Compare · 3 min read
Isla Mujeres or Cozumel: Which to Visit From Cancún
Two islands in the Mexican Caribbean, two very different trips. How to get to each one and what each is best for, compared honestly.
By Alfonso G · Published
- Closer to Cancún
- Isla Mujeres: 20 to 30 minutes by ferry
- For diving
- Cozumel and its national reef park
- For a beach day
- Isla Mujeres and its calm, shallow water
- Maya history
- Both: Ixchel on Isla Mujeres, San Gervasio on Cozumel
Two islands, two trips
Isla Mujeres sits right across from Cancún: it is narrow and about 7 to 8 km from end to end. You can see it in a day without rushing.
Isla Mujeres fits in a day. Cozumel asks for the whole trip.
Cozumel is much bigger, about 48 km long, and lies off Playa del Carmen, some 19 km from the coast. From Cancún it is a full day trip, or a stay of several days.
Getting there
Ferries to Isla Mujeres leave from the Hotel Zone and from Puerto Juárez. Xcaret Xailing departs from El Embarcadero and puts the crossing at 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the sea. Ultramar departs from Puerto Juárez, Playa Tortugas and Playa Caracol.
For Cozumel, you first drive to Playa del Carmen, about an hour depending on traffic. From there the ferry crosses in about 40 to 45 minutes and arrives in San Miguel, the island's town.
Isla Mujeres: calm beach, close by
This is the island for an easy beach day. Playa Norte has white sand and calm, shallow water. At the other end is Punta Sur, with cliffs and the remains of the temple of Ixchel, and nearby is Garrafón, where you can snorkel straight from the shore.
Off its coast you will also find MUSA, the underwater sculpture museum.
Cozumel: the reef
Cozumel is a diving destination. Its southern reefs form the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, protected since 1996, a Ramsar site since 2005 and part of the Mesoamerican Reef System.
If your group has certified divers, that is the reason to go. If you only want snorkeling and beach, Isla Mujeres is closer.
Both have Maya history
Both islands honored Ixchel, the Maya goddess of the moon, fertility and medicine. At Punta Sur, on Isla Mujeres, the foundations of a small temple to her remain. On Cozumel there is San Gervasio, which INAH calls the most important of the more than thirty settlements recorded on the island.
Chroniclers wrote that pilgrims came to Cozumel from across the peninsula to visit the sanctuary of Ixchel.
Side by side
| Isla Mujeres | Cozumel | |
|---|---|---|
| From Cancún | Direct ferry, 20 to 30 min | Drive to Playa del Carmen, then a 40 to 45 min ferry |
| Size | About 7 to 8 km | About 48 km |
| Beach | Playa Norte, calm and shallow | White sand beaches along the coast |
| Underwater | Snorkeling at Garrafón and MUSA | Diving in the national reef park |
| History | Temple of Ixchel at Punta Sur | San Gervasio |
| Best for | A beach day, families, groups | Divers and multi-day trips |
Questions we get
- Which one is closer to Cancún?
- Isla Mujeres. The ferry crosses in about 20 to 30 minutes from the Hotel Zone or Puerto Juárez. For Cozumel you drive to Playa del Carmen and cross from there.
- Which is better for diving?
- Cozumel. Its southern reefs are a national park and part of the Mesoamerican Reef System. For easy snorkeling, Isla Mujeres works too.
- Can we visit both on one trip?
- Yes, but on different days: each one takes a full day from Cancún.
