Cancun airport >> Cancun center (old Cancun)
As soon as you walk through the sliding glass doors of customs and you’ll feel the humidity in your lungs and be instantly bombarded by “You need taxis?” “Hotels, ladies?” “Pesos?” Just continue to walk outside straight past the Margaritaville tiki bar and buy your bus ticket. For $6USD/ $56 pesos (it’s cheaper to use the pesos if you have them) and climb into the air conditioned ADO bus. You can also get to Playa del Carmen on this bus for around $10USD.
Once you’re at the Cancun bus station — the Yucatan is your oyster. If you’re just wanting to get to Isla Mujeres see below. But this is the hub for buses in Cancun — Tulum, Merida, Valladolid, wherever you’re trying to get, this is where you catch the bus.
And http://www.ticketbus.com.mx is a fantastic source for timing your travels and finding prices and timetables for buses throughout Mexico.
Cancún >> Isla Mujeres >> Cancún
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.
Colectivos will have their destinations listed on the front and back windshields.
And rest assured, colectivos are not just a cheap ride – it’s an experience to enjoy.
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 roundtrip ($70 pesos each way, depending on the company you choose). The boats leave every half hour starting at 5 am until close to midnight.
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!
| Monday-Saturday | Sunday | :::: | Monday-Saturday | Sunday |
| 07:15h | 09:15h | :::: | 06:00h | 08:00h |
| 11:00h | 13:30h | :::: | 09:30h | 12:00h |
| 14:45h | 17:20h | :::: | 12:45h | 16:15h |
| 17:30h | 20:15h | :::: | 16:15h | 19:15h |
| 20:15h | :::: | 19:15h |
The ferries between Puerto Juarez and Isla Mujeres leave every half hour starting at 5am until close to midnight.
Cancún >> Isla Holbox
The ferry to Isla Holbox.
On the map it looks as though it should take 2 hours to get to Chiquila (the port town for Isla Holbox); in fact, it takes nearly double that – depending on the day of the week. Second class buses leave the Cancun bus station at 7:50 am and 12:40 pm daily and cost $80 pesos ($6.40 usd).
A new highway has sped up the process a bit, but the ride is a good excuse to take a nap or take in the local towns and villages along the way — thatched-roof cabañas with television satellite dishes affixed to the sides, an intriguing juxtaposition.
And, if your appetite starts to poke, your driver may be like ours and take rest stops at the roadside stands of coconut ice cream, strawberries and cream or the like along the way.
Once you’ve arrived in Chiquila the ferry to Isla Holbox is straight down the pier in front of where the bus dropped you. It’s best to get straight there because the ferries tend to leave promptly after the bus arrives.
| 06:00h | 12:00h | 17:00h | :::: | 05:00h | 12:00h | 17:00h** |
| 08:00h | 13:00h | 18:00h** | :::: | 07:00h | 13:00h | 18:00h |
| 10:00h | 14:00 | 19:00h | :::: | 09:00h | 15:00h | |
| 11:00h | 16:00h | :::: | 11:00h | 16:00h |
**Friday, Saturday, Sunday only**
Cancun >> Tulum
Getting from Tulum to Cancun is pretty straight forward, a straight shot north on the highway. You can catch a first or second class bus from Tulum’s main station. The bus will run somewhere around $8-10usd depending on class.
But you can also hop in a colectivo. The vans that stuff as many people as possible in them and drive as fast as possible to each location. You’ll likely stop in Playa del Carmen and have to make a change to the Cancun colectivo, but it should be pretty straight forward. The colectivos will likely run less than half the cost of the bus so it’s your best bet, even if it’s not the most comfortable one — it’s an easy ride.
NOTE: When negotiating prices in colectivos, its best to pay attention and see what others are being charged. It’s common to be charged a bit more if you have a backpack, since the extra luggage may cost them an extra fare. Just be alert and aware and you should have no problem getting a fair price.
Take me to SLEEPING: CANCUN
Take me back to CANCÚN // Take me back to MEXICO // Take me HOME