Playa Norte
White sand, shallow water.
dronepicr — CC BY 2.0 · Bernard DUPONT — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kirt Edblom from Albany, Oregon, United States — CC BY-SA 2.0 · dronepicr — CC BY 2.0 · Suwanosejima — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Suwanosejima — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small, long island where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean, about 13 kilometres from Cancún and far calmer, with colourful streets, small houses and fish restaurants. Its Spanish name means «island of women». Its most famous spot is Playa Norte at the northern tip, counted among Mexico's finest beaches: soft white sand and calm, shallow, clear turquoise water you can wade far into with the water barely at your waist, which makes it ideal for families and children. Visitors rent electric golf carts to tour the whole island in a few hours: to Punta Sur at the southern tip, where cliffs rise over the open sea, to the sea-turtle farm and to the snorkelling beaches. From June to September, trips leave from here to see whale sharks in the open sea. Ferries run about every half hour from the Puerto Juárez pier north of Cancún, so go in the morning and return in the evening, or stay a night to see the sunset at Playa Norte.
White sand, shallow water.
The whole island in hours.
Cliffs over the sea.
An island about 13 km off the Cancún coast; ferry from Puerto Juárez in about 20-30 minutes
By ferry from the Puerto Juárez pier north of the city, about every half hour, taking about 20-30 minutes. Fewer, pricier ferries leave from the Hotel Zone.