The 15 Best Ferry Trips in Mexico

1.Private Roundtrip Transportation from Cancun Airport to Ferry Isla Mujeres

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,534 reviews · 40 minutes (approx.) Our pick

Meet a Happy Shuttle representative in a green shirt outside Cancun Airport, ride by private air-conditioned van to the Isla Mujeres ferry, and receive return instructions for pickup at the ferry’s main exit. Drivers such as Juan Carlos, Leo, and Orlando handle the transfer.

“Great transportation. New, Clean Vehicle, Excellent drivers, Prompt courteous service. timely and well organized. Very Inexpensive. Only $103 for private van.”

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2.Whale Watching, The Famous Arch and Fast Boat Tour in Los Cabos

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 693 reviews · 2 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $99

Ride a powerful inflatable boat from Cabo San Lucas into the Sea of Cortez or Pacific Ocean, searching for humpback whales from December through April. Your guide explains whale behavior, and onboard hydrophones let you hear their calls. The return route passes the Arch, sea lions, and Lovers Beach.

“The whale watching was AMAZING! Great people at Cabo Adventures. Especially Jerry our guide and his crew. Super informative and lots of WHALES! Don’t hesitate to book this, it’s some of the most fun you’ll have in Cabo!”

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3.Boat Ride to the Arch and Beach Camel Ride in Cabo San Lucas

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 499 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $149

Cruise by fast boat to Cabo’s Arch, sea lions, and Playa del Amor, then ride a camel beside the Pacific at Rancho Tierra Sagrada. Your day includes hotel pickup, lunch, beer, tequila, and fruit waters. Guides may include Max, Kevin, Raul, or Captain Shaggy.

“Boat experience is fine. Guide was friendly. Camel ride was unimpressive, pretty much 10 minutes. Place where camel ride is located is nice but they try their best that you do not get single chance to click pictures and 5-6 occasions where you have to tip. Single picture for $50 does not feel right. Food was good and rides were nice.”

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4.Ultramar Ferry, Regular round ticket, Playa del Carmen-Cozumel

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 302 reviews · 30 to 35 minutes (approx.) · from $38

Take Ultramar’s regular round-trip ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel in about 30 to 35 minutes. Collect your boarding passes at the official Navega federal pier office, then arrive 30 minutes early. Expect comfortable seating, room for luggage and pets, optional snacks and drinks, and sometimes live music.

“Very nice ferry highly recommend it. If you get seasick you should put the anti. Nausea patch behind your ear. Other than that it was great”

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5.Luxury FERRY Xcaret: From Cancun to Isla Mujeres

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 167 reviews · 30 minutes (approx.) · from $19Best value

Take Grupo Xcaret’s air-conditioned ferry from Cancun’s Hotel Zone to Isla Mujeres in about 30 minutes. Choose indoor or outdoor seating, use onboard Wi-Fi and restrooms, and bring your pet. Round-trip tourist tickets include access to Cancun’s Scenic Tower, with departures generally running hourly.

“Rent a golf cart for the day and travel the isle.. good food. Punta sur is a must see for the lovely ocean views, iguanas everywhere.. Just GO it's so cool. The shops have usual tourist stuff like t shirts and conch shells. Plenty of tequila and tastings abound.”

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6.Private Transfer Cancun-Playa del Carmen/Ferry/Puerto Aventuras

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 137 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)

Book a private, air-conditioned van from Cancun to Playa del Carmen, the ferry terminal, or Puerto Aventuras. Your driver meets you with a name sign, tracks flight details, and takes only your group of up to eight. Drivers such as Fernando, Omar, and Felipe are noted for clear communication and patient service.

“Great communication. Punctual. Made the round trip comfortable. From start to finish the entire process was great. Thanks to Elina for always being available for questions”

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7.Boat ride to the Arch and Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 128 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $82

Meet Cabo Nature at Breathless Cabo San Lucas Resort for a 2.5-hour boat trip with up to 10 people. Maria, Esme, Belem, and other guides lead you past Land’s End and into the water near Pelican Rock, with snorkeling gear, drinks, beer, snacks, and fresh guacamole afterward.

“Gil, Maria, and Belem were fantastic. Very nice and helpful. They were patient and kind. The guacamole was delicious”

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8.Cancun Airport – Holbox (Ferry and Taxi Ticket Included)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 101 reviews

Travel privately from Cancun Airport to Holbox with STP Caribe. Your driver takes you to Chiquila, provides ferry tickets for two, and arranges an island taxi to your hotel. Drivers such as Wilbert Estrella, Alfredo, and Jose De la Cruz are praised for clean vehicles, cold towels, and careful service.

