Isla Mujeres can only be reached by boat. For most travellers, the best option is the Ultramar ferry from Puerto Juárez – the journey takes about 20 minutes, with services often running every 30 minutes during the day, and it is the only ferry to offer early morning and late evening services.

There are three other ports in Cancún’s hotel zone. However, these are only worthwhile if you can walk to one of them or reach it by a short bus journey. There are significantly fewer services, and they finish earlier.

All ferries sail to a single port in the north of Isla Mujeres.

Three operators provide regular ferry services: Ultramar, Xcaret Xailing and UltraCarga. The older operators, Jetway and Magaña, no longer operate.

We provide a detailed description of land transport, bus fares and the journey from the airport in our guide ‘How to get to Cancún’.

Which ferry to choose

From where and with which operator	Who it’s for	Times, journey times and prices
Puerto Juárez – Ultramar	The best option for most travellers	5.30 am–11.00 pm, return by midnight 20 minutes 290 mxn
El Embarcadero – Xcaret Xailing	Hotels near the 4.5-kilometre mark in the Hotel Zone	9.00 am–7.00 pm, return by 8.00 pm 20 to 30 minutes 14,50 usd
Playa Tortugas – Ultramar	Hotels near the 6.5 km mark in the Zona Hotelera	9.15 am–6.00 pm, return by 6.45 pm about 30 minutes 290 mxn
Playa Caracol – Ultramar	Hotels around Punta Cancún	9.00–18.15, return by 18.45 about 30 minutes 290 mxn + pier fee
Punta Sam – UltraCarga	Car, motorbike or freight	3 to 4 sailings a day about 45 minutes car with driver from 520 mxn

Before you travel, click on the link for the specific transport operator and check your date, as times may vary depending on the season and traffic conditions.

If you only wish to visit Isla Mujeres as part of a snorkelling cruise with a programme of activities, you can opt for an organised catamaran trip instead of the regular ferry. However, this is not a suitable alternative to the ferry if you are travelling with luggage or planning an overnight stay.

Map of ports and routes

Puerto Juárez: the busiest route

The main Ultramar terminal in Puerto Juárez also appears on maps and in older texts under the name Gran Puerto Cancún. It is the same main departure point, so when navigating, head directly for the Ultramar terminal.

• Frequency:every 30 minutes; every 60 minutes in the evening
• Journey time: approx.20 minutes
• Operating hours
  • Puerto Juárez -> Isla Mujeres: first ferry 5.30 am, last ferry 11.00 pm
  • Isla Mujeres -> Puerto Juárez: first ferry 6.00 am, last ferry midnight
• Timetable:ultramarferry.com/ferry-isla-mujeres

Ferries arrive at the passenger terminal on Isla Mujeres, right in the centre. It takes just a few minutes to walk to the main pedestrian street, Avenida Miguel Hidalgo, and about 10 to 15 minutes to reach Playa Norte.

Ticket price: is it necessary to book in advance?

Return tickets are not sold at a discount – they are therefore twice as expensive as one-way tickets.

A municipal environmental sanitation charge of 37 pesos is always added to the ticket price

• Adult – 290 mxn + 37 mxn
• Child aged 1 year and over, up to 1.20 metres in height – 220 mxn + 37 mxn
• 1 piece of luggage weighing up to 25 kg and with total dimensions not exceeding 142 cm included in the price

You do not need to book your ticket in advance.

• You can buy your ticket on arrival at the port from the ticket office (cash or card) or from the self-service kiosks (card payment only)
• Online via theultramarferry.com website

The ticket is valid for six months and can be used on any available crossing.

How to get to Puerto Juárez

From Cancún Airport, the most convenient option is a pre-booked transfer or an airport taxi directly to the terminal.

The journey takes 30 to 45 minutes, provided there is no heavy traffic. The cheapest option is to take the ADO bus to the Cancún Centro terminal and then a taxi or local bus to Puerto Juárez. There is no direct regular ferry service from the airport or from the coast near the airport.

• 👉 Tip for a very cheap hotel near the harbour: Casa CARIBE Cancún

From the centre of Cancún, the easiest option is a taxi or Uber. City minibuses marked ‘Puerto Juárez’ are cheaper.

From the hotel zone, you can also take some of the R1 buses, though not all of them go all the way to the harbour – check for the ‘Puerto Juárez’ sign on the windscreen before boarding.

You candrive right up to the terminal. There is a pay-and-display car park at the harbour (the most expensive, approx. 400 mxn per day) and other private car parks in the surrounding streets.

We left our car there overnight and travelled to the island on the evening public ferry. If you don’t need a car on Isla Mujeres, this is easier than waiting for the slow car ferry.

