Are you wondering how to get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun? Then you’re in the right place. Over the past five years, I’ve made this trip almost a dozen times. I know all the options, which ones are the easiest, which ones are the cheapest, and which ones you should avoid at all costs. Let’s get started!
My Personal Experience
I’ll dive into each option in detail below. However, to give you a quick summary of the situation: if you’re going from Cancun Airport to Isla Mujeres, I advise you to either take the ADO bus to downtown Cancun and then a taxi to Puerto Juarez (cheapest), or book a private shuttle in advance (most convenient). I don’t like haggling with the taxi drivers at Cancun airport since they overcharge.
If you’re in downtown Cancun already, just take a taxi to Puerto Juarez. If you’re in the hotel zone, take the ferry from Playa Tortugas or Playa Caracol. All the ferries are operated by Ultramar and will cost you around $15 USD for a one-way trip.
How to Get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun Airport
If you’re wondering how to get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun, there’s a big chance you want to get there directly from the airport. Now, if this is your first time, there are three noteworthy steps you need to take in order to make your way to this slice of Mexican paradise. Let’s get started:
Step 1: Getting from Cancun Airport to the Ferry Terminal
Once you make your way out of the baggage area of the airport, you’ll be met with many people who will try to sell you some form of transportation. In order to minimize stress, I advise you to make sure you know exactly what to do before entering this area. Because if salespeople at the airport see you’re not sure, they’ll become louder and louder.
Option 1 (Cheapest): Take an ADO bus to downtown Cancun.
This is my personal favorite way of doing things. When you exit your terminal, you’ll need to find an ADO bus stand (they’re red with white letters). The location of this stand depends on the terminal. In terminals 2 and 3, the ADO booths are inside the building next to many official taxi stands and just before you exit the terminal to the main ground area.
If you exit from Terminal 4, then you’ll need to exit the terminal to the main ground area. The buses are parked on the right side, and there’s a tiny ADO booth right next to them where you can buy your tickets. This will cost between $150 – $200 pesos ($8 – $10 USD) per person for a one-way ticket.
Alternatively, you can buy your ticket online via their official website, and just go to the main bus area that’s located right next to the terminal after exiting through the main exit.
Buses to Cancun downtown depart every hour, and the ride itself will take 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. Operating hours are between 08:00 AM and 11:00 PM
Once you arrive at the bus station, you’ll need to take a taxi to Puerto Juarez. Pro tip: There are ATMs at the bus station, so this is a good opportunity to get your first pesos. I prefer the Santander ATM because they only charge around 30 pesos to withdraw money, whereas some other banks charge 100 pesos or more.
After you get your cash, ask one of the taxi drivers to take you to Puerto Juarez. Depending on the mood of the taxi drivers, they’ll charge you 150 – 200 pesos. Anything above that is a rip-off. Pro tip: if your Spanish is decent, try to do this in Spanish because we’ve noticed they tend to charge you less 🙂
The taxi ride to Puerto Juarez will take 10 minutes. Congratulations, you made it to the ferry!
Option 2 (Most convenient): get a private transfer from Cancun Airport
If you have a lot of luggage or don’t want to worry about anything, I think your best option is booking a private transfer beforehand. This way, you won’t have to worry about all the taxi drivers yelling at you when you exit the terminal, and you’ll only need to find your driver. You’ll also know what you pay beforehand, which lowers the stress of potentially getting ripped off.
I don’t have any recommendations here, just Google, and I’m sure you’ll find a reliable party. This should cost you around $45–$65 USD if you’re with 3 or fewer people. Anything above that and you’ll pay accordingly.
Option 3 (The biggest headache): Take a taxi from the Cancun airport
If you feel like stressing yourself out and overpaying, I definitely recommend taking a taxi at Cancun Airport (this is sarcasm, of course :)). Honestly, the taxi drivers here take whatever opportunity they can get to overcharge, and I definitely don’t think this is the best way to go about things.
Expect to pay the same as a private transfer ($45–$65 USD). If you’re being charged way more than that, consider taking the bus. Finding another taxi driver is often not an option, because taxi drivers keep an eye on each other, and undercutting your taxi driver friends isn’t appreciated.
Step 2: Taking the Ferry from Puerto Juárez to Isla Mujeres
One of the most relaxing parts in answering the question of “how to get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun” is taking the ferry from Puerto Juarez to Isla Mujeres. Reason being: there’s only one company that provides ferry trips from this location. Which means you’re not bombarded by salespeople.
Ultramar is the company we’re talking about. Enter the terminal and you’ll see a ticket office on your right side. You can either opt for the automated checkouts (sometimes, these do not work. Also, they only accept cards). If that doesn’t work for whatever reason, just stand in line to buy a ticket from the ladies at the desk. A one-way ticket for an adult will cost 290 pesos (around $15 USD). Click here for the official Ultramar prices.
Keep in mind: these ladies will try to upsell you on a round-trip ticket. If you’re going back and forth within the same couple of days, that’s not a problem. However, if you’re staying for a longer time (we usually stay for months on end) opt for a one-way ticket. There’s not really a discount for the round-trip ticket anyway.
Go stand in line for your ferry, and you’ll be on the next available one in no time. Ferries depart every 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the season and the time of day. During high season (Jan-Apr) they will depart way more frequently than other times of the year.
Also, ferries operate between 6 AM and 11 PM, but during the off-season, that will be closer to 6 AM and 8/9 PM. I recommend you Google “Ultramar schedule Puerto Juarez Isla Mujeres” to find the current schedule.
The boat trip itself is a joy. If you take the upper deck in the middle of the day during high season, there will be a musician who will play songs for you all the way to Isla Mujeres. If that’s too hot or too loud for you, you can sit inside on the lower deck where A/C is heavily used.
