Cozumel: Off the Beaten Path
Cozumel is Mexico’s largest Caribbean island, a glorious shimmering jewel just off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula, and a haven of peace and tranquility. Cozumel is one of the busiest cruise ports in the Caribbean, with over 3.5 million visitors every year, and the beaches and resorts of San Miguel de Cozumel are world-famous.
But Cozumel is far more than just a cruise port and some luxury resorts, and it is worth taking a look at it in far more depth rather than as just another stop on your vacation. The island is a joy, well worth exploring, and getting off the beaten path here is a genuinely rewarding experience. Here are a few less well-known experiences that the beautiful island of Cozumel has to offer.
Dive a Second World War shipwreck
Diving in Cozumel is probably the number one thing to do, and the Great Mayan Reef is absolute heaven for scuba divers as the second-largest barrier reef in the world. However, despite the popularity and renown of the coral reefs just offshore, there are still some hidden gems to be discovered underwater, like the Felipe Xicoténcatl shipwreck from the Second World War. This atmospheric dive site is the perfect addition to the glorious underwater life that surrounds the island.
Rent jeeps and explore the island
The best way to get off the beaten track in Cozumel is to literally get off the beaten track! Rent a jeep, and the whole island opens up to you, allowing you to explore far beyond the tourist trail and discover a whole new side to Cozumel. Head to the east coast for gorgeous, uninhabited beaches with fantastic views, and don’t miss the trip to Punta Sur Ecological Park. This awesome spot boasts the best beaches on the island, remarkable wildlife, and an old historic lighthouse with a vista all the way to Cuba on the clearest days!
Eat, drink, and dance with the locals
Without a shadow of a doubt, the best way to explore authentic life in any vacation destination is to mix with the locals and do what they do. One of the best things about Cozumel is as night falls, most of the tourists head back to the mainland or their ships, and you get the town to yourself. Try eating at Kondesa and drinking at Tiki Tok, where locals like to salsa the night away. If you ask nicely, they’ll teach you the steps too!
Getting to Cozumel
You are able to fly into Cancun or into Cozumel, since there’s an airport to the staircase. Cancun could be the less expensive path, and that’s exactly what I did so. In case if you are flying into the Cancun, it will be a 1-hour driveway straight into the ferry in the Playa Del Carmen, and also a nice 45-minute of the ferry trip from Playa Del Carmen to the Cozumel.
For your driveway out of Cancun to Playa Del Carmen, You’ve Got two main transportation choices out of grabbing a cab:
- Booking a personal or Semiprivate transfer (price: $100-110 67146 round Trip )
- Tipping isn’t mandatory, but supported (I tilted around 4050 pesos each way)
- Hopping on public transport (price: approximately $7 10 75000 daily )
- The ADO BUS will simply take you out of the airport to Playa Del Carmen’s city centre, also departs roughly one or two times every hour
- In the dropoff point, it has really a 10-minute walk into the ferry pier
Once at the ferry pier, you are going to find two distinct organizations it is possible to simply take to make it at Cozumel, Winjet and Ultramar, also you’ll be able to purchase your tickets to the area so that you won’t need to be worried about any of it in progress.