 Cozumel
has ranked for years among the
top five dive destinations in
the world. Tall reefs line the
southwest coast, creating towering
walls that offer divers a fairy-tale
landscape to explore. For non-divers,
it has the beautiful water of
the Caribbean with all the accompanying
watersports and seaside activities.
The island gets a lot more visitors
from North America than Europe
for reasons that probably have
to do with the limited flights.
It is in many ways more "cozy
and mellow" than the mainland
-- no big highways, no big construction
projects.Thanks to a Jacques
Cousteau documentary on its
world-class reefs it has been
a favorite international diving
destination since 1961. It is
literally swimming with diving
sites - about 100 have been
identified around Cozumel, and
at least a dozen of them are
shallow enough for snorkeling.
The 100 or so high-quality
diving sites include Palancar
Reef, Santa Rosa and Punta Sur.
The most idyllic places to don
your snorkeling apparatus are
reached by boat. Half-day tours
cost a pretty penny but are
worth it, though you can save
the fare by walking into the
gentle surf at Playa La Ceiba,
Bahía Chankanaab, Playa San
Francisco and elsewhere.
The only town on the island
is San Miguel, which, despite
the growth of the last 20 years,
can't be called anything more
than a small town. It's not
a stunningly beautiful place,
but it and its inhabitants are
agreeable -- on Sunday evenings,
everybody congregates around
the plaza to be sociable and
have a good time. Staying in
town can be fun and convenient.
You get a choice of a number
of restaurants and nightspots.
Because Cozumel enjoys such
popularity with the cruise ships,
the waterfront section of town
holds wall-to-wall jewelry stores
and souvenir shops. This and
the area around the town's main
square are about as far as most
cruise ship passengers venture
into town.
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 Arrecife
Palancar
The reefs are where it's
at for prime scuba diving off
this island. One of the best
is the kilometers-long Arrecife
Palancar (Palancar Reef), where
stunning coral formations and
a 'horseshoe' of coral heads
offer some of the world's finest
down-under - all at an amazing
70m (230ft) visibility. Underwater
photographers should come ready
to shoot like mad. The water
around the reef is about 24m
(80ft) deep, providing pros
opportunities for fantastic
deep-water diving. The north
end of the reef, called Palancar
Gardens, is shallower but just
as gorgeous. There are caverns
and plenty of brightly colored
sea creatures. The Palancar
Reef areas are popular, so their
much-lauded coral is always
vulnerable to attack. Be careful
to leave the area no less pristine
than it was before your arrival.
To get to this reef, which is
over a kilometer (not quite
a mile) off shore, you can sign
up for a day cruise or charter
a boat from a tour agency.
Cozumel
Certified Scuba
Diving
Cozumel has the
second largest
coral reef in
the world. The
waters
surrounding
Mexico’s largest
island often
exceed 200 feet
of superbly
clear
visibility. The
sea life and the
deep ocean walls
are impressive
in the waters of
Cozumel. Come
practice
certified scuba
diving in
Cozumel and
experience an
unparallel
adventure in the
Mexican
Caribbean.
Cozumel Reef
Snorkel
The island of
Cozumel is legendry among
divers and snorkelers. The
waters surrounding Mexico’s
largest island often exceed
200 feet of superbly clear
visibility. The sea life,
the coral reefs, and the
deep ocean walls are
impressive. This is a full
day of adventure in the
Caribbean Sea.
Cozumel Snorkel
Aquaworld
Enjoy a fabulous
coral reef
snorkel tour
with the amazing
Cozumel Snorkel
program offered
by Aquaworld.
Spend an
unforgettable
day with this
40-minute tour
which will
provide you with
a professional
guide,
snorkeling gear,
buffet lunch,
beer, sodas and
water, and a shopping trip
to downtown Cozumel.
El Cedral
This Mayan ruin, which functioned
as a jail in the 19th century,
is the oldest on the island,
dating way, way back to AD800.
It's not a very obviously alluring
attraction, but is the most
accessible of Cozumel's ruins;
it's 3.5km (2mi) down a paved
road that heads off to the left
a kilometer or two south of
Playa San Francisco's access
road. The ancient structure
is only the size of a small
house, so keep your eyes peeled
for it. El Cedral is thought
to have been an important ceremonial
site, and today there is a small
stucco church sitting next to
the ruin.
Golf Club
Cozumel Country
Club
This
wonderful golf
course was carved
from the Mayan
jungle is
environmentally
friendly; it was
carefully
crafted from the
surrounding
mangrove,
marshlands and
tropical
rainforest to
preserve its
environmental
integrity and it
possess very
thick vegetation
around it.
Created to provide a
first-class golf test for
players of any skill levels,
Cozumel Country Club offers
a challenging experience to
the serious golfer and
allows an enjoyable
surrounding for the not so
serious one.
