Ferry to Cozumel
When one hears the name Cozumel there are two things that should probably come to mind: cruise ships and coral reefs. After all, this island is one of the most popular cruise ship ports in the whole Caribbean and a world-famous underwater paradise for SCUBA divers. This little Caribbean island has some incredible beaches, some fun land-based activities and most importantly fun water sports like fishing, snorkeling and diving. There are definitely enough things to do to spend a whole day of fun here and exploring a different piece of the Caribbean.
If you are staying in the Riviera Maya you’re likely to wonder “why go there at all?” if Cozumel offers many of the same things that the Riviera has to offer. The answer has two parts: one is the Travesía Maya (Mayan Journey) and the coral reefs. The recreation of the Mayan Pilgrimage is an accurate reenactment of a historical event that happens every year in which teams of rowers recreate the Mayan pilgrimage journey from Xcaret to Cozumel in wooden canoes. And while yes, all the Mexican Caribbean has coral reefs (after all, we have the Mesoamerican Reef Barrier, the world’s second largest barrier reef), the reefs in Cozumel are truly one of a kind. The conditions of the island and it surroundings have given birth to a delicate and fascinating reef ecosystem; just ask any experienced SCUBA diver anywhere in the world and they are likely to have heard about Cozumel’s famously lively reefs.
How to get there
You can see Cozumel far in the horizon from any beach in Playa del Carmen and Xcaret, the island is located roughly 20km in front of these beaches. It might also be the case that Cozumel is your entry point to the Mexican Caribbean if you are arriving by cruise ship.
There are three options to get to the island: by ferry, by boat on a tour, or by air. We really do not recommend flying from Cancún or Playa del Carmen, it can be considerably more expensive and doesn’t actually save you much time if you account for airport time. Going by tour or boat is a good idea if your main goal is to explore the reefs around the island; there are many great snorkeling and SCUBA diving tours to Cozumel that depart from Playa del Carmen. The only downside is that most of these tours do not include visiting the island so you don’t get any land time here. The best option overall is by ferry; it is easy, cheap and fast.
There are two companies that offer ferry services between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel: Ultramar and Winjet. Both of them use the same terminals. The ferry terminal in Playa del Carmen is located a couple block South of downtown and it is easily accesible by taxi or walking (we don’t recommend taking your own car there since parking can be difficult to find and pricy). The ferry terminal is Cozumel is even easier to find and frankly impossible to miss; since it is of vital importance to the island, the city pretty much grew around it.
The schedule for ferries is as follows:
Winjet
From Playa del Carmen to Cozumel
8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00noon, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00
From Cozumel to Playa del Carmen
7:00am, 8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00noon, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00
Ultramar
From Playa del Carmen to Cozumel6:45 am, 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, 9:45 pm, 11:00 pm
From Cozumel to Playa del Carmen 5:45 am, 7:00 am, 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:45 pm, 10:00 pm
We have to mention that there is a third option for ferries; this one offers a vehicle ferry service and is located a few kilometers South of Playa del Carmen. We are telling you about it, but we do not recommend it. Cozumel is small, everything is within walking distance or there are taxis readily available and if you really want your own vehicle you can rent a golf cart of a scooter for the day or by the hour. Taking your car from the mainland will be expensive, quite a hassle and most likely completely useless once you are in Cozumel.
All ferries operate all 365 days of the year and only stop in days of excessively rough weather (don’t worry, this happens only a couple days of the year). You can buy your ferry tickets online to expedite the process and you can if you book transportation from your hotel to the ferry terminal and back you can make your journey an incredibly easy one. Do not be afraid of the seemingly daunting task of getting on the ferry and go discover this marine wonderland for yourself!