Catamaran Tours to Isla Mujeres

Here are two new options to sail over to Isla Mujeres by catamaran. Xcaret has launched its new Xailing Tours to Isla Mujeres from the Hotel Zone in Cancun. These two new options afford visitors an opportunity to snorkel and see the wonder turquoise blue water between Cancun and Isla Mujeres and spend some time on the island. What is nice about these tours is the new catamarans they use and of course Xcaret usually does a good job setting up experiences for guests. Both tours get you out on the water and you will have a chance to snorkel in the El Mecco Reef. These tours are fun for all ages and are one of the better options for taking a catamaran tour. You can see more in our video below.

Our video of sailing to Isla Mujeres on a catamaran

We do recommend these catamaran tours to Isla Mujeres because they offer a good value. Not only are the catamarans new, Xcaret offers good service and better quality, like the beach club you visit and the buffet lunch. There is also the possibility to extend your time on Isla Mujeres and come back by ferry plus the free entrance to the Scenic Tower in Cancun.

Two versions of this catamaran tour

Xcaret offers a more basic tour and a prime tour. Both tours include life jackets, snacks on board, drinks included including alcoholic drinks, snorkeling, masks, a meal (boxed or buffet), and a lot of fun! Below are the details of each catamaran tour.

Xcaret Catamaran Prime Tour

The tour in the video is the longer tour version called Xcaret Catamaran Prime Tour. This tour starts off from the Hotel Zone and takes you to the El Mecco reef. Here you will have a chance to snorkel in the turquoise waters between Cancun and Isla Mujeres. Afterward, you will sail to the south end of Isla Mujeres where you will arrive at the beautiful Zaza Beach Club. At the beach club you will have a buffet lunch with drinks included. Besides the to-die-for views, there are beach chairs, a pool, bar, and facilities to make you relax and enjoy your stop. After the beach club you will sail to the north end of the island to the main town. Here you will have free time to walk around, shop, relax on a beach or have a drink.

To return you have the option to take the catamaran back to the Hotel Zone of the Xcaret Ferry at a later time if you want to spend more time on the island. This tour starts at 9:00am and if you take the catamaran back to the Hotel Zone, you will arrive around 3:40pm.

Xcaret Catamaran Light Tour

The Xcaret Catamaran Light Tour takes you from the Hotel Zone to snorkel at El Mecco. Instead of going to the beach club for the buffet, you will have a boxed lunch onboard and sail directly to the north end of Isla Mujeres where you will have some free time to explore. You also have the option to return by catamaran or Xcaret Ferry to the Hotel Zone.

The main difference in this tour is it is a shorter tour because you do not visit the beach club on Isla Mujeres, and you do not have a buffet lunch. This tour is about $40 USD less for adults and about $30 USD less for children ages 5–11-year-olds. Some people prefer a shorter tour and to return to the hotel to eat. Others might like the longer tour to enjoy the day in Isla Mujeres and also the beach club. This tour has two departures, one at 8:30am and one at 11:30am. The tour is about 6-7 hours.

How to get the best price possible on these tours!

Who doesn’t like saving money? Did you know if you book these tours in advance, you can save 10% or 15%? That means for a family of 4 with two children, you can save about $50 USD by booking in advance. So how do you do it? Well, you just need to go to the official website of Xcaret Xailing and buy your tickets 7 days or more than 21 days in advance. Now I know what you are thinking, how can I plan that far in advance. Well, Xcaret makes it easy, you can move the date of your tour up to one day before your scheduled departure. So, you don’t have to worry about the weather or if your plans change.

Tip: Want to save even more? If you want to visit one of Xcaret’s Parks or other tours while you are on vacation, packaging them together will save you up to 20% off! This is the best way to save money and get all of your plans ready for your vacation!

Below is the link to the official page for Xcaret Xailing Catamaran tours. This is where you will pay the official price and get a discount if booking in advance. If you do buy through this link, not only will you be buying this tour at the best price possible, but you will also be supporting our website because Xcaret gives us credit when we refer readers to purchase tickets through our links here.

Booking transportation for these tours

You can add transportation for this tour that will pick you up from your hotel or meeting point and provide round trip transportation. This is an easy way to combine all in one for your tour. However, here are a few recommendations. If you are staying in the Hotel Zone in Cancun, you might want to consider taking a taxi here since short distances are cheaper in a taxi. the transportation offered from Xcaret is good if you are further away like the far south end of the Hotel Zone or even further south in places like Puerto Morelos and Playa Del Carmen. The catamaran tours leave from KM 4.5 of the Hotel Zone in Cancun. If you search on google maps it will show you exactly where the Xcaret Xailing tours leave from.

Tip: Make sure you book your transportation at the same time as when you purchase your tickets if you want to use the Xcaret transport.

Self-driving to the port

You can self-drive here if you have rented a car. There is a large parking garage at the port. The garage has a small hourly charge for parking. It is very easy to park there and connect to your catamaran tour.

Xcaret Xailing Tour — Attention to detail is nice on this tour. They even had custom made brass bells made for the catamarans.

EXTRA Perk for Taking this Catamaran Tour!

Here is a cool tip for those that take this tour or go to any of Xcaret’s parks. If you keep your bracelet on, you have 15 days to visit the Scenic Tower in Cancun. You will go up 80 meters and get a 360-degree view of the Hotel Zone and over to Isla Mujeres. The Scenic Tower is right next to the port where you get the catamaran tours. This makes for an easy free visit after getting back from your tour.

Normally this is a $20 USD entrance for adults and $10 USD for Children. You get this for free if you take this catamaran tour. This is just another perk of taking Xcaret’s Xailing Tour.

Xcaret Xailing — This is where you will depart for your catamaran tour going over to snorkel and to Isla Mujeres. Plus you can see the Scenic Tower in the background. You can go up in this tower for free after this tour.

Cancun Scenic Tower — After taking a catamaran tour to Isla Mujeres, you can go up in the Scenic Tower for FREE!

What is best to bring on this tour and tips

If you plan on snorkeling, bring a bathing suit and a change of clothes.
A towel is a good to bring since none are provided.
Your camera to catch all the spectacular places you will visit. This can include an underwater camera or waterproof bag for your cell phone.
For footwear, you can bring whatever you want since during snorkeling you can leave everything on the catamaran. All stops have docks, and you don’t have to walk through sand. Having something comfortable to walk around the town on Isla Mujeres is a good idea.
Only bring chemical free suncreams. This is for the protection of the reef and beaches.
Since it is sunny most of the time, a hat and sunglasses are a good option. The catamaran has a shaded inside area and upstairs deck in full sun, so you do have options on the boat.
The snorkeling is about 20 minutes in the water. You will have a lifejacket on the whole time. There are currents in the water, and you do need to know how to swim. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Bring some cash for souvenirs. There will be a lot of options in Isla Mujeres to purchase things.

Catamaran Tours in the Riviera Maya

With as much coastline as the Riviera Maya has you might expect there to be more tours on the water. Catamaran tours are limited to ports where they can sail from. The two main places to get catamaran tours is from Cancun or Puerto Aventuras. There are a few from Maroma and even very small catamarans can be launched from the beach in Playa Del Carmen. However, your best options are sailing from Cancun to Isla Mujeres or up the coast from Puerto Aventuras.

The difference between the two locations is what you want to see and where you are staying in the Riviera Maya. For most people, both of these areas are accessible, and transportation is available. We just advise not booking some cheap tours. These often are not as organized, serve cheap food and drinks and often do not go to the best spots. Your vacations are your time to enjoy, and you don’t want to have an average day when you could have a great time on a tour.