4 Best Isla Mujeres Day Trips from Playa del Carmen

Isla Mujeres is one of the most popular destinations for tourists visiting the Riviera Maya, especially since Playa Norte was voted one of the ten best beaches in the world. With easy access from almost anywhere on the Quintana Roo coast facing the Mexican Caribbean, Isla Mujeres is a destination you can't miss on your visit to Playa del Carmen.

In addition to its beaches, Isla Mujeres is also an ideal place to practise water sports, enjoy the best snorkelling experiences, visit coral reefs and go scuba diving. Below, I will tell you about the best excursions you can take from Playa del Carmen to Isla Mujeres.

This is one of the most popular excursions from Playa del Carmen to Isla Mujeres. Normally, you will be picked up at your hotel and driven to the port.

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

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

Some tours also include admission to the Isla Mujeres Sculpture Park, located at the southern tip of the island, which has a viewpoint 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, depending on the tour, lunch and an open bar, both on the catamaran and at the private beach club, as well as snorkelling and surface diving equipment.

Details of interest

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

This is an ideal excursion to discover Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy, located north of Mujeres and renowned for its nature reserve and the coral reefs that surround its coastline.

On a tour like this, you can explore the Caribbean Sea by catamaran and go snorkelling. These excursions usually also include a stop for shopping in the centre of Isla Mujeres.

Some excursions include lunch, an open bar and snorkelling and surface diving equipment, as well as the assistance of an expert local guide who will point out the main points of interest along the Riviera Maya coast and the island of Cozumel.

Some tours include hotel pick-up, but please note that the price does not include the Isla Mujeres port tax, which costs approximately £15 per person.

Important details

• Price of the excursion... Starting at £138 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 port fee, which is around £15.
• Duration of the excursion... Approximately 8 hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... It is a great option for discovering Contoy Island and all its natural flora and fauna.

On these tours, you will discover Garrafón Park, one of the most renowned activity parks in the Riviera Maya, located in the cliff area of the southern tip of Isla Mujeres.

In this park, you can enjoy water sports, access natural pools, go snorkelling, and eat at some of the restaurants on the premises.

These excursions 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.

For an additional cost, you can also access snorkelling and surface diving equipment and kayaks. You can also go zip-lining in Garrafón Park.

This is an ideal excursion if you want to visit a theme park but don't have time to visit Xcaret from Playa del Carmen or take a trip to the cenotes and would prefer to visit Garrafón and discover Isla Mujeres, one of the most beautiful islands in the Mexican Caribbean.

Details of interest

• Price of the excursion... Starting at £109 per person, including hotel pick-up, entrance to Garrafón Park and lunch with unlimited drinks. The price does not include the island port fee, which is around £15.
• Duration of the excursion... Approximately 10 hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... You will discover 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 to Isla Mujeres on a private boat exclusively for your group.

The boat usually makes a stopover for snorkelling on the coral reefs, a very interesting experience where you can see parrotfish, lobsters, turtles and barracudas.

On Isla Mujeres, you will have access to an exclusive beach club with an open bar, restaurants for lunch and proximity to the centre of the island in case you want to go shopping or visit Playa Norte, 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 the permanent assistance of the boat crew and an expert local guide, snorkelling equipment to enjoy the coral reefs at the halfway point, and entry to the private beach club.

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

Details of interest

• Price of the excursion... Starting at £142 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 port fee, which is around £15.
• Duration of the excursion... Depending on the excursion booked, it can last between four and eight hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... You can enjoy a pleasant experience without having to worry about the organisation, as everything will be taken care of by the boat 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' agencies once you arrive in the city.

If you are travelling during high season, I recommend that you plan your itinerary in advance and make your reservations to avoid problems and disappointment due to sold-out tours.

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

If you go on half-day excursions, it is best to do them in the morning so 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 you can make the most of the afternoon.

Also keep in mind that half-day excursions usually include little free time to explore the island, and that on visits to Mujeres, discovering the place on your own can be one of the best activities.

On the other hand, full-day excursions give you more freedom to explore the island on your own and include more activities, although they can also take up a lot of time if you only plan to stay in Playa del Carmen for a few days.

In my opinion, it's not worth missing a trip to Chichén Itzá or a visit to the ruins of Tulum to spend too much time on Isla Mujeres. In that case, a half-day tour would be a better option.

On an excursion to Isla Mujeres, you will be able to explore the island by visiting Playa Norte, which was voted one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world, Garrafón Park, a very interesting theme park located at the southern tip of the island, as well as its private beach clubs and the centre of the island, which has a large shopping centre and is generally used by tourists to buy local souvenirs and gifts.

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

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

If you are travelling to the Riviera Maya during the high season, which runs from July to August, I recommend booking your excursions in advance to avoid delays and excessive prices when buying tours at the last minute.

You should follow the same advice if you visit Playa del Carmen during April and May, which are usually very hot months with large numbers of tourists.

It is also a good idea to plan an itinerary that includes all the activities you want to do on the Yucatan Peninsula and, once you have your itinerary ready, include Isla Mujeres in your visit, as this will determine whether you have time for a day trip or 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 spending the afternoon on a guided tour of the city or attending the Cirque du Soleil in Playa del Carmen

In this case, the answer will depend on the duration of the excursion and the activities included. The most economical option, and the best value for money, is the catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres, which starts at £47.

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

Please note that the price of the excursions does not include the port tax, which is paid upon arrival on the island and costs approximately £15.

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, considered one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world. If you choose the tour that includes a visit to Garrafón Park, you will have access to one of the most complete theme parks in the Riviera Maya, without having 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 surface diving.

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

As it is a protected area, visiting Isla Mujeres on your own is practically impossible, so you will need to book an excursion and hire a guide to visit, regardless of which 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 outstanding marine species, so the presence of an expert local guide will undoubtedly enrich your experience.

If you choose to take a private excursion, the boat crew and, if available, the expert local guidewill provide you with information about the trip, the natural areas and the best places to visit on Isla Mujeres .