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Cozumel Travel Guide

Cozumel Hotels

Cozumel hotels are all on the island's west side. Divers and snorkelers tend to congregate at the southern properties. Sailors and anglers prefer the hotels to the north.

Cozumel Hotels

Tours

Tours to Cozumel, departing from Cancun and the Riviera Maya, and tours to area attractions departing from Playa if you are staying on Cozumel. 

Tours

Airport Transfers

Airport Transfers can be reserved one-way or round-trip from the airport to the ferry terminal. Transfers are shared service and  are available to/from the airport.

Airport Transfers

 

Introduction to Cozumel

Map of Cozumel  | 360 Virtual Tour: Cozumel Attractions

 
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.

 

Attractions

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.

 

Getting to Cozumel and Getting Around

Cancun Airport Transfers

Airport Transfers can be reserved one-way or round-trip from the Cancun airport to the ferry terminal. Transfers are shared service and  are available to/from the airport.

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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