We parked in an outdoor, secure car park right next to the harbour building for 200 mxn a day. You can park there overnight, and we left our car there for 4 days without any problems. Payment is by cash only, and here is the car park’s location on Google Maps.

Ferries from the Zona Hotelera

The hotel zone offers three departure points. All are situated right on Boulevard Kukulcán, and the frequent R1, R2 and R10 buses pass by all of them.

We would recommend choosing a port not based on the ferry company, but on its distance from your hotel and the time of the last return service.

If you have to travel halfway across the hotel zone by taxi, it’s usually more practical to go straight to Puerto Juárez.

El Embarcadero km 4.5 – Xcaret Xailing

Xcaret Xailing departs from El Embarcadero Isla Mujeres by Xcaret, next to the Torre Escénica observation tower.

• Frequency:every 60 minutes
• Journey time: approx.30 minutes
• Operating hours
  • Zona Hotelera -> Isla Mujeres: first ferry 9.00, last ferry 18.00
  • Isla Mujeres -> Zona Hotelera: first ferry at 10.00, last ferry at 18.45
• Timetable:ultramarferry.com/ferry-isla-mujeres

Ticket price: is it necessary to book in advance?

Return tickets are not sold at a discount – they are therefore twice as expensive as single tickets.

A municipal environmental sanitation charge of 37 pesos is always added to the ticket price

• Adult – 15,95 usd + 37 mxn
• Child aged 6 to 11 – 14,15 usd + 37 mxn

Tickets purchased online may be eligible for a 10 per cent discount, which is very common on thexailing.comwebsite.

The price includes luggage storage, Wi-Fi, toilets and entry to the Torre Escénica, which can be used within 7 days of the cruise.

Another advantage is the clearly stated parking price: 15 mxn per hour; for stays longer than 12 hours, 100 mxn for every 24 hours.

Playa Tortugas km 6.5 – Ultramar

The jetty at Playa Tortugas is operated by Ultramar.

This option only makes sense if you are staying around the 6th to 7th kilometre of Boulevard Kukulcán. For a day trip, do check the last return time in advance, as it is a few hours earlier than the service to Puerto Juárez.

• Frequency:every 45 to 75 minutes
• Journey time: approx.30 minutes
• Operating hours
  • Zona Hotelera -> Isla Mujeres: first ferry 9.00, last ferry 18.00
  • Isla Mujeres -> Zona Hotelera: first ferry at 10.00, last ferry at 18.45
• Timetable:ultramarferry.com/ferry-isla-mujeres

Ticket price: is it necessary to book in advance?

Return tickets are not sold at a discount – they are therefore twice as expensive as single tickets.

A municipal environmental sanitation charge of 37 pesos is always added to the ticket price

• Adult – 15,95 usd + 37 mxn
• Child aged 6 to 11 – 14,15 usd + 37 mxn

Playa Caracol km 9.5 – Ultramar

Playa Caracol is the most convenient option for hotels around Punta Cancún, from where the pier is often within walking distance.

• Frequency:every 45 to 75 minutes
• Journey time: approx.30 minutes
• Operating hours
  • Zona Hotelera -> Isla Mujeres: first ferry 9.00, last ferry 18.00
  • Isla Mujeres -> Zona Hotelera: first ferry at 10.00, last ferry at 18.45
• Timetable:ultramarferry.com/ferry-isla-mujeres

Ticket price: is it necessary to book in advance?

You do not need to book your ticket in advance. There is no limit on the number of seats, and online tickets are not sold at a discount.

The standard Ultramar fare is the same as on other routes, but for the Playa Caracol route there is an additional local charge of 100 pesos for use of the jetty. 

• Adult – 290 mxn + 37 mxn + 100 mxn
• Child aged 1 year and over, up to 1.20 metres in height – 220 mxn + 37 mxn + 100 mxn

Ferry with car from Punta Sam – UltraCarga

The only regular car ferry is the UltraCarga from Punta Sam, about 8 km north of Puerto Juárez. The crossing takes about 45 minutes and the ferry arrives at the freight terminal on Isla Mujeres, which is not located next to the passenger terminal in the centre.

Day	Punta Sam → Isla Mujeres	Isla Mujeres → Punta Sam
Monday to Friday	6.00 am, 10.00 am, 2.00 pm, 6.00 pm	8.00, 12.00, 16.00, 19.30
Saturday	6.00 am, 10.30 am, 5.00 pm	8.00 am, 2.00 pm, 7.00 pm
Sunday	10:00, 13:00, 17:00	11.30, 15.30, 19.00

UltraCarga one-way fares

Vehicle or passenger	Price
Family saloon car including driver	520 mxn
Reserved compact car, SUV	750 mxn
Motorbike, including rider	225 mxn
Bicycle, including cyclist	165 mxn
Adult pedestrian	290 mxn
Child on foot, aged 3 to 9	190 mxn

To be guaranteed a space for a passenger car, you must make a reservation at least 24 hours before departure and arrive 45 minutes in advance for check-in. Reserved passenger cars may be no more than 5.5 metres in length and 1.9 metres in height. The price of the vehicle includes the driver only; other passengers must pay separately.

• Bookings are made via theultracarga.com website

Is it worth taking a car to the island?

In most cases, no.

Isla Mujeres is narrow, with cramped streets in the centre, and parking can be tricky.

For a typical stay, a taxi, local bus or golf trolley is sufficient. Transporting your own car mainly makes sense for longer stays, for shopping, or if you’re staying outside the main tourist areas.

If you’re hiring a car, check the contract before you travel to ensure that taking the car to the island is permitted and that your insurance covers it there. If you don’t need a car, leave it on the mainland.

UltraCarga also accepts foot passengers, but the fast passenger ferry from Puerto Juárez costs the same, takes less time and runs far more frequently.

You should therefore only travel on foot from Punta Sam if you live in the immediate vicinity and the specific departure time suits you.

Organised catamaran trip

A catamaran trip is ideal if you want to combine a boat trip, snorkelling, drinks and a short stay on Isla Mujeres all in one day. Many packages include collection from your hotel in Cancún or the Riviera Maya.

However, this is not a standard transport service to the island:

• both the outward and return journeys are at fixed times
• luggage for a stay of several days is not usually transported
• part of the day is taken up by the crossing, snorkelling and the group’s programme
• there tends to be less time for exploring the island on your own than with a public ferry

If you’re mainly interested in Playa Norte, the town centre and organising your own itinerary, choose the scheduled ferry. If you’re looking for the experience of the crossing itself, a catamaran makes more sense.

• 👉 Compare catamaran trips to Isla Mujeres

Hotel boats and private transfers

Some luxury resorts provide their own boat transport directly to the hotel. This is not a public service, and you must confirm your place on the boat with your accommodation.

For other hotels or private villas, you can book a private water taxi or charter, but the price is charged per boat and there is no standard timetable or central booking system.

Before paying for a private boat, please confirm:

• the exact jetty on the mainland and on the island
• the maximum number of passengers and permitted luggage
• whether the price is per boat or per person
• the cancellation policy in the event of wind and waves
• onward transport from the jetty to the hotel

Do not assume that a private boat will automatically be available as a late-night alternative after the last ferry. Without a confirmed booking in advance, you cannot rely on it.

Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets

The best-described hotel option is offered by Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets. A small hotel catamaran sails between Marina Hacienda del Mar on the mainland and the resort’s private jetty in the south of Isla Mujeres.

We combined both options. We travelled to the island by public ferry, continued by taxi to Impression after a trip to Isla Contoy, and after two nights left at 3.00 pm on the hotel’s catamaran for Marina Hacienda del Mar.

From the marina, we booked an Uber back to Puerto Juárez, where we’d left our car.

It is precisely with a combination like this that a return public transport ticket doesn’t make sense. A one-way ticket to the island is sufficient, and the hotel will sort out the return journey.

The weather, the wind and cancelled crossings

Large passenger ferries continue to operate even in conditions where smaller excursion catamarans remain in harbour.

However, the harbour authority decides on the safety of sailings, and even regular services may be cancelled in the event of strong winds or a tropical storm.

If the forecast is uncertain, do not rely on the last ferry of the day and keep an eye on the operator’s announcements. You can find out more about wind, storms and the hurricane season in the Weather on Isla Mujeres section.

Jetway and Magaña are no longer operating

In older articles and some map entries, you may come across the operators Jetway or Magaña. Magaña ceased regular passenger services back in 2016, and Jetway made its final voyage on 15 December 2023. Jetway ceased operations entirely from the following day.

The only current regular services are therefore:

• Ultramar from Puerto Juárez, Playa Tortugas and Playa Caracol
• Xcaret Xailing from El Embarcadero
• UltraCarga from Punta Sam for vehicles and pedestrians

Our recommendations

On our first trip, we’d choose Ultramar from Puerto Juárez without a moment’s hesitation.

It has the most frequent services, the longest operating hours, and on arrival you’ll step off right in the centre of Isla Mujeres.

We’d only choose the ferry from the hotel zone if we were staying within walking distance of the pier and were certain that the return time suited us. We’d leave the car on the mainland. UltraCarga only makes sense if you’re actually going to use the car on the island.

If you want to explore the island at a leisurely pace and experience Playa Norte in the morning or evening without the biggest crowds of day-trippers, stay for at least one night.

• 👉 Compare hotels on Isla Mujeres