This tiny island offers plenty of wonderful beaches, delicious food, and great activities. Read on to plan our 2-day trip to Isla Mujeres!
Isla Mujeres is a popular destination for people visiting the Cancun area because it is a slightly more secluded, low-key spot with outstanding clear waters and a beautiful beach.
The island does offer more than just its beach to its visitors. Here I offer some information which you can use to plan your next trip to Isla Mujeres.
Table of Contents
Background info on Isla Mujeres
Why is it called “Isla Mujeres”? Before the arrival of the Spaniards into Mexico, Isla Mujeres was a sacred island for the Mayans were they honored Maya goddess of medicine and childbirth Ixchel. Once the Spanish arrived to the Island, they named it “Isla Mujeres” (literal translation: Women Island) since they saw many female images.
Is Isla Mujeres touristy? Absolutely. Although Isla Mujeres doesn’t get the same number of visitors as Cancun, it is one of the most visited spots in this region.
If you’re looking for a small beach town with fewer people, Isla Mujeres may not be for you. You may be better off looking for a place like Celestun or even Progreso near Merida, if you’re willing to go the extra mile.
Travel with Iván
Visiting the beach
By far, the primary reason people visit Isla Mujeres is because of its main beach, Playa Norte. If you read my articles, you will know I am not much of a beach person myself. However, I like to give credit when credit is due. This is a beautiful beach 🙂
The good about the beach at Isla Mujeres: It is a gorgeous beach, with a good amount of sand and with lots of transparent, swallow water. This will make it feel like you’re at a 2′-4′ pool.
The bad: Playa Norte will get a bit crowded at peak hours. You will see some boats coming from outside of Isla Mujeres brining tourists to hang out and swim.
The ugly: The island does get quite a bit of visitors. You will get the Cancun crowds that do day trips, so you’ll get peak hours between 11am-4pm. So for a day trip, you’ll likely get the worst part of the crowds 😔
If you’re not staying at a hotel, you’ll have to pay a small fee to use the umbrella + lounger. It is totally worth it, as the sun hits hard.
My tip: Get to the beach early to beat the crowds. You’ll get a nearly empty beach, while you’re enjoying the cooler temperatures. If you want to lounge at the beach the whole day, you most definitely need to rent the lounger space–it will be totally worth it 👍
Exploring the island
So if you’re like me, you’ll want to explore the island beyond its beach 😉. Hey, it’s ok if you want to hang out at the beach all day, too!
To explore what the whole island has to offer, you’ll be best suited to do so by renting a golf cart (~$50USD for the entire day). We rented a car for a single day, and were able to cover a lot of ground.
The spots I recommend visiting on your trip to Isla Mujeres beyond the beach are the following:
- Punta Sur: Archaeological site & amazing sunrise
- Kin Ha / Parque de Los Sueños: Park with kayaking, paddle boards, water slides, fresh water pools, rope swings, and snorkeling
- Tortugranja (Turtle-farm): Think of it as a turtle zoo where you’ll get to see different types of turtles
Punta Sur
Punta Sur is the south point of the island. Here you will find the temple to the Mayan goddess Ixchel, as well as one of the most impressive sunrises in Mexico.
It is in this spot where you will get to see one of the first sights of the sun rising in all of Mexico, given its far east location when compared with the rest of the country. You get to start your day ahead of the entire country in this spot!
From the hotel, it was about a 15-20min ride on the golf cart to make it to Punta Sur from the north part of the island. Plan accordingly!
The infamous Mayan religious activity is known worldwide. Isla Mujeres captures a small part of that history to help complement your island adventure.
The Ixchel plaque below reads: “She was the main Mayan goddess of the rainbow, the water of fertility, abundance, the moon, love and medicine.“
It is likely that the Spaniards saw many images like this one when they arrived to the island! Hence the name Isla Mujeres.
Walking beyond the temple, there’s a path that takes you to near water level. It’s a great experience to stand so close to the waves crashing on the island.
North of the island
In the north of the island you’ll find the ferry station, most hotels, main street with restaurants and shops, and its famous beach Playa Norte. This is where most visitors spend their time when they visit Isla Mujeres.
It is likely that if you’re staying in this area you’ll be within walking distance to street food, restaurants, and shopping.
The rest of the island
Between the north tip and the south tip is where you will find other restaurants, the Tortugranja, and the activities & water park Kin Ha. We opted to stay on the beach instead of going to the activities park, so I’m not able to offer much advice there, but it is certainly an option to consider on your trip to Isla Mujeres.
Since we travel with our younger daughter, and because I’m also a fan of turtles (see my Reefs in Cozumel article!), we opted to visit the turtle farm: Tortugranja. I didn’t have many expectations going in, so I have to say it was a good visit.
There were several types of turtles, and you can buy turtle food to feed them.
Swimming with whale sharks
If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can try swimming with whale sharks June through September! Scuba diving is not allowed near these magnificent, endangered animals though.
Near the island of Isla Mujeres, whale sharks make a visit during late summer. These wonderful giants are vegetarian sharks that swim to the surface to enjoy the taste plankton they find in this area.
The whale sharks are protected and visitors are not allowed to touch them. You can read more about these beautiful creatures in the CH’OOJ AJAUIL AC home page. This group is devoted to ensure a healthy and sustainable future for an area of marine biodiversity in the north of Quintana Roo, Mexico.
I was lucky enough to dive with Rafael de la Parra, a whale shark marine biologist who is part of CH’OOJ AJAUIL AC. He understands these animals, and ensures they’re properly protected. He and his wife Beatriz have been like family to me when I visit the area!
Off the beaten path: Hacienda Mundaca
Hacienda Mundaca is an interesting, off the beaten path stop. It is an hacienda dating back to the 19th century built by Fermin Mundaca, a pirate of the era! It includes arches, gardens, and some structures.
Legend tells that Mundaca built the hacienda in hopes of marring a local girl he fell in love with. She ended up rejecting him, and he died of a broken heart 💔
Mundaca is actually buried in the town cemetery!
The photos above are courtesy of Liz Walser.
Logistics
We drove to Puerto Juarez Ferry Terminal and parked our car at one of the nearby parking spots. You can park at the terminal itself, but it is a bit more expensive. We parked at the lot just next to it.
Once you get off at the ferry terminal at Isla Mujeres, we simply walked to our hotel. You can optionally get a ride. There’s car and golf cart traffic in this island, which makes for an interesting sight.
We stayed at Hotel Secreto. It took us about 15-18min walking to reach it from the ferry station. The hotel staff helped us rent the golf cart, and it was brought right to our hotel door. This was the same drop-off spot for the golf cart as well.
Playa Norte was a few minutes walking, so it was a very reasonable distance. The main street with all the restaurants and shops were also well within walking distance. I definitely recommend this hotel!
One nice perk we found at Isla Mujeres was the fact that we found mobile COVID test stations a few meters away from the ferry station.
We definitely had a lot of fun during our our 2-day trip to Isla Mujeres. I would love to hear from you! Let me know if this post was helpful to you, or if you have any other questions I could help you with.
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Hi, I’m Iván García—I love to travel and photography. I’m big on road trips, just about anywhere in the world. I share information for people to reach truly great places. My goal is to inspire you to visit these places for yourself.
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