Cozumel or Isla Mujeres: Which Day Trip With Kids?

Both islands make a wonderful day off the resort, but very different ones: a short hop to a small island of golf carts and shallow water, or a longer crossing to the largest island in the Mexican Caribbean, internationally known for its reefs. Every ferry time, fare and park rule below comes from operators and official sources we checked on November 14, 2026.

Ferries, Fares and Real Transit Time

Isla Mujeres has the easier map. Ultramar sails from Puerto Juárez, north of downtown Cancun, and from Playa Tortugas and Playa Caracol, at km 6.5 and 9.5 of Kukulcan Boulevard. Xcaret Xailing leaves from El Embarcadero, at km 4.5, roughly hourly from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, with the last boat back at 8:00 pm, and puts the crossing at about 20 to 30 minutes.

Cozumel's ferries leave from central Playa del Carmen, where Ultramar and Xcaret Xailing both run the route; Xailing sails roughly hourly from the maritime terminal at Calle 1 Sur. Xailing and Quintana Roo's tourism board both put the crossing at about 45 minutes, and from Cancun, Xcaret's own directions start with the road to Playa del Carmen.

Count the whole trip. Xcaret Xailing recommends arriving 30 minutes early, so the ferry part alone is close to an hour each way to Isla Mujeres and an hour and a quarter to Cozumel, before the ride to the terminal.

For two adults and two children under 1.20 m, Ultramar comes to 2,040 pesos round trip for Isla Mujeres and 2,240 for Cozumel; Xailing's Cozumel fare is 2