Isla Contoy day trip

Only a few licensed boats may land on Contoy, and the island takes 200 visitors a day at most, so this is the one Cancún island trip that never feels crowded. It is an uninhabited national park 30 km north of Isla Mujeres, eight and a half kilometres of dunes and mangrove where more than 150 kinds of seabird nest, frigatebirds, brown pelicans and cormorants among them, and turtles lay eggs on the beaches.

The day starts early and runs until late afternoon. Boats stop to snorkel the Ixlaché reef off the southern tip, then a park guide walks you to the lighthouse, the lagoon and a small museum where a biologist explains the island. Lunch is a buffet on the beach, and many trips add an hour on Isla Mujeres on the way back. A dock and marine-park fee is usually paid in cash at check-in.