Ferry to Isla Mujeres: Every Terminal, Fare and Schedule That Matters

The Five Departure Points Compared

The table pulls together the terminals, operators and published fares. Where guides disagree on a fare, both figures appear, because ferry prices change often and the operators' own live fare tables do not load consistently for independent checking. Puerto Juarez is the workhorse. It is about 2 km north of central Cancun, roughly 20 minutes from downtown by road and about 50 minutes from the airport, and Ultramar's high-speed boats from the Gran Puerto terminal run twice an hour according to Wikipedia. The Hotel Zone piers suit anyone already staying along Boulevard Kukulcan, a 22.5 km strip shaped like the number 7. The Punta Sam crossing is the only one that carries vehicles.

On Isla Mujeres, Ultramar arrivals dock at the APIQROO maritime terminal on Avenida Rueda Medina in the town centre, and Xailing arrives at Avenida Rueda Medina s/n. The ferry terminal is within a few minutes' walk of Playa Norte, which one ferry guide puts at about 5 minutes on foot and another at 500 meters from the terminal.

Getting to Each Terminal

From the Hotel Zone the R-1 bus is the practical choice. It links the Puerto Juarez ferry terminal with the Hotel Zone, and both the R-1 and R-2 stop at Playa Tortugas, listed at km 6.5 on the bus route map. The buses take cash only, paid to the driver, and Hotel Zone buses run 24 hours with reduced service after midnight. Inside the Hotel Zone the route number does not really matter, because Boulevard Kukulcan is a single road.

For Puerto Juarez, Av. Lopez Portillo runs straight to the terminal from downtown. The buses take cash only. On the island, taxis, golf carts and many restaurants work in pesos only, so carry pesos in small notes.

• R-1: Puerto Juarez ferry terminal to the Hotel Zone, the direct bus for Gran Puerto
• R-2: Avenida Kabah to the Hotel Zone, also stops at Playa Tortugas
• Hotel Zone buses run 24 hours, with reduced service after midnight

First and Last Ferries

Puerto Juarez passenger ferries run roughly from 6:00 to 23:30 according to Mexico Travel and Leisure, while one other guide lists a 5:30 first sailing. Taste of Isla puts the Ultramar pattern at every 30 minutes at peak until 18:00, then hourly until 23:00, with the last boat back from the island at midnight. That late return is a strong reason to choose Puerto Juarez over the Hotel Zone.

The Hotel Zone piers keep shorter hours. Mexico Travel and Leisure lists them running 8:00 to 18:30 every 1 to 2 hours with a 25 to 30 minute crossing. One guide lists Playa Tortugas departures from Cancun between 9:15 and 18:00 and Playa Caracol between 9:00 and 18:15, each with 8 daily sailings, and Cancun Trip Insider says Ultramar leaves Playa Tortugas seven times a day from 9:15 to 18:00 with returns until 19:00. Ferryhopper confirms the Hotel Zone runs are less frequent than Puerto Juarez and shows Tortugas and Caracol sailings from January to November.

The Punta Sam car ferry takes about 45 minutes and is the only crossing that carries vehicles. The published timetables conflict on its departure times, so treat it as a few daily crossings and check the Ultracarga board on the day.

A note on operators. Three companies have run ferries to Isla Mujeres: Ultramar, Cancun Sailing and Jetway. Jetway stopped operating in 2023, so any schedule that still lists it is out of date.

• Puerto Juarez: about 6:00 to 23:30, every 30 minutes at peak, last return around midnight
• Playa Tortugas: 9:15 to 18:00 out, returns to 19:00, seven sailings a day
• Playa Caracol: 9:00 to 18:15, eight sailings a day per one guide
• El Embarcadero Xailing: hourly departures at 9:00 through 14:00, then 16:00, 17:00, 18:00 and 19:00, with island returns from 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00

Where to Buy and the Rules That Come With the Ticket

Tickets are sold online by each operator and sent by email, and Ferryhopper resells both Ultramar and Xailing sailings. Buying online does not lock you to a sailing on Ultramar. Its tickets are valid for 6 months on any day and time of the route, but they are non-refundable, and the operator asks you to arrive 30 minutes before departure. Xailing runs the same 30-minute arrival advice and its open tickets are also valid for 6 months.

