Isla Mujeres

One of the little trips that we took when staying in Playa del Carmen was a boat trip to Isla Mujeres. The tour sounded terrific - all transfers to and from the resort, boat trip across to the island, lunch, snorkeling, drinks, swimming with a shark and then free time to do a little private exploring of the island or shopping - so we signed up.

Looking towards Cancun

Where we stopped for snorkeling

Everything went really well and we did have a great time. My husband and son sat up at the front of the catamaran and were the first to get splashed by the waves as they crashed over the boat. I don't have very good sea legs, so I chose to stay closer to the back where there was a real seat, the firm base of the vessel to stand on and should I need it, something to hold on to to keep me steady! I guess I missed out on the adventure a bit as it was great fun sitting in the front. They both were quite wet when we arrived at the island!

Snorkeling Sights

 The first stop was some snorkeling along the reef. I must admit it was a bit tricky to snorkel here as the currents of the sea were noticed. The snorkeling we did in Ixtapa was much more gentle, nestled in the cove of Ixtapa Island. However, this was tremendous fun and there were lots of fish, coral and other things to see. After the snorkeling, we went to see the shark and were given the opportunity to swim with it and get our pictures taken. This was a bit of a disappointment - just a little shark who had obviously been in captivity for a while and I found it a bit sad...

Swimming with the Shark

Lunch followed at a lovely little seaside restaurant. The place was set up for large numbers of people all descending at the same time, but the food was quite delightful - all Mexican specialities, with a bit of North American staples (french fries, burgers and pop). After lunch, we sat on the beach and people watched for a while, then headed to the shops.

Huge Mexican Flag

It turned out to be a great little trip, but again I think we could have done it cheaper ourselves and perhaps we could have found different things to see and do. The island itself has it's own web page and by the looks of that, there certainly is more to see and do than we saw and did! Perhaps we will return?!





Isla Mujeres Home Page