Been considering of packing your luggage and jetting off straight to Cancun now that summer season’s mainly knocking at your door?
When it involves all-inclusives, high quality time on the seaside, and only a hassle-free, zero-bureaucracy worldwide vacay, Mexico’s tourism powerhouse is actually arduous to beat, however earlier than you go forward and act on that burning FOMO, hear us out:
As counterintuitive as it could sound, summer season’s probably not a good time to be in Cancun. Yes, resort charges are cheaper, and crowding on the most important public seashores could also be at a minimal, however there’s one main disadvantage most vacationers naively overlook, solely to get their whole seaside trip ruined:
Sargassum.
Ever seen these downright terrible photos of Cancun’s waterfront, with a thick strip of foul-smelling seaweed tarnishing what would in any other case be pristine, powdery white sands?
Yep, this time of yr, the Mexican Caribbean is often battered by the annual sargassum bloom, and from the Hotel Zone all the way down to the quieter seaside cities of Playa del Carmen and Tulum, there appears to be no escaping the phenomenon.
…till you’re taking that 20-minute ferry to the paradise island instantly going through Cancun:
Paradise Found Just Off The Cancun Coast
Unimpressive by dimension as it could be, as a small island at solely 4.3 miles lengthy and 0.4 miles vast, Isla Mujeres punches way above its weight.
From powdered-sugar white seashores and turquoise seas, to laid-back resort zones the place the mainland site visitors chaos doesn’t apply, it’s Cancun on a much-smaller scale, and utterly surrounded by water. That’s a good-enough trade-off for us, however there’s extra:
Unlike many of the mainland Caribbean coast of Mexico, Isla Mujeres stays virtually clear and devoid of sargassum in summer season, when the algae sometimes proliferates at a quicker fee, each because of the warming seas and because of the stronger nature of the currents that carry it ashore.
Why, you ask? It’s all to do with geography:
We might need to get somewhat technical for a second, but it surely helps clarify why Isla Mujeres is commonly much less affected by sargassum.
How Does Isla Mujeres Avoid Most Of The Seasonal Sargassum?
Most sargassum is carried towards the Mexican coast by prevailing easterly and southeasterly winds. Isla Mujeres sits simply offshore, whereas lots of its hottest seashores face west towards Cancun and the mainland, in addition to north.
The consequence? Much of the sargassum drifts previous the island and continues towards the mainland’s east-facing shoreline, the place it’s extra prone to wash ashore. This pure positioning helps protect lots of Isla Mujeres’ seashores from the worst of the seaweed buildup.
To sum it up, the island is of course protected, and should you’re asking which seaside is the least prone to see any quantity of sargassum this season, not solely on Isla Mujeres, however the complete Mexican Caribbean, this could be Playa Norte, or ‘North Beach’.
Often listed in these prestigious, bucket-list-worthy ‘Best Beaches within the World’ rankings, it’s Caribbean perfection materialized:
Fine white sands, lagoon-like crystalline seas, so shallow you’ll be able to stroll deep into it and nonetheless by no means sink beneath your waist, and a dozen or so cantinas doling out contemporary seafood and refreshers.
On that notice, be sure you swing by Javi’s Cantina, just a few blocks from Playa Norte, for decent-priced margaritas and a killer shrimp ceviche with guacamole. Travel Off Path seal of approval.
How Safe Is Isla Mujeres Right Now?
Another space the place Isla Mujeres excels, apart from sargassum-free, paradisiacal seashores, is security.
It scores a formidable 84/100 on the Traveler Safety Index, primarily based on stories by vacationers who’ve truly been to the place, not some keyboard bureaucrat bunkered up in a basement someplace, spewing out overcautious journey steering for this or that authorities.
Let’s simply say should you’re trying to really unwind and revel in your much-needed time within the solar and not using a fear on the planet, you simply cannot go mistaken with Isla Mujeres, much more so than Cancun:
Those spectacular security ranges are attributed to the truth that the island’s economic system revolves closely round tourism, and native authorities do not play around on the subject of their friends’ well-being and security.
It’s simply over 4 miles lengthy, and roughly half a mile vast, so the vacationer zones are compact, walkable, well-lit at evening, and highly-surveilled.
Bag-snatching and pickpocketing, albeit unusual, aren’t precisely unheard-of, so we might preserve our wits about ourselves when going for a dip on the seaside and leaving gadgets unattended on the sand, however violent crime affecting vacationers?
Extremely uncommon.
The Perfect Cancun Dupe
We should say that, regardless of its small dimension and the actual fact it would not have its personal airport, requiring a brief ferry switch and with most arrivals being filtered by way of Cancun International Airport (CUN), Isla Mujeres does get very busy no matter season.
The North Beach particularly can really feel notably hectic with the day-trippers, and seeing it’s now certainly one of solely a handful of seashores in the complete area that has restricted, if any sargassum, you need to count on greater crowds to collect right here throughout the day.
The cool factor about this island, nonetheless, is that it isn’t merely a Cancun dupe for when seaweed batters the Mexican coast: it is a full-fledged vacation spot that possibly warrants the complete weekend.
Before you go forward and e book that point off, do be sure you run a fast vacation spot examine on the Entry Requirement Checker: that is your be-all, end-all software for verifying visa restrictions that apply to U.S. passport holders, and entry and keep laws.
Back to Isla Mujeres.
More Than Just Beaches
Punta Sur, the intense south of the island, has clifftop paths, crashing Caribbean waves, sculpture gardens, and unimaginable sundown views. The best option to attain it’s renting a golf cart—one of the best ways to get across the island—and happening a leisurely loop of the rugged shoreline.
Besides the surroundings, Punta Sur hosts the stays of a temple devoted to the Mayan goddess Ixchel, which the traditional folks believed represented the moon, fertility, and childbirth.
Isla Mujeres can also be on the northern finish of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and the coral-rich waters alongside its jap facet are one of many most important points of interest. Think clear water, distinctive coral formations, colourful tropical fish, and underwater sculpture websites that appear like whole sunken misplaced cities.
For a glimpse into island life, try ‘Downtown’, or as locals name it, ‘Centro’:
The most important settlement on the island, it’s centered across the shop-lined Avenida Hidalgo, the place you will discover your standard mixture of memento outlets and family-run eating places, or take somewhat detour out to La Gloria, a laid-back neighborhood that retains a lot of its fishing village character.
How To Get To Isla Mujeres This Season
The best option to get to Isla Mujeres this season is to fly first into Cancun.
Once you get to Cancun (the town), head straight for Puerto Juárez, and hop on the 15/20-minute ferry, operated by Ultramar, that travels straight to the island.
Ferries run just about each half hour, even now within the low season, so you might have loads of flexibility and leeway to discover Isla Mujeres both as a day-trip tour or a complete vacation spot.
A bit of recommendation? This isn’t a type of locations you wish to rush by way of. Stay the evening.
Hell, keep the complete week, as a result of when you’re there, it is the leaving that seems like the true trouble.