The baggage and passenger rules are stated plainly by Ultramar. Each ticket includes one bag up to 25 kg with dimensions summing to no more than 142 cm. Infants from 0 to 12 months ride free, minors count from 1 year up to 1.20 m tall, and adults are over 1.20 m. Quintana Roo residents get a discounted fare but must show a physical state-issued ID at boarding or the ticket is cancelled. Keep that in mind if a local friend offers to book for you.

• Ultramar tickets: valid 6 months, non-refundable, arrive 30 minutes early
• Xailing tickets: valid 6 months, arrive 30 minutes early
• One bag up to 25 kg included, dimensions summing to 142 cm or less

The Environmental Fee

Isla Mujeres charges every visitor a municipal sanitation fee, the derecho de saneamiento ambiental. The Quintana Roo fiscal law sets it at 30 percent of the daily UMA per visitor, withheld by the maritime operator from day visitors who do not book island lodging. Visitors who do book lodging pay the same 30 percent of the daily UMA per night through their hotel.

The 2026 UMA is 117.31 pesos, valid from 1 February to 31 January, but no operator prints the resulting peso amount, so the peso amount is not worked out here. Ultramar simply states that each route includes the municipal environmental sanitation right. One practical guide to Playa Tortugas separately quotes a 36.56 peso environmental fee on top of the ferry fare, which may be the same charge shown separately at that terminal, but no source confirms it.

Arriving by private or tourist boat is different: those visitors pay the fee with the port infrastructure tariff or at municipal treasury counters. Visitors using local cooperative maritime transport based in the municipality and people who work there are exempt after the 2024 reform. The island has collected more than 240 million pesos from this fee, with the nautical sector contributing 17 million in 2022, 26 million in 2023 and 27 million in 2024.

• Day visitors: 30 percent of the daily UMA, collected with the ferry ticket
• Overnight guests: the same rate per night, collected through the hotel
• Private boat arrivals: paid with the port tariff or at treasury counters

What Your Money Actually Buys

A foot passenger on the ferry pays roughly 110 to 320 pesos each way depending on terminal and source, gets no food, no schedule flexibility beyond the printed timetable, and lands at a public pier with everyone else. At the other end, the Isla Mujeres Private Yacht from Isla Fun Tours costs $720 per group for 4 hours, covering up to 6 guests, with 7 to 15 guests paying an extra $50 each up to 20 people. It adds hotel pickup on the Cancun option, snacks, soda, water and an open bar for adults 18 and over. Dock fees for Isla Mujeres and Cancun are not included and the listing's extra charges come to $10. The Azimut 47 Yacht to Isla Mujeres costs $2,310 per group for 6 hours for up to 18 guests with a captain and two sailors, 24 waters, 24 soft drinks and 24 beers aboard, plus fruit and a bottle of sparkling wine, and a dock tax of 100 pesos per person not included. The shared Dancer Cruise to Isla Mujeres sits between the extremes at $119 per person for 7 hours on a 3-story catamaran with breakfast, a fajita lunch and a premium open bar in the price.

On timing, a private yacht from the Cancun lagoon marinas takes 30 to 40 minutes to reach Isla Mujeres, one charter operator says about 25 minutes by speedboat, and a Playa Yachting guest reported about 45 minutes from marina to anchorage. That is similar to or longer than the ferry's own 15 to 30 minutes, so the private boat buys you the route and the stops, not raw speed.

When Each One Wins

The ferry wins when you travel light, travel as one or two people, and want to spend the day on the island rather than on the water. Two adults crossing from Puerto Juarez for a few hundred pesos round trip have no realistic rival, and the hourly late sailings forgive a long dinner in town. It also wins for budget certainty if you buy online, since the ticket is fixed and valid for 6 months.

The shared Dancer Cruise wins for solos and couples who want the boat day itself, with food, drink and entertainment handled, at a per-person price a private boat cannot match. The private options win for groups who can split a per-boat price. The 4-hour private yacht at $720 covers up to six people, starts from your hotel on the Cancun option and carries an open bar for adults. The Azimut 47 at $2,310 for 6 hours suits larger parties who want the Punta Sur and Playa Norte run on their own clock. Private boats also anchor where the ferry never goes, and one Playa Yachting guest swam off the anchored boat with a lily pad and two jet skis added as extras. Whatever you choose, price the mandatory extras first.

• Ferry: cheapest per head, best for island time, no food or flexibility
• Shared cruise: $119 per person with meals and bar, fixed itinerary
• Private yacht: per-boat pricing, hotel pickup on the Cancun option, your own schedule