Cancún to Isla Mujeres: Ferry, Catamaran and Costs

Getting from Cancún to Isla Mujeres is a 15 to 30 minute boat ride, and the only real decision is which terminal you leave from and whether you want a plain ferry ticket or a full day on the water. The price gap between those two choices is wide, so it’s worth knowing what you’re comparing before you get to a ticket window.

The Cancún to Isla Mujeres ferry costs around 300 pesos (about 17 US dollars) round trip from Puerto Juárez, which is the cheapest, fastest and most frequent terminal. Hotel Zone terminals charge more and run less often. A full catamaran day trip with food and snorkeling starts around 44 dollars.

Where Do You Catch the Ferry to Isla Mujeres?

There are four passenger ferry terminals in Cancún, and Puerto Juárez is the one you want unless you have a specific reason to use another. It sits just north of downtown Cancún, runs the shortest crossing at roughly 15 to 20 minutes, has the most frequent departures at around every 30 minutes, and charges the lowest fare. Ultramar’s terminal there is signposted as Gran Puerto, and the two names refer to the same place, which trips people up.

The other three sit inside the Hotel Zone: Playa Tortugas at Boulevard Kukulcán km 6.5, Playa Caracol at km 9.5, and El Embarcadero. All three take 25 to 35 minutes, charge noticeably more, and run roughly every 90 minutes to two hours rather than every half hour. That thin schedule matters more than the price, because it limits when you can come back. Choose them only if you’re staying within walking distance and a taxi to Puerto Juárez would cost more than the fare difference.

There’s also a car ferry from Punta Sam, about five minutes north of Puerto Juárez, which takes around 45 minutes. It’s only relevant if you’re bringing a vehicle, and most visitors shouldn’t, since golf carts are the way to get around the island.

Every passenger route arrives at the same place: the Terminal Marítima on Avenida Rueda Medina, in the middle of Isla Mujeres town, a few minutes’ walk from Playa Norte and the golf cart rental shops.

How Much Does the Ferry to Isla Mujeres Cost?

Expect around 300 pesos, roughly 17 US dollars, for an adult round trip with Ultramar from Puerto Juárez. Children’s fares run lower, generally somewhere around 12 to 15 dollars, and a child ticket covers ages one and up, to a height of about 4 feet (1.20 meters). From the Hotel Zone terminals the same round trip commonly runs 400 to 500 pesos or more.

You can book ahead rather than queue. The ferry ticket from Cancún to Isla Mujeres starts at about 17 dollars and takes 20 to 30 minutes, and there’s a matching ferry ticket back from Isla Mujeres to Cancún at the same starting price if you’re travelling the other way.

Two things save money at the terminal. Pay in pesos rather than accepting the dollar rate offered at the window or on a card terminal, since the exchange rate applied is rarely in your favor. And buy from the official Ultramar booth rather than from the people working the pavement outside bundling discounted ferry tickets with a timeshare presentation. Fares are set by the operators and change periodically, so treat these figures as a guide and confirm at the terminal or on the operator’s site.

How Much Does the Catamaran from Cancún Cost?

A shared catamaran day trip to Isla Mujeres starts at around 44 US dollars per person, which buys you far more than transport. The catamaran cruise to Isla Mujeres runs seven to nine hours and includes the sail out from Marina Las Perlas, a snorkeling stop on the reef, an open bar on board, free time in the island town and the return crossing.

That’s the number to hold in your head when comparing. A round-trip ferry ticket at 17 dollars gets you across the water and nothing else. The catamaran at 44 is a structured day out. Which is better value depends entirely on whether you want to organize the island yourself.

How Much Is a Private Catamaran or Boat Charter in Cancún?

Private charters are priced per boat rather than per person, which is why the headline number looks so different. The private Isla Mujeres boat trip from Cancún is the practical version: your group has the boat to itself, you pick the departure time, and it runs as a four-hour half day or a seven to eight hour full day from Marina Las Perlas, with hotel pickup available on some options.

The economics only work above a certain group size. Split between six or eight people a private charter can land close to what a shared catamaran costs each, with none of the fixed schedule. For two people it rarely makes sense. Charter prices also move with season and boat size, so get a current quote for your specific dates rather than working from a published starting figure.

How Much Does an Isla Mujeres Day Trip Cost?

Anywhere from about 17 dollars to about 170, depending on how much you want included. The table below sets the main options against each other at the prices they were listed at when this was written.

Prices shift with season and demand, so confirm the current figure before you book. If you want the biggest day on the water, the Contoy and Isla Mujeres islands tour adds the uninhabited Isla Contoy national park and its bird sanctuary to the standard island day, with meals included across ten hours.

Ferry or Catamaran: Which Should You Choose?

Take the ferry if you want the island on your own terms. It’s the cheapest way across, departures are frequent enough that you don’t need to plan around them, and you decide when to come back. That suits anyone who wants to rent a golf cart, find their own lunch and spend the afternoon on Playa Norte without a schedule.

Take the catamaran if the sailing is the point. You get the reef stop, the open bar and the boat itself, and the island becomes one stop in a longer day rather than the whole plan. The trade-off is that free time ashore is usually capped at around 90 minutes, which is not enough to see much beyond the town center.

What to Do Once You’re There

Playa Norte is the reason most people come, and it earns the reputation: shallow, calm, warm water on the northern tip, a short walk from the ferry terminal. Punta Sur at the opposite end has cliffs, a sculpture park and the easternmost point in Mexico. In between there’s a sea turtle sanctuary and a town small enough to cover on foot in an afternoon.

On the water, the transparent boat tour around Isla Mujeres is a cheap 45 minutes with a clear hull over the reef, and Garrafón Natural Park combines snorkeling, kayaking and ziplining on the southern coast. In whale shark season, roughly June to September, swimming with whale sharks is the trip people fly in for, and it books out well ahead.

Practical Notes Before You Go

Arrive at the terminal about 30 minutes before departure, which is what Ultramar asks for. Tickets are typically valid for six months from purchase on any available sailing of the same route, so buying a round trip up front costs you no flexibility. Each ticket covers one piece of luggage up to around 55 pounds (25 kilograms).

Passenger ferries don’t carry cars, but bicycles travel free. Getting to Puerto Juárez from the Hotel Zone costs roughly 12 to 20 dollars by taxi, or a fraction of a dollar on the R1 public bus, which is the single easiest saving on the whole trip. Check the time of the last boat back before you settle in on the beach, since the final departure moves with the season and a missed one means a night on the island.

Planning the Crossing

For most people, the answer is simple: Puerto Juárez, Ultramar, round trip, and the rest of the day is yours. Add a catamaran instead only if you want the sailing and the reef more than you want time ashore.

Compare the options across tours and activities on Isla Mujeres, look at what else is running in Quintana Roo and the Mexican Caribbean, or browse the best activities in English all over the world.