Zamá / Journal / Day trip guide
Isla Mujeres by private boat.The day trip, done right.
Isla Mujeres sits 13 kilometres off Cancún — close enough to see from the hotel zone. Most people cross on the public ferry, in a queue, on someone else’s timetable. This is how to do it on your own boat: what the day looks like, what it costs, and what to bring.
The short answer
A private boat from Cancún to Isla Mujeres is a six-hour charter aboard a Sea Ray Sundancer for up to fifteen guests: you leave Marina Mundo Marino in the hotel zone at 10:00, cross in 35–45 minutes, snorkel the reef on the island’s northern approach, anchor in the shallows off Playa Norte, go ashore for lunch if you want to, and are back at the marina around 16:00. With Zamá it costs $1,150 for the boat — captain, crew, fuel, port fees, snorkel sets and 24 waters, 24 sodas and 24 beers included — which is about $77 a person for a group of fifteen, or $115 a person for ten. The only extra is the marina fee, 180 pesos, paid at the dock.
The public ferry costs around $15 return and takes half an hour, dock to dock. The difference is not the crossing. It is everything that happens once you are on the water.
Private boat vs the ferry
| Private charter | Public ferry |
|---|---|
| Leave when you want, from the hotel zone | Fixed departures from Puerto Juárez or Playa Tortugas |
| Stop at the reef, then anchor off the beach for hours | No stops — dock to dock |
| Drinks on ice and a crew who know the reef | Island bars at island prices |
| Your group of up to fifteen, nobody else | Forty or more people per crossing |
| The captain reads the sea and adapts the route | The return ferry decides when your day ends |
| $1,150 for the boat | About $15 a person, return |
For ten people the charter works out roughly $100 a head more than the ferry. For that you get six hours on your own boat, snorkel gear, the drinks, and a day shaped around your group. Most people who have done both call it the easiest $100 of the trip.
The crossing
From Marina Mundo Marino to the northern tip of Isla Mujeres takes 35–45 minutes on a Sundancer, depending on the sea. The route runs through the channel between the hotel zone and the open Caribbean. Mornings are usually calm; from early afternoon a 10–15 knot easterly trade wind tends to pick up, still comfortable but a different texture of crossing. In peak season (December to March) the morning water is often glass.
The captain chooses the approach on the day. That is one of the real differences from a fixed itinerary: if the reef is better on one side, that is where you go.
Where to snorkel
The reef around Isla Mujeres belongs to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest reef system in the world, and the snorkelling is the real thing rather than a tourist gesture.
The north reef — first stop
The boat anchors on a section of reef along the island’s northern approach where visibility regularly passes 15 metres. Parrotfish, angelfish and sergeant majors are the regulars; eagle rays cruise the sand when you are lucky. Depth is 3–6 metres, which suits every level, children included. Life vests and snorkel sets are on board for everyone.
The Playa Norte shallows
After the reef the yacht anchors just off Playa Norte in one to two metres of warm, clear water — the colour that makes people assume the photos are edited. This is where the middle of the day happens: swimming, floating, the swim platform, the sun pads.
On the island
You are not obliged to go ashore, but most groups do, and a private boat gives you the time to. The usual shape of the day: 45–60 minutes of snorkelling at the reef, an hour or two swimming off Playa Norte (regularly ranked among the best beaches in Mexico), lunch on the island — there are good seafood restaurants within walking distance of the main dock, and your captain will have a recommendation — then back to the boat for the afternoon.
If you want to see more, a golf cart ($15–20 an hour) circles the whole island in about 45 minutes: the eastern cliffs, the Punta Sur sculpture garden and the lighthouse are worth the detour. A captain’s tip that holds every season: go ashore for lunch between 12:30 and 13:30 — the best places fill by one o’clock in high season.
What to bring
- Reef-safe sunscreen. Ordinary sunscreen is banned around much of the reef; bring a mineral SPF or buy one in Cancún.
- A dry bag for phones and valuables while you snorkel.
- A change of clothes. You will be wet, and the return crossing is nicer dry.
- Seasickness tablets if you are prone to it — the crossing is short, but the afternoon can be choppy.
- Cash for the island. Many restaurants and cart rentals are cash only; $50–100 a person covers lunch and a cart.
- A waterproof phone case or camera. The water here photographs like nowhere else.
When to go
The honest answer is almost any time — the Caribbean at Cancún is swimmable all year. If you want to optimise: December to April is the driest and calmest window, water at 26–28 °C, sea conditions usually excellent, and the busiest, so book ahead. May and June are underrated: fewer visitors, the same water, and often the best reef visibility of the year after months of calm. July and August bring Mexican summer holidays and brief afternoon storms. September and October are the heart of hurricane season — many days are perfect and prices are lowest, but keep the free-cancellation window in mind.
Whale sharks are a separate trip (licensed tours only, June to September) — we cover it in the whale shark season guide.
Questions people ask
About 35–45 minutes from Marina Mundo Marino on a Sea Ray Sundancer motor yacht. The public ferry takes around 30 minutes but goes dock to dock, without the reef stop.
With Zamá, $1,150 for the six-hour charter for up to fifteen guests, with captain, crew, fuel, port fees, snorkel sets and 24 waters, 24 sodas and 24 beers included. A 180-peso marina fee is paid at the dock. That is about $77 a person for fifteen, or $115 for ten.
Basic swimming ability helps but is not strictly required: there are life vests on board and the snorkel spots are shallow — you can stand in parts of the Playa Norte shallows. The crew are on the water with you.
Yes. The limestone sea floor and the reef give the water around Isla Mujeres exceptional clarity, and the gradient from deep blue offshore to bright turquoise in the shallows is real — no filter.
The charter returns to Cancún at around 16:00. If you want to extend the day, the public ferry runs back from Isla Mujeres independently, and there are good small hotels on the island.
Departure is 10:00 from Marina Mundo Marino (Blvd. Kukulcán km 6.5, hotel zone) and return is around 16:00. Exact directions, parking and what to bring are sent seven days before your date.