Isla Contoy: The National Park North of Cancun

Location, Protection and the Daily Cap

Isla Contoy is a thin island about 8.5 km long with an area of 3.17 square km, lying about 30 km north of Isla Mujeres. Cancun sits roughly 40 to 50 km to the south depending on the route and the source. The island became a national park by presidential decree on 2 February 1998, and it had already been protected as a wildlife refuge since 8 February 1961. The beach was decreed a turtle protection zone in 1986, and the park was designated a Ramsar wetland on 27 November 2003 under reference 1323.

The park covers 5,128 hectares in total. About 230 hectares are island and roughly 4,900 hectares are sea. Visitors are capped at 200 per day, a limit enforced by CONANP and open only to authorized operators. In 2023 a request to raise the cap was rejected, even though permit holders had argued for 250 people a day. Their boats are limited to 10 passengers but have sometimes carried 15. An overnight bungalow plan for up to 20 visitors was proposed about 25 years ago and never approved. The park is managed by SEMARNAT with CONANP and the NGO Amigos de Isla Contoy, and no one stays overnight except rangers and researchers.

The Park by the Numbers

Sources disagree on a few headline figures for the park, so the table shows both sides where a conflict exists. The bird count is the clearest example: Spanish Wikipedia reports 152 marine bird species, while one tour guide counts 173. Either way, the island holds the most important gray pelican colony on Mexico's east coast.

The figures below come from Wikipedia, Mexico Desconocido, Cancun Trip Insider and Thoroughly Travel, and each row names where it came from.

The Fee, and Why Sources Conflict

No official CONANP tariff for Isla Contoy could be found, so the published figures come from guides. Cancun Trip Insider lists a 20 USD cash conservation fee per person, paid at the dock and never included in the booking price, and says it cannot be paid by card. Mexico Desconocido lists the entry at 300 pesos per person.

A third guide lists a conservation pass of 108.66 pesos per person per day plus an additional dock fee of about 20 USD in cash. Some operators quote 15 USD instead of 20. The safe plan is to carry cash in both dollars and pesos, ask your operator what they collect, and expect the fee to sit outside the tour price.

Birds, Turtles and the Ixlache Reef

Roughly 152 marine bird species are reported on the island, and the gray pelican colony here is the most important on Mexico's east coast. One tour guide counts 173 bird species, over 230 fish species, 14 reptile species and 98 plant species. Sea turtles nest on the beaches, with English Wikipedia listing four species, loggerhead, green, hawksbill and leatherback, and Spanish Wikipedia listing three. The beaches were protected for turtles a full 12 years before the park itself.

Snorkeling happens at the Ixlache reef in the park's southern zone. The reef holds 17 hard coral and 14 soft coral species. Ixlache snorkeling is about 3 m deep, the in-water stop lasts 30 to 35 minutes, and visitors are asked to keep at least 2.5 meters from the reef. The eastern coastline of the island is off limits to visitors.

Only Permitted Operators May Land

The cap of 200 visitors a day is enforced through operator permits, and only authorized boats may bring people to the island. Departures to Isla Contoy run from Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Juarez and Punta Sam. The crossing takes 1 to 2 hours depending on the boat and the departure point, while one guide puts it at 45 to 60 minutes from Cancun and 30 to 40 minutes from Isla Mujeres, so a fair range is about 45 minutes to 2 hours. Weather decides a lot, and January can bring port closures from strong north winds.

If you see a private boat offer that promises Contoy without naming a permit, treat it with caution. CONANP lists hiring authorized service providers as a core visitor requirement, and a report by the Asociados Nauticos de Quintana Roo counted 250 to 300 unauthorized boats working Cancun's tourist zones. Book a tour that states its park authorization.

What the Day Usually Holds

Tours usually leave around 9:00 and return about 17:00, with shared tours from Cancun running about 8 hours door to door and hotel pickup around 8:00 to 8:40. One guide describes a full day of 7 to 8 hours from Cancun. A sailing catamaran option leaves Marina Xtabay at 10:00 for a 7-hour day without transport. The island itself opens from 9:00 to 18:00, subject to weather.

On the island you get a visitor center with a small ecological museum, palapa rest areas and an observation tower about 20 meters high. Two interpretive trails exist, a 180 m loop to the central lagoon and a 280 m trail to the dunes. There are composting toilets and no running water. There are no restaurants, no hotels and no phone signal, and overnight stays are not possible. The day usually combines the trails, the museum, the tower and the Ixlache snorkel stop of 30 to 35 minutes.

The Rules on the Island

The rules are strict and mostly self-explanatory. Smoking, alcohol, fishing and feeding wildlife are banned. Pets, drones and single-use plastic are banned.

No trash is left behind, and nobody touches wildlife or plants. The eastern coastline is off limits to visitors. Chemical sunscreen is prohibited on Contoy according to Cancun Trip Insider, which says only mineral zinc or titanium types are allowed, while Mexico Desconocido frames the rule as biodegradable sunscreen required and non-biodegradable forbidden.

A third guide says no sunscreen at all, including reef-safe. The practical move is to apply mineral sunscreen at the hotel and check the exact rule with your operator. Float vests are required for non-strong swimmers on reef trips.

Why No Charter on This Site Lists Contoy

Because only permitted operators may land on Isla Contoy, none of the private charters compared on this site offers the island, and this page will not pretend otherwise. A private yacht day from Cancun reaches Isla Mujeres instead, about 30 km south of Contoy, in 30 to 40 minutes from the lagoon marinas by one guide's measure, about 20 to 30 minutes by speedboat per another, and roughly 45 minutes from marina to anchorage per one guest report. Isla Mujeres gives you the same clear water, a beach stop at Playa Norte Isla Mujeres and reef snorkeling, just without the 200-person cap protecting it.

If Contoy is sold out for your dates, a private day at Isla Mujeres is the honest substitute, and the comparison table on the homepage lines up the options.

Three Private Boats That Reach Isla Mujeres

The Azimut 47 Yacht to Isla Mujeres is a private Azimut 47 Fly for up to 18 guests on a 6-hour route past Punta Sur and Playa Norte, at $2,310 per group for the boat, with a captain and two sailors aboard. It includes 24 bottles of water, 24 soft drinks and 24 beers, plus fruit and a bottle of sparkling wine, and no meal is named. A dock tax of 100 pesos per person is not included.

The Isla Mujeres Private Yacht runs 4 hours at $720 per group covering up to 6 people, with 7 to 15 guests paying an extra $50 each and a cap of 20. It adds hotel pickup in Cancun, snacks, sodas, water and an open bar for adults 18 and over. Dock fees are not included.

The Private Catamaran Charter is a 32-foot catamaran for a 4 or 7-hour day to Isla Mujeres or around the bay at $899 per group. Snorkel gear and an open bar come with it, lunch does not, and a $15 per person fee is payable at check-in on top of the dock and reef fee. For other hulls, the private motor yachts section of the homepage runs from 46 to 55 feet.