Cancún >> Isla Mujeres >> Cancún

Top deck of the Punta Sam ferry.

 From Cancun you can get to Isla Mujeres and back for under $9usd, and have fun doing it.

Xavi and I were crammed into the corner as more bodies piled on.

Most anywhere you are in Cancun you will see old passenger vans with destinations written across the windshield and Mexican workers and families spilling out of the windows and doors. These are the colectivos and they will save you a fortune.

While it will cost you up to $5usd to catch a taxi from the Cancun bus station to Punta Sam (the port of call for the cheapest Isla Mujeres ferry), a colectivo van will cost you just $.80usd and $.50usd to get to Puerto Juarez. And rest assured, colectivos are not just a cheap ride – it’s an experience to enjoy.

Colectivos will have their destinations listed on the front and back windshields.

So wave down a colectivo outside the main bus station that has Pto. Juarez, Pta. Sam and Crucero written across the windshield and hold on – the handles are there for a reason and the door that is perpetually open could prove to be a hazard around some of the curves. The drivers tend to speed down the straightaways in order to beat the competition to the next group of passengers waiting along the side of the road.

There are three ports with ferries to Isla Mujeres – The two in Puerto Juarez will cost you $11usd ($140 pesos) roundtrip. The boats leave every half hour starting early in the morning until close to 11 pm.

In Punta Sam (2 pesos more in the colectivo and approximately 3 miles farther up the road from Puerto Juarez) you can take the ferry for half that price ($7usd roundtrip). Depending on the ferry there may or may not be an air-conditioned passenger cabin on top and depending on the amount of trucks and cars the ferry is carrying, the ride can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

Once you arrive on the island, the center and recommended area is to the left once you exit the parking lot. Bienvenido a Isla Mujeres!

The ferries between Puerto Juarez and Isla Mujeres leave every half hour from early in the morning until close to 11pm.

 Take me to SLEEPING: ISLA MUJERES

Take me back to the top // Take me back to ISLA MUJERES