Isla Mujeres Transportation

Car rentals are cheaper than golf carts in the Cancun at about $45/day for a cheaper model (incl insurance). We thought about renting a car and taking it over in the car ferry but decided we didn't really need one after all, however, when we did a day trip to Tulum we did rent a car instead of taking the tour bus. It was well worth it for four people and gave us a lot of freedom to go where we wanted when we wanted. We used America car rentals and were very satisfied. They picked us up at the ferry terminal and took us to the rental office for the car. Everything went without a hitch. The other car rental companies appeared to offer the same cars for around the same price too. I didn't go with Budget because they quoted a very low base price but didn't quote for the insurance saying that could be 'negotiated at the rental office'. I felt that the full insurance package was very important to have should anything go wrong.

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A lot of people rent electric/gas golf carts to get around Isla Mujeres. They come gassed up, are easy to park, and a lot of fun! They are not particularly cheap though, at 600-650 pesos for a 24 hour period. They advertise 450 pesos per day but it is only from 9 to 5. We usually have a 'golf cart day' once a week just for fun but otherwise it is cheaper to get around by taxi and you don't have to worry about drinking and driving. Apparently the police are starting to crack down on drivers drinking while driving golf carts, although it perfectly acceptable to have passengers with open beers! There are a lot of different rental companies, all about the same price. At Gomar's we were able to get a slightly larger cart with all four seats facing forward and there are also models with a decent sized luggage carrier on the back, but these will be slightly tougher to park.

Also for rental on the island are scooters for about 35 pesos a day.

One of the least expensive ways to get around Isla is by cab. You rarely have to call for one as the red taxi cabs drive around the island all the time and you can usually just flag one down (or they will honk and flag you down). If you are downtown (Centro) there is a cab stand by the ferry terminal that you should use. There is a tariff of fees the taxis can charge so you don't have to haggle or ask ahead of time like you do in Cancun. From Centro to Sac Bajo on the other side of the island it costs 70 pesos (about $6 USD at the moment).

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Since it is an island the best way to get there is by the very good ferry service. There are a couple of ferry terminals - Gran Puerto Cancun is nearest from the airport or hotel strip and Puerto Juarez is only a couple of blocks along the same road. Ferries run on the hour and half hour all day from 6:00 am to 8:30 pm then at 11:30 pm and 12:30 pm departing Puerto Juarez. The Gran Puerto Cancun terminal has the newest larger ferries (Ultramar) and you can sit on the top deck and look at the beautiful blue ocean if you want. Magana Express runs from the original Puerto Juarez. Both cost the same - 35 pesos and take 15-20 minutes to cross. If you have a car you will have to go the car ferry at Punta Sam for 185 pesos per crossing but the ferry only runs a few times a day and can apparently fill up.

We took the Ultramar from Playa Tortugue. It is easy to get to; just take the R1 or R2 bus. It’s on Kukukan on the northern side of the lagoon not far from the large flag. Unfortunately it is not shown on Google maps. I suggest just asking the bus driver to let you know where to get off.

We rented a golf cart for an hour and were able to make it to the south side of the island and back with 10 minutes to spare. We stopped for about five minutes at a road side stand on the east side of the island where they sold sea shells. They sold large ones for only 30 pesos. Not that I know anything about sea shells, but this seems like a bargain. Similar sea shells were being sold in town for 2995 pesos.

This is the ferry from Gran Puerto to Isla Mujeres. The same company runs ferries fro Playa del Carmen to Isla Cozumel. The fare in March of 2006 was 35 pesos one way, 70 pesos return, and runs every 30 minutes starting at 5:30am until 12:30am.

When you go to Isla Mujeres, then forget about the fast boat, eventhough almost everyone gets on it.
It's double price and you are stuck inside like sardines, with no chance to take photos.
The slow boat is cheap and allows you to take photos of the scenery.
And it's not that much slower any way.

To get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun you can take the Ultramar ferry from Puerto Juarez. Shuttles from the airport take you to the port, or you can take an R1 bus or taxi from the bus station for between 15 and 20 pesos. Ferry boat tickets are 70 pesos round trip. The ferries are comfortable, although you may not want to sit too far to the front if you're prone to sea sickness. The ride takes around 20-25 minutes each way. Our ferry experiences were fine, except for one time when a ferry came and dropped people off but didn't take any new passengers, meaning we had to wait about 30 minutes for the next ferry. If you have a plane or bus to catch, it's best to leave plenty of time in case a ferry doesn't show on time.