Jeep Safari
Cozumel Snorkel
Jeep Safari with Snorkel is
your best option for a true
adventure on the Island of
Cozumel, a close encounter
with the underwater
Caribbean wildlife, jungle,
beach and powerful engines
to complete your day
bringing back your
adventurous spirit.
Parque Chankanaab
This park on the bay of
the same name swarms with snorkelers,
even though there's really not
a whole lot to see in the water
aside from a few brightly colored
fish and some deliberately sunken
artificial objects. However,
its beach is a stunner; walk
50m (164ft) inland to reach
a limestone lagoon that is home
to a host of iguanas and turtles.
You can't swim or snorkel here
with the lovely little creatures,
but it's a pretty place to view
nonetheless. Also on the park
grounds are a small archaeological
park containing Olmec heads
and Mayan artifacts; a small
museum holding objects imported
from Chichén Itzá opportunities
to swim with dolphins or watch
sea lions strut their stuff
(for a price); and a botanical
garden sprouting 400 species
of tropical plants. Travelers
with kids will appreciate the
children's playground.
Playa San Francisco
A 14km (9mi) jaunt from San
Miguel on Cozumel's west coast,
Playa San Francisco is one nice
sandy spread. And with white
sands running for more than
3km (2mi) it's a popular spot,
where locals and day-trippers
from the cruise ships go to
snorkel, relax and play beach
games like volleyball. It's
a great spot to picnic, or alternatively,
pricey food is available at
one of several restaurants within
reach. If dive shops get your
heart pumping, you'll find plenty
to keep you occupied here. A
little more isolated in nature,
Playa Palancar, a few kilometers
south, has calm jet-ski-less
waters to its credit. It is
a beautiful place for a swim
 San
Miguel de Cozumel
Isla Cozumel's only town is
San Miguel de Cozumel, and it
is where you'll find many restaurants,
bars, hotels, tour agencies,
banks and other amenities. It
is well-equipped to deal with
the global influx - you can
chow down on food ranging from
vegetarian to Mediterranean
to local mesquite-grilled chicken.
The waterfront Avenida Rafael
Melgar is generally bustling
with cruise-ship tourists; wander
off the track a little for a
dose of the vibrant local scene.
But before leaving Avenida Rafael
Melgar, check out the fine Museo
de la Isla de Cozumel, which
presents a clear and detailed
picture of the island's flora,
fauna, geography, geology and
ancient Mayan history. Well-scripted
signs in both English and Spanish
accompany the exhibits. Get
your lesson on Coral 101 here
before heading out to the reefs.
Plaza Del Sol, the town's main
square, is a popular spot for
strolling, hanging out and people-watching,
especially on Sunday evenings
when all of the locals seem
to be out, soaking up the atmosphere.
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| By Plane -- There's
always something happening at
Cozumel's international airport,
which sees many direct flights
from other parts of Mexico and
the USA. Flights from Europe
and other continents are usually
less direct, routed through
Mexico City or the USA.
Cozumel's airport is inland
from downtown. Transportes Terrestres
provides hotel transportation
in air-conditioned Suburbans.
Buy your ticket as you exit
the terminal.
By Ferry -- Passenger
ferries run to and from Playa
del Carmen. Barcos México (tel.
987/872-1508 or 987/872-1588)
and Ultramar (tel. 987/869-2775)
offer departures almost every
hour on the hour between 5am
and midnight. It is rather curious
that the two companies have
arranged their service to coincide
instead of spacing them so as
to offer the consumer more choices.
The trip takes 30 to 45 minutes,
depending on conditions, and
costs $9 one-way. The boats
are air-conditioned. In Playa
del Carmen, the ferry dock is
1 1/2 blocks from the main square.
In Cozumel, the ferries use
the town pier (Muelle Fiscal),
a block from the main square.
Luggage storage at the Cozumel
dock costs $2 per day.
The car ferry that used to
operate from Puerto Morelos
now uses the Calica pier just
south of Playa del Carmen. The
fare for a standard car is $80.
Marítima Chancanaab (tel. 987/872-0916)
has 4 departures daily from
Calica at 7am, 1pm, 5pm, and
9pm. Arrive one hour before
departure. The schedule is subject
to change, so double-check it.
The ferry docks in Cozumel at
the Muelle Internacional (the
International Pier, which is
south of town near La Ceiba
Hotel).
Getting Around --
Aside from the minibus from
the airport into town, there
is no bus service on the island.
Taxis are available, however.
For a look-see at the sights,
you could probably haggle with
a taxi driver to give you a
tour of the island, drop you
at a beach, and come back and
pick you up, and still pay out
less than you might for a rental
car. But for more freedom, a
rental car is definitely the
go; there are agencies aplenty
around the main plaza. Moped
rental prices are often negotiable
- be sure to ask for a helmet,
or risk a fine. Bicycles are
the most inexpensive way to
get about.
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