Isla Mujeres is one of the privileged Mexican places with unique cultural and natural wealth. The beautiful island combines the Caribbean beauty with dense tropical forest and wonderful heritage of Mayan civilization. Apart from its beaches and stunning natural structural design of its cliffs, the island has marine parks and archaeological vestiges with implausible natural reefs. Traveling to the island is like finding out a magical world which almost every visitors will like to call it his or her second home. It is hard to escape from the Caribbean charm and natural beauty of Isla Mujeres and the place at the first sight only fascinates everyone.

Located opposite the Cancun Coast with 7.5 km long and 500 m wide, the place has lots on offer including the hotel infrastructure which includes one to five star hotels, regional and international restaurants, bars, turtle farms and beach clubs and activities like swimming with the dolphins. Its white sand seashores are ideal for sea watching and sunbathing and are easy to give way to temptations of dancing, good food, serenity and water sports.

• Attractions:

Beaches: Wonderful views of crystal clear waters and white sands can be enjoyed from morning to night on the wonderful beaches of Isla Mujeres. The Playa Norte is a white-sand beach which invited the travelers to swim, get tan, practice water sports, sleep in the hammocks under coconut trees and enjoy fresh seafood that are available for sale there. This beach provides the most splendid and spectacular view of sunset possible. Playa Lancheros, Playa Indios and Playa Paraiso are located on the Mujeres bay located on the west of the island. Here, you can buy folk clothing and handicrafts, take photo with the nurse sharks, snorkel, swim and enjoy a variety of aquatic species.

El Meco: It is one of the most significant Mayan archaeological zones serving as a centre for Mayan religious and civil functions. During the post-classic Mayan period, the El Meco was a significant navigation point along the peninsula.

Eco-tourism: Eco-tourism is one of the most active parts of the tourism industry of Isla Mujeres, which

serves great places for adventure and nature lovers. On the Birds’ Island or the Contoy island, the travelers will learn to respect their environment as it is one of the natural reserves that are home of aquatic birds. The travelers can also enjoy eco-tourism adventure by visiting sites like Cave of Sleeping Sharks, Half Moon, Cuevones and Barracuda Valley that provide unforgettable experience of adventure.

Hacienda Mundaca: A slave trader and a pirate, Fermin Mundaca de Marechjeaga, who got refuge on Isla Mujeres after fighting with British Navy in the year 1860, had built this. The Mundaca includes arches, walls, exotic plants, birds breeding places, gardens, cattle and orchards. The beauty, hospitality and quietness of the place make it perfect for lovers who would like to hear about romantic love stories popular in the area.

Downtown Isla Mujeres: When you will reach the island and visit its church, town hall, cultural centre and the main square, you will feel like you are walking through a small charming village. You can search through the handicraft shops offering items from Mexico, enjoy a drink with live music in a bar, watch sunset view on a beach and enjoy a tasty dinner in a restaurant. May there you get to see a folk dance performance or a handicraft exhibition in the main square area of the island.

Punta Sur: It has been located at the southern-most tip of the island only 20 meters over the sea level. This

is a natural formation offering wonderful view of Caribbean sea, Isla Mujeres bay and Cancun Island. Naturally carved sculptures on the Punta Sur along with those structured by famous international and Mexican artists enhance the natural beauty of the place manifolds.

Garrafon: This is a natural park on the island famous for the colorful fishes that swim around and the coral reef surrounding it. The activities you can go through include snorkeling, admiring the corals, sunbathing, visiting the aquarium, buying handicrafts, beachwear and folk wear and enjoying fast food or sea food.

Turtle Farm: Some of the biggest turtles are found on the island on which they lay eggs on the soft sand during the period from May through September. After the eggs are hatches, the turtles get transferred to the ponds and taken to sea by tourists and school children.

Dolphin Discovery: At this place, the travelers can swim with the dolphins, touch them, get kissed by them and discover their hard to believe abilities.

• Activities:

Isla Mujeres provides unique options of water activities like windsurfing, snorkeling, diving and seeing the sleeping sharks. On fine white sand beach of Playa Norte, the travelers can enjoy sun, air and water and practice yoga.

Water activities: Various companies situated on the beaches offer the required equipments for water sports like kayaks, beach toys and snorkel equipments. The most wonderful snorkeling experience awaits you at the reefs such as Manchones and El Farito where you can admire beautiful reefs with multi-colored fishes.

In the water, you can see rays, angelfishes and turtles. Around the Isla Mujeres, there are various attractive diving sites such as Los Cuevones, Cross of the Bay, Lavandera Reef and the Cave of sleeping sharks. While fishing, you can catch species like marlin, wahoo and dorado.

Shopping: For shopping lovers, the island has a huge variety of sophisticated jewelry stores and regional handicrafts, boutiques as well as souvenirs.

• Infrastructure:

The efficient tourism infrastructure of the place includes one to five star hotels, cultural centre, convention centre, various travel agencies, hospitals, banks, money exchange offices, dive shops, marinas and beach clubs. There is a huge variety of cuisines available ranging from international to traditional ones.

• Getting there

From the Cancun International Airport, you can get to the Isla Mujeres by car from Punta Sam, by express boat from Puerto Juarez or by tourist boat from the Cancun hotel zone. The travel by car takes around 45 minutes, by express boat around 15 minutes and by tourist boat around 35 minutes. You can also get to the place through small planes that your travel agent can provide you and if you are using a private plane, there are some characteristics that you have to follow.