Cozumel is an Ocean Lovers Dream. Bursting with aquatic life, in electric crystal blue waters. This little paradise is special, and sacred in the Ancient Mayan Culture.

By: Jennifer Dyer

Instagram @solymargoddess

Cozumel offers endless adventures. With  massive tourism, in the first quarter of 2024, roughly 1.4 million tourists visited the island by land and sea, being an 18% increase than the previous year in 2023. What is all the buzz, and why do so many people visit this island off Mexico’s coast? I guess you’ll have to read to mind out! 

Cozumel offers some of the most lush waters in the Caribbean. Because of the Mesoamerican coral reef system, the island inhabits beautiful, world renowned corals which bring in marine life to inhabit these waters. It is common to see starfish, eagle rays, turtles and even nurse sharks around the island, especially in designated dive sites which we will talk about further in the article. Cozumel is very easy to get to from the United States, Canada and even Europe. Mexican Locals also enjoy coming to the island to make a holiday on this lush oasis. The lovely thing about Cozumel is how family friendly the island is. Offering family friendly adventures everywhere you turn, more on this later in the article. 

Topics of Discussion

~Transportation to the Island

~Mayan Civilization 

~Watersports and Endemic Animals 

~Give Back and Support Local Conservation

~Restaurants

Transportation to the Island 

There are multiple ways to get to the island. If you are travel International you can either fly into the Tulum or Cancun airport, enjoy a few days at these beautiful locations (other articles on these locations) then take a taxi, private bus or rental car over to Cozumel directly. There is a port in Playa del Carmen, Port of Playa del Carmen, in which you take a ferry and head to Cozumel. There are a few different ferry’s to choose from, Windjet, Ultramar, or Xcaret Cozumel. All have similar pricing. I would recommend purchasing your ticket at the pier, as well as only purchasing a one way. All three ferries run on different times and frequently. This will help, so you don’t have to count down your minutes and time to make or miss the ferry, it’s best to arrive when you can, then see which ferry you can make. Trust me, this is expert advice from someone who travels to cozumel nearly weekly from Tulum! 

Second option is simply flying into Cozumel from your destination. Either choice is incredible, and all depending upon you and your timer restrictions. If you don’t want the hassle of taking a ferry over, which is only a 35-40 minute ride, then this is your best option. If you want to venture a little more around the Yucatan, visiting local cities, other beaches and the culture of the mainland I would recommend the ferry and taking full advantage while you’re already here in Mexico! Also, I want to mention once in the island, Taxis are cheap and readily available. Nowhere should cost more than 300 pesos, unless you’re going around the whole island. So keep that in mind! Also, keep in mind, you are very safe on the island. So, don’t make up some stigma in your mind. My one request is that you always stay aware of your surroundings, and you will have the best of time!

Mayan Civilization

Back in the old world of the Mayan Civilization, Cozumel was a sacred island. They considered Cozumel to be a sacred sanctuary and called it “Cuzaam Luumi” which means land or place of the swallows. They later shortened these two words to “Cuzamil”. When the Spanish arrived, the name adapted phonetically from “Cuzamil” to “Cozumel”. In the Mayan culture, every woman was obligated to travel to the island at least once in her life to worship Ixchel, goddess of fertility. Ixchel was the wife of Itzamna, the supreme Mayan lord of the skies of the night and of the day. The women, in general, before hitting puberty, would set on their peregrination to the island to ask Ixchel for fertility and for a joyful motherhood. To this date, in more than forty sites around the island, archeologists continue to unearth small dolls that were once sacrificed in the fertility rituals. The mystical ruins of Ixchel are still visible on the island today. Location of the ruins is located inside of Zone Arqueologica San Gervasio. To learn more you can always hire a guide at the actual park who will explain, many speak English, the Mayan culture and use of these lands back when the Mayan civilizations were thriving. This is my favorite ruins to see on the island, maybe even have a sit and reflection, to honor the goddess who has been honored there for thousands of years. Before you enter the ruins, there are restrooms, gift shops, and a snack bar to enjoy.

Watersports and endemic animals  

Cozumel’s lush waters offer some extremely fun water sports and activities for the adventurous spirits! From windsurfing, SUP Paddleboarding, Sailing, Snorkling, SNUBA, Freediving and SCUBA, Cozumel offers a vast array of watersports. A great option for family friendly water sports activities would be head to @sanddollarsports. Lovely locals who work this shop. They offer SCUBA, SNUBA and Snorkeling. After your adventure enjoy lunch or dinner at their restaurant @sunsetcozumel for a delicious mexican cuisine and to watch the sunset. It’s a remarkable location. I would also recommend grab your snorkel gear and head to @playaazulcozumel for a fun day in the sun! There are a few formations of coral reef here and a fun place to play in the water and chill at the beach club for the day. Their restaurant is delicious, I always get the fresh chicken Caesar salad and it never disappoints. You could also opt for a morning to early afternoon boat trip to local beaches and reef, like the famous El Cielo. For this experience I would recommend hiring Tammy at @cozumelphotofun! She offers exclusive boating experiences, with underwater videos and photos of the family enjoying the lush crystal blue waters of el cielo and other locations in Cozumel. She always takes great care of her clients, I know as she is a good friend and native to the island! Another fun experience, is checkout @cozumelpearlfarm. This experience is like no other! You experience the farm, have a briefing about how they cultivate the pearls, enjoy lunch, a snorkel all while basking in the sun on a remote beach. I have also heard amazing things about diving with @scubalifecozumel as well as staying and diving with @scubaclubcozumel. Scuba Club Cozumel is the first location I stayed with and dived at in Cozumel back in 2016, almost 10 years ago! This is a great all inclusive option, offering diving, hospitality, and daily meals. I stayed here for 5 days, and it was lovely having everything already taken care of for me. All I needed to worry about was getting to the dive boat on time in the mornings! If you’re an avid diver this is a great option.

There is an abundance of wildlife on the island. There’s a species of raccoons native to the island. Often called Cozumel raccoon, dwarf raccoon or Cozumel raccoon bear. They are a critically endangered species. You can see them in their natural environment at Punta Sur Beach Park. Head here in the morning, enjoy the lighthouse down at the southern most tip of the island, and then head to Bajo el Sol Beach Club Cozumel for beautiful snorkeling, beach time, and the best coconut shrimp of your life. This is a remote location, so keep that in mind!

Another species that’s endemic to the island is the Cozumel Emerald hummingbird. They are all over the island if you are conscious of them! There are multiple bird watching tours on the island, I would simple opt to take your binoculars, rent a car and explore yourself! What other way to be adventurous and enjoy the flow of the island at your own pace. I’ve also seen flamingos near the lighthouse location, which I mentioned above! That’s a great place to start.

Give back and Support Local Conservation

If you want more wholeness from your trip. If you want to give back to the sea and the community of warriors who give their whole life to protecting Cozumel’s sea, head to CCRRP Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Project @cozumelcoralreefrestoration. Help and be apart of this world renowned project. From learning how to protect the corals, how corals support our oceans ecosystem, and how you can play your role in supporting and advocating for coral reefs, regeneration and restoration projects this restoration project is for you. There are different stages in how you can become a volunteer, if you’re already scuba dive certified, you can become coral ID certified at the project, which for the basic level takes 2-3 days. This ensures that you can help out with the project doing hands on work on the coral reef platforms and replant coral on the coral wall that was built. I like to go and help out at this project as often as I can, as it is one of the only projects in the riviera and is a beautiful way to learn and study the coral reef system. 

Restaurants 

Also, when it comes to delicious local cuisines, I would recommend a few local destinations. This is simply for the cuisine my locals recommendation on my favorite delicious cuisine!

~Maple bake house @maple_bakehouse this is your go to breakfast joint. Most delicious fresh coffees, and pastries on the island. As well as handmade gourmet sandwiches. Every time I head to the island I make sure to stop at this bakehouse.

~Casa Mission @casamissionrestaurant delicious restaurant with Mexican Hacienda style, you feel like you’re in a big city like Merida or Valladolid. Perfect for date night 

~Sereno Cozumel @sereno_cozumel best placed for a delicious romantic sunset dinner fabulous cocktails, and appetizers!

~Guidos @guidos_cozumel another beautiful date night spot delicious pizza, and sangria best on the island!

~Restaurante El Moro @elmororestaurante this has to be my absolute favorite restaurant on the island. It’s nothing special from the outside. It’s actually located in a locals section of town and dress very casual when you go. The owner is always so so friendly and their food is out of this world. Don’t get me started on the fresh coconut ice cream.

Please let me know if you have anytime to add about Cozumel that I didn’t mention! Also, if you have any questions about the island or want to know more about a certain topic! Much love during this holiday season, 

Jennifer Dyer