Cozumel Tours

  History of Cozumel

  Why visit Cozumel?

  How to get to Cozumel

  Where to stay at Cozumel

  What can I do while staying at Cozumel

  Money, Telephone & Internet

  Currency

  Climate

  What to bring when visiting Cozumel

Cozumel Tours

Mangrove Cuckoo

• Cozumel Island Tour
• Cozumel Birding Tour
• Fly to World Wonder Chichen Itza
• Fly to swim with Whale Sharks

We can also arrange your hotel, transportation and any other activities that you would like to do in the region.

Contact us and we can customize the trip according to your needs!

Cozumel for Cruise Ship passengers
For more information about your arrival to beautiful Cozumel Island by cruise ship, please click here.

History of Cozumel

Cozumel is the oldest island in the Caribbean Group and the largest inhabitant island in Mexico.

Cozumel was inhabited by Mayans since 300 AD and the island became an important port for trade because of its strategic location between Honduras and Vera Cruz. Other trade products were salt and honey which they produced locally. 

Cozumel ruins

The name Cozumel derives from “Cuzamil-Pectin” or “Land of Swallows”. The explanation comes from Ixchel, the Mayan Goddess of fertility and love. Cozumel is said to be the spiritual home of Ixchel and Mayan women from all over the Mayan World traveled to Cozumel to worship at her shrines on the island and dedicated temples to her. Ixchel thanked those women by sending her favorite bird, the swallow, as a sign of gratitude. Although most of the shrines were destroyed by the Spanish after they discovered the island in 1517, there are still some left to see.

The Mayan population decreased and the island became a base for pirates who terrorized the Caribbean during the 17th and 18th centuries. Due to the Caste War on the mainland in 1848 many Mayan and white Spanish refugees came to Cozumel and grew the population.

In the following century San Miguel developed into a small fishing village. In 1961 the famous French diver Jacques Cousteau declared Palancar reef of Cozumel the most beautiful scuba diving area he had ever seen. This made for a huge increase in tourism on the island.

Why visit Cozumel?

Cozumel is a Mexican Caribbean Island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Ever since Jacques Cousteau discovered the island, Cozumel sees thousands of scuba divers yearly. If you have never scuba dived before, this is the perfect place to learn; in 3 days you get a world wide recognized certificate.

But there is more to Cozumel then just diving. As this is a coral island, you will find excellent snorkeling spots right off the coast. Furthermore, Cozumel offers great white sand beaches and beautiful nature as 97% of the island is still untouched. On the east side of the island there can be found some good surfing waves and you can always spot surfers in the water waiting for their ultimate thrill. You can get lessons in kite, wave and wind surfing or just rent a boogie board and try your luck.

Relaxing

On an early day’s start you can rent a bicycle and cycle 65 kilometers around the island, or if you would like to take it easier, you can rent a car or scooter instead.

Another thing to do is to go on a catamaran sailing trip that takes you to the best deep water snorkeling spots around the island.

Already in ancient Mayan times, Cozumel was known as a special place. There are several Mayan ruins on Cozumel and in the middle of the island there is the Mayan site San Gervasio. You won’t find big temples here, but it is a nice place to spend a few hours among Mayan energies and walking through the island’s jungle.

There are many things to see and do on Cozumel, but what really makes any stay on the island into a great experience is the endless hospitability of its people. This is an island of many smiles where people have a laid back attitude and a particularly relaxed and positive view on life.

Cozumel is the safest destination in Mexico, the local people are extremely friendly and the island is ready to welcome you with open arms at any time!

How to get to Cozumel

By air

Direct flights to Cozumel are available from Cancun and several US and Canadian cities.

By ferry

Passenger ferries run between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel hourly and take about 40 minutes to cross the Yucatan Channel.

Car and Cargo ferries run between Calica (south of  Playa del Carmen) and Cozumel several times a day and take about 1.5 hour to cross the Yucatan Channel.

Where to stay at Cozumel

The official hotel zone of the island lies on the North West coast. You will find 4 and 5 star hotels here like the Coral Princess, Playa Azul and Melia Cozumel.

More hotel chains and with sandy beaches are found on the south west coast: Presidente, Occidental hotels and Iberostar are a few examples.

The down town of Cozumel offers several budget hotel options including a hostels and B&Bs.

There is one eco-hotel on the east side of the island: Ventanas al Mar.

What can I do while staying on Cozumel?

• Snorkeling: By yourself or with a guide, from the beach or from a boat.

Diving
• Scuba Diving: Beginners: Duende Tours is glad to help you arrange your dive course. If you have never dived before it is important to feel sure that your instructor is a reliable person. We can help you to get certified in a fun and safe way.   
• Scuba Diving: Advanced: We can also help the experienced diver to arrange the dives or courses he would like to take while staying on Cozumel.        
• Surfing: Duende Tours can arrange your wave, kite or wind surfing lessons.
• Drive around the island and visit its many beaches by bicycle, car or scooter.
• Visit San Gervasio Maya ruins.
• Take an overnight jungle tour including a night in typical Maya huts, bicycling, hiking to the beach and a temascal ritual. 
• Visit Natural Park Punta Sur, best beach of the island and amazing snorkeling.
• Make day trips to the mainland: Playa del Carmen, mainland cenotes and adventure tours, swim with turtles or Whale Sharks, visit the famous Mayan ruins of Tulum, Coba or Chichen Itza.

 We can organize all of the above and more, just contact us and we will happily advise you!

Money, Telephone & Internet

ATM cash machines are found at the supermarkets, banks and seafront streets in town. Internet cafés (which often provide telephone service as well) can be found in town and most hotels now provide (free) wifi.

Currency

The currency of Mexico is the Mexican Peso. 1 USD is about 12 pesos; exchange rates change by the day. US dollars are widely accepted everywhere on Cozumel.

Climate

The weather in Cozumel is hot and humid all year due to a tropical climate. The average temperature is 26 degrees. December and January see lower temperatures and you may want to wear a sweater at night. The ideal time to visit is February and March. Dry season is from December to April, rainy season from May to November with a chance of hurricanes from June to November.

What to bring when visiting Cozumel

Bring sun protection and your bathing suit! Of course you don’t want to forget your camera.

Cozumel,  located 12 miles off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula, welcomes over 1 million cruise passengers per year and every day between 2 and 11 cruise ships dock its piers. Why? Because, small as it is – it’s only 11 miles wide and 34 miles long – the island has a lot to offer: isolated white-sand beaches, stunning coral reef, Mayan culture and many shops and restaurants.

As a cruise ship passenger you are bound to the schedule of the ship. With just a few hours on land you want to make the most of your time. But what should you do? It is a possibility to book one of the tours offered by your cruise company, but these tours are catered to massive groups and the profit of these tours do not help the local economy but go to the cruise lines.  Since we live on the island ourselves, we know its secrets and can take you to the best places. In this article we will show you what Cozumel and the surrounding area has to offer for you as a cruise ship passenger.

Cozumel, a small island of Mexico, is best known as a tourist hotspot. Even so, it has a wide array of birds and other animals, both endemic inhabitants and migratory visitors, several of which are endangered. Many birdwatchers love to explore the island and see these interesting birds.

One of the rarest endemic birds is the Cozumel Thrasher, which is nearly, if not completely, extinct. A part of the mockingbird family, it is brown and white with a long, curved bill, and said to make a complex, scratchy warbling. After Hurricane Gilbert in September of 1988, the species began a rapid decline. The latest reports of sightings were in 2006, after two more severe hurricanes hit the island.

The beautiful island of Cozumel, once sacred to the Maya Moon Goddess, Ix Chel, became a place of refuge for 17th century pirates. More recently, Cozumel was a place of agriculture, the fishing hundreds of tropical fish, and hunting crocodiles.

American Crocodiles, Crocodylus acutus, have claimed their home in many of the fresh or brackish waters of river estuaries, coastal lagoons, mangrove swamps and wetlands. They have also been known to inhabit shallow areas such as ponds and creeks. Living throughout Southern Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, some thousand of these carnivores also take up residence in areas of southern Florida.