Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Isla Mujeres is a slim island just off Cancún, with a small town at its northern end and a rocky, cliff-edged tip in the south. It began as a fishing community and later became a getaway for travelers seeking a slower pace than the mainland, while still being an easy ferry ride from the city.
The north end holds the best swimming: Playa Sol and its neighboring beaches have calm, shallow turquoise water and sunsets over the bay. The town and square are compact, colorful and lively in the evening, with cafés and seafood restaurants. At Punta Sur, the island's southern point, a sculpture garden and the remains of a small Maya shrine to Ixchel overlook the sea. Offshore, the Museo Subacuatico de Arte places submerged sculptures for snorkelers and divers, while Garrafon Reef Park offers ziplines and snorkeling. Hacienda Mundaca is the ruin of an estate linked to a nineteenth-century slave trader and pirate legend. Whale shark tours depart in summer, and scuba diving and snorkelling trips explore nearby reefs and wrecks.
A golf cart tour of the island is the usual way to see it in a day. Isla Mujeres suits couples and families who prefer a laid-back island base close to Cancún's conveniences.
WiserMap travel guideIsla Mujeres Mexico Whale Sharks and Playa NorteIsla Mujeres guide with Playa Norte, Punta Sur, the underwater art museum, whale shark season, island food, where to stay and a simple three day plan.Read the guide
The beach at the northern tip of Isla Mujeres, with soft white sand and calm, shallow turquoise water that stays waist deep far from shore, making it one of the best swimming beaches in the region. Beach clubs rent chairs. Stay for sunset, as it is one of the few beaches in the area facing west.
The compact town at the north end of the island, with colorful houses, a pedestrian street of shops and restaurants on Avenida Hidalgo, and a main square with a church and evening food stalls. It is easy to explore on foot. Come back at night for dinner and the lively square.
The rocky southern tip of the island and the easternmost point of Mexico, with clifftop paths, a sculpture garden, a lighthouse and the ruins of a small temple to the goddess Ixchel. Waves crash on the rocks below. Come at sunrise, when this is the first point in Mexico to see the sun.
The underwater museum known as MUSA, with hundreds of sculptures on the seabed between Isla Mujeres and Cancún, including The Silent Evolution of life-size human figures in the Manchones area. Corals now grow on the statues. See them by snorkel, scuba or glass-bottom boat, in calm weather.
A shallow reef off the southwest coast of Isla Mujeres, popular for snorkeling and easy dives, with coral, sponges, reef fish and a bronze cross sunk on the reef. Several MUSA sculptures lie nearby. Go with a local dive shop, and check the current and visibility before heading out.
A park on the cliffs at the south end of the island, with snorkeling on the reef below, zip lines over the water, kayaks, pools and a restaurant. Packages often include food and drinks. Book online for better prices, and bring reef-safe sunscreen and water shoes for the rocky entry.
The overgrown ruins of a 19th-century estate built by a slave trader turned pirate, Fermín Mundaca, said to be for a local woman who rejected him, with garden paths, stone gates and a small zoo. It is atmospheric and quiet. Bring repellent, as the shaded grounds have mosquitoes.
Tortugranja, a sea turtle conservation center on the island's lagoon side, where turtle eggs are protected and hatchlings raised before release, with tanks of turtles of several species, nurse sharks and fish. It is small but educational. Visit with children, and ask when releases take place.
From about June to September, boats leave Isla Mujeres to swim with whale sharks gathering to feed on fish eggs in the open sea northeast of the island, often with manta rays nearby. Only small groups may enter the water with guides. Book with certified operators and follow all distance rules.
A beach club on the lagoon side of the island with a small maritime museum of ship models and nautical items, an outdoor garden of sculptures, a pier and a restaurant. It is calm and less crowded than the north beaches. Visit for lunch and a swim, and walk the sculpture garden.
No reviews yet. Been to Isla Mujeres? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Isla Mujeres? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: dronepicr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Bernard DUPONT, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: René Bongard, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Suwanosejima, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Andy Blackledge from Scottsdale, AZ, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Ernestobanpiroa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bernard DUPONT, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Bernard DUPONT, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Tbachner assumed (based on copyright claims, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: dronepicr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Ivyrjohnson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Shari Garland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ulrich Dus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ulrich Dus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ulrich Dus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Yosef Ben Melamed, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Luna040424, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Ulrich Dus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dronepicr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Carlos Figueroa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Carlos yo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Carlos Figueroa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Carlos yo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Bernard DUPONT, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: dronepicr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Николай Максимович, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Николай Максимович, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Andy Blackledge from Scottsdale, AZ, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Kirt Edblom from Albany, Oregon, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Kirt Edblom from Albany, Oregon, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Kirt Edblom from Albany, Oregon, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Kirt Edblom from Albany, Oregon, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Ernestobanpiroa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ernestobanpiroa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: ImTurismo, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: istolethetv, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