The total trip will take around 20 minutes. Heavy luggage can be stored on the lower deck before entering the inside area or the upper deck. When you arrive, you’ll learn that the terminal ferry is in the middle of the Northern part of the island, which is also the busiest part.
A lot of you will have a hotel booked here, and you’ll be able to walk there on foot. Otherwise, the taxi stand is 50 yards to your left after exiting the terminal. Alternatively, the bus stand is 50 yards to your right, which will cost $20 pesos ($1 USD) per person. However, they go infrequently and aren’t ideal if you have a lot of luggage.
How to Get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun Hotel Zone
If you’re staying in the Hotel Zone in Cancun, there are easier and more convenient ways to get to Isla Mujeres by ferry. In that case, you’ll most likely depart from Playa Tortugas or Playa Caracol. Let’s discuss them.
Ferry from Playa Tortugas
I’ve never personally taken this ferry, but I know that the terminal is at the beginning of the hotel zone. The exact location of the Ultramar terminal can be found by clicking here. I’m sure either a hotel shuttle or a taxi can take you there from your hotel. Also, Ultramar is the only one selling tickets here, so I would imagine it’s a calm atmosphere.
Ferries run every hour (again, check the schedule because it depends on the season). Prices are the same as in Puerto Juarez. The trip is around 30 minutes.
Ferry from Playa Caracol
Playa Caracol is a bit further into the hotel zone, but still pretty far up north. The trip costs the same as the other ones and will last around 20 minutes. Ferries here run hourly as well.
Ferry from El Embarcadero
The ferry that’s operated at El Embarcadero isn’t Ultramar. Instead, it’s operated by Xcaret. I have never been on their boats myself, so I can’t tell you a lot about the experience. What I can tell you is that the trip will take around 30 minutes and that prices are about the same as Ultramar.
Keep in mind that these ferries only operate hourly and only between the hours of 9 AM and 8 PM. You can find the exact schedule by clicking here.
How to Get to Isla Mujeres from Downtown Cancun
If you’re already in downtown Cancun and want to get to Isla Mujeres, I suggest just getting a taxi off the street. Depending on where you are, they’ll charge you 50 – 200 pesos for the trip. Pro tip: don’t get a taxi near the main taxi stand at the bus station, because they charge on the higher end.
There are collectivos (shared mini-vans that operate as local bus lines) driving around as well, but I would be lying if I told you I knew a way to take one to Puerto Juarez, since information is not public.
Arriving on Isla Mujeres: What to Expect
As said, once you arrive in Isla Mujeres, you’ll immediately enter the busiest part of town. There are a couple of ways you can get to your hotel.
- Walk: if your hotel is in the city center, there’s a good chance a 5-minute walk will get you there.
- Taxis: if you want to take a taxi, go left when you exit the terminal and walk 50 yards. You’ll need to stand in line, but there are more than enough taxis. You’ll pay between 150 and 250 pesos ($8-12 USD) depending on where you’re going on the island. Anything substantially more is a rip-off. Taxi drivers do like to see how much they can get out of you, so be aware.
- Bus: When you exit the terminal, and you go 50 yards to the right, you’ll see a bus stop sign. Buses go infrequently during the day, but normally there’s a bus every 30 minutes. Buses stop going when it gets close to sunset. A one-way trip will cost you $20 pesos per person ($1 USD). If you want to get off the bus, just yell at the bus driver, and he’ll stop and let you off the bus. There’s not a lot of space to store luggage on the bus, and they do get crowded during commuting hours because a lot of locals take them.
- Renting a golf cart: convenient but expensive. You can do this beforehand online at any of the golf rentals that are on the island. You can also do it on the spot. Prices depend on the season, but they can go as high as $100 USD per day.
Can You Take A Car To Isla Mujeres
Yes, you can take a car to Isla Mujeres from Cancun. The main option for that is Ultracarga. You will leave from Punta Sam (click here for location) in Cancun. Keep in mind that you need to make a reservation for this, and that they only operate at specific hours. You can make a reservation via their website.
For prices and operating hours, click here. As you can see, this will cost you between $415 – $750 pesos one-way in most cases.
Parking on the island can be a problem, though. Make sure you figure this out with your hotel, as this is a small island and the city center doesn’t offer a lot of opportunity for this. If you’re staying in a hotel in the northern part of the island, I don’t recommend taking a car, as it will be more of a pain than a blessing.
FAQ
How do you get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun Airport?
The cheapest option is to find the ADO buses at terminals 2, 3, and 4 and have them take you to downtown Cancun. From there, you take a taxi to Puerto Juarez and then the ferry to Isla Mujeres.
What ferry terminal should I use to get to Isla Mujeres?
Puerto Juarez is the most popular option if you’re coming from downtown Cancun. If you’re in the hotel zone in Cancun, then the terminals at Playa Tortugas and Playa Caracol work best.
How much does the ferry to Isla Mujeres cost?
In most cases, you’ll pay $290 pesos ($15 USD) for a one-way ticket to Isla Mujeres.
How long is the ferry ride from Cancun to Isla Mujeres?
Depending on the terminal that you depart from, it will take 20-30 minutes to get to Isla Mujeres
Can you take an Uber to the Isla Mujeres ferry?
This depends, Ubers aren’t always available because they get harassed by local taxi drivers. Therefore, they avoid crowded places such as ferry terminals. Your best bet is to take a regular taxi.
What is the cheapest way to get to Isla Mujeres?
The ADO bus from Cancun airport and then the taxi to Puerto Juarez is the cheapest combination. In total, that will cost you around 300 – 400 pesos ($15 – $20 USD).
Do you need to book the Isla Mujeres ferry in advance?
No, you can buy tickets at the terminal, and most of the time there’s enough availability for everybody.