“Jorge San Juan was an excellent driver who made our transfer experience extremely comfortable.”

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9.Shared Shuttle Cancun Airport to Holbox Ferry (Chiquila Port)

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 82 reviews · 2 to 20 minutes (approx.) · from $42

Ride an air-conditioned shared minivan from Cancun Airport to Chiquila Port in about two hours. Meet the representative at Terminal 2 Domestic, then continue to the ferry dock. Ferry tickets cost extra, and the shuttle waits only 10 minutes.

“Bang on time, safe drivers and very helpful. Car perfectly air conditioned. Was very easy from booking to drop off!”

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10.Luxury FERRY Xcaret: From Playa del Carmen to Cozumel

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 71 reviews · 45 minutes (approx.) · from $39

Ride a clean, air-conditioned Grupo Xcaret ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel in about 45 minutes. Your open ticket gives you schedule flexibility, with WiFi, restrooms, luggage storage, pet space, accessible seating, and outdoor decks. Inland transport is not included.

“The Xcaret ferry is great! Fast, clean, and well attended. They clearly take care of their fleet and their people.”

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11.Round Ferry Transfer from Tortugas to Isla Mujeres

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 67 reviews · 30 minutes (approx.) · from $34

Ride Ultramar from Playa Tortugas in Cancun’s Hotel Zone to Isla Mujeres in about 25 to 30 minutes. You’ll receive your ferry ticket at the terminal, then enjoy air-conditioning, panoramic views, screens, hostess service, and possible live music on the crossing.

“The whole process was disappointing I bought my ticket online when I arrived at dock they couldn't verify my online purchase. Eventually after about 20 min they let me board. After trying to get me to pay more money, a so called environmental fee.”

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12.Clearboat: Glass-bottom boat ride to the Caribean Sea

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 53 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $35

Spend about 75 minutes on a small glass-bottom boat from Cancun or Isla Mujeres, looking for turtles, rays, fish, coral, and underwater statues. A guide and captain lead the ride, with two beers and bottled water included. Expect a lively photo stop, a 12-person maximum, and a MX$100 dock fee.

“The clear water and the staff! who made the tour very nice and comfortable. The experience was amazing I’ll rate it 10/10 and definitely will tell others.”

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13.Cabo San Lucas: glass-bottom boat ride to “End of the Earth”

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 6 reviews · from $75

You’ll ride from Cabo San Lucas or San José del Cabo to the Arch, Lover’s Beach, Divorce Beach, and San Andrés Cave. The boat has a glass-bottom viewing area, though it may be limited to two small windows. A bilingual guide, hotel pickup, water, and tequila tasting are included.

“Not as advertised. “Glass bottom boat” had minimal viewing capacity (just 2 ~2x3.5 ft windows in the bottom; perhaps this is the standard but it is not clear from the description). Had chosen this activity (and paid extra) for the opportunity to take the boat to lover’s beach (and walk on the beach) and was assured on scheduling that this is part of the itinerary “when the weather allows” but the boat guide clearly had no intention of stopping. Was thus a quick (45 min) ride to the arch and back and could see more fish out the sides of the boat than the bottom. The driver, however, was fantastic…”

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14.45 Minute Transparent Boat Ride to the Arch of Cabo San Lucas

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · 45 minutes (approx.) · from $45

Board a fully transparent boat in Cabo San Lucas for a short, photo-friendly trip around Lands End. You’ll stop at the Arch, look through the clear bottom at Pelican Rock, circle Lovers and Divorce Beach, and spot sea lions and rock formations. English service, bottled water, and groups of up to 14 are included.

“We had a fantastic time on the boat ride and it was so cool that the entire boat was transparent! Our guide took great pictures and gave helpful tips for shots. The photos they offered were also reasonable and really easy to download. The only tricky part was finding them on the crowded marina on a cruise ship day.”

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15.Glass Bottom Boat Ride to the Arch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 45 minutes (approx.) · from $30

This 45-minute Cabo cruise takes you from the marina to El Arco in a small group of up to 12. A certified guide such as Rene or Hercél points out sea life, rock formations, sea lions, and beaches. The glass bottom consists of viewing windows, not a fully transparent hull.

“Great experience!!!! This is my 2nd time! I would definitely recommend to my friends and family! Love you guys!”

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