Carmen can be made in advance online or at local tour operators as soon as you are in town.

If you are travelling in high season, it is advisable to have an itinerary organised in advance and reservations already made to avoid problems and being left out of the tours because they are sold out.

Also bear in mind that excursions usually last a half or full day. Plan how many hours you want to spend on Isla Mujeres and on that basis choose the ideal excursion for you.

If you do half-day excursions, ideally you should do them in the morning so that you can make the most of the afternoon with a buggy tour of Playa del Carmen.

The answer depends on the tour you choose, but they usually last between four and ten hours.

Half-day excursions are usually interesting if you have other plans in Playa del Carmen, but ideally you should do them in the morning so that you can make the most of the afternoon.

Also note that half-day excursions tend to include little free time to explore the island and that on visits to Mujeres, discovering the site on your own can be one of the best activities.

Day trips, on the other hand, give you more freedom to explore the island on your own and include more activities, but can also take up a lot of time if you plan to spend only a few days in Playa del Carmen.

In my opinion, it's not worth losing an excursion to Chichen Itza or a visit to the Tulum Ruins to spend too much time on Isla Mujeres. In that case a half-day tour would be better.

On an excursion to Isla Mujeres you will get to know the island by visiting Playa Norte, which was chosen as one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world, Garrafon Park, a very interesting theme park located on the southern tip of the island and also its private beach clubs and the centre of the island, which has a large shopping centre and is usually used by tourists to buy local gifts and presents.

Depending on the excursion, you can also visit Isla Contoy, which lies to the north of Isla Mujeres and is a pleasant surprise in the Mexican Caribbean, with extensive flora and fauna including a protected area and coral reefs that act as a refuge for native species.

If you are up for it, snorkelling in the territorial waters of Contoy is one of the most spectacular experiences the island has to offer.

If you're travelling to the Riviera Maya during the high season, which runs through July and August, I advise you to book excursions in advance to avoid delays and excessive prices by buying tours at the last minute.

The same advice should be followed if you visit Playa del Carmen during April and May, which tend to be very hot and crowded with tourists.

It is also ideal that you organise an itinerary to include all the activities you want to do in the Yucatan Peninsula and once you have the itinerary ready, include it in your visit to Isla Mujeres, as it will depend on whether you have time for a one-day excursion or you should opt for a shorter half-day option.

If you take a four-hour excursion in the morning, you can make the most of your visit by using the afternoon to take a guided tour of the city or attend the Cirque du Soleil in Playa del Carmen

In this case the answer will depend on the length of the excursion and also on the activities included. The cheapest option, and the one with the best value for money, is the catamaran excursion to Isla Mujeres, which starts at 47 euros.

On the other hand, the most expensive option is the private tour to Isla Mujeres by exclusive boat, but the final price of this excursion will depend on the number of people in the group. Considering a group of four visitors, the tour costs 142 euros per person.

Please note that the price of the excursions does not include the port tax, which is paid on arrival at the island and costs approximately fifteen euros.

Isla Mujeres is one of the most picturesque places in the Mexican Caribbean and given its proximity to the coast of Quintana Roo it is well worth a visit.

You can also visit Playa Norte, which is considered one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world. If you choose the tour that includes a visit to Garrafon Park, you will have access to one of the most complete theme parks in the Riviera Maya, without the need to travel to Xcaret.

The coral reefs of the Mexican Caribbean are some of the most complete in the world, with a large number of species that you can swim with and see while snorkelling and scuba diving.

It is also advisable to take an organised excursion to Isla Mujeres because it is very difficult to enter on your own, as the whole of the Caribbean Sea is a protected area.

As it is a protected area, it is practically impossible to visit Isla Mujeres on your own, so you will need to hire an excursion and have a guided tour to visit it, regardless of the excursion you choose.

On the other hand, the area is home to some of the best coral reefs in the world and some of the most remarkable marine species, so the presence of an expert local guide will certainly enrich your experience.

If you choose to go on a private excursion, information about the trip, the natural areas and the best sites in Isla Mujeres will be provided by the boat crew and, if available, by the local expert guide.