Isla Mujeres
September 2022
During our three-month stay in Puerto Morelos, we decided to
arrange a three-night stay on Isla Mujeres, one of the smaller Caribbean
islands and a short ferry journey from our nearest city, Cancun.
The return journeys were easy and comfortable
despite involving two mini-bus journeys, two short taxi rides and a ferry
crossing. Good to experience a bit more of Mexican life.
As you would imagine, the island beaches are of white
powdery sand and the sea beautiful turquoise blue. An idyllic location. But on
this occasion, the beaches were not the highlight of our stay.
Elaine had seen adverts for long full day trips from Puerto
Morelos to swim with whale sharks and was getting more interested each
day! Then when planning our trip to the
island we realised that’s where they were to be seen from the end of May to mid-September and
she decided to go for it.
We booked a room for three nights at a small hotel just a
short stroll from the main beach of Playa Norte and two places on the whale
shark boat. The accommodation and boat trip
were booked together with Sea Hawk Divers, a professional company with friendly, helpful staff.
David decided not to swim with
them. He's not a strong swimmer and
although loves snorkelling is not over-confident in bottomless seas! But he would be on the boat.
There was a group of 10 and we all boarded a powerful speed
boat and had to travel out for about 90 minutes to the area where it was hoped
the whale sharks would be spotted. This area is approximately 60 square miles,
so it can take time to locate them.
It took another hour before we spotted a couple of fins
quite close to the boat. The guide goes into the water with just two people at
a time, the captain making sure the boat is just at the correct position when
they jump in. He also needs to move on
regularly to be close to a different shark when each couple enters the water so
it all takes time.
Elaine was number 5 to jump in. A fin passed slowly, close
to the boat and in the water she went with the guide. I was looking on from the
boat. I felt sure they were already
swimming with the shark and sure enough a few minutes later, Elaine gave an
enthusiastic thumbs-up towards the boat.
When she entered the water, the massive whale shark was
facing her and, together with the guide, they turned to swim just two or three
feet above him for at least two minutes.
An amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The shark would have been over 12 metres long and weighing
about 15 tons, but a gentle giant.
We then had a sandwich lunch and cold drinks on the boat
before heading back towards the island which took just over an hour. We stopped at a small bay to have a choice of
either the traditional Mexican dish of Ceviche for fish lovers or fresh fruit
and nachos, before snorkelling (both of us this time) in the crystal-clear
waters among so many colourful fish.
An unforgettable day for us both.
Here are a couple of photos taken by the Sea Hawk crew but not
on our trip, showing the size of the shark.
Beach Time: Apart from the day we joined the Whale Shark trip, we relaxed at Playa Norte, widely considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Mexico. Soft white sand, swaying palm trees, warm turquoise waters; a real Carribbean island experience.
Snorkelling: Although the water at Playa Norte is perfect for swimming, floating or just paddling, the sea bed is mainly sandy so not attractive for fish who love to feed over rocks and coral.
However, on local advice, we headed for the area close to the five star MÍA Reef Hotel, linked (for residents only) to the north end of the beach by a narrow bridge.
We enjoyed some very interesting snorkelling there seeing many species of colourful tropical fish under, and the the right of, the bridge. See map below:
Restaurants:. It's always difficult recommending restaurants as tastes and expectations vary so much, but these are just a few we enjoyed on the island:
Aroma Isla, Miguel Hidalgo
North Garden, Carlos Lazo 14 (closed Tuesdays)
Las Hamacas, Playa Norte beach where, on a couple of occasions, we enjoyed a cool drink meal in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere with sand between our toes.
Journey by Public Transport: It may be helpful to have details of our do-it-yourself journey from Puerto Morelos to Isla Mujeres.
First of all, we decided on the Ultramar Ferry from Puerto Juárez, Cancun leaving every 30 minutes. There is another service operated by Ultramar from their other terminal in Cancun's Hotel Zone at Playa Tortugas but journeys are less frequent.
1. A short few minutes journey by Colectivo (shared mini-bus) from the village square in Puerto Morelos. You need to tell the driver to stop when you can see the main highway flyover straight ahead - just past the Pemex petrol station on the right. This is the start of the Colonia area. On your return journey, you will board the Colectivo on the opposite side of the road.
2. You will see mini-buses on the opposite side of the road under the flyover. Make sure you say you want to go to ADO Terminal, Cancun. Not all buses go there.
3. At the ADO Terminal you will see a line of taxis. You need to go to the Ultramar Ferry Terminal, Puerto Juárez. There are two ferry terminals so you want the right one!
The driver showed us a laminated sheet with various destinations so we knew the price. Some people suggest going to the main road outside the terminal for a cheaper price but it's less than a 10 minute journey and for convenience and less hassle we were happy with the cost.
4. Your ticket is scanned at the terminal and you board the ferry for the 20 minute crossing.
On arrival at Isla Mujeres there are taxis readily available to take you to your accommodation.
The return journey is just as easy. When you arrive by taxi at Cancun ADO Terminal, look across the parking area to see the Playa Express office:
You must tell the driver you want to go to Puerto Morelos as the bus will continue to Puerto del Carmen
He will stop at a lay-by on the main road close to Super Chedraui Supermarket. You will then need to walk under the flyover to get the Colectivo for the short journey 'home' - next to the taxi rank on the right hand side of the road heading to Puerto Morelos.
We found it an easy journey using these instructions and checking the route on Google Maps beforehand.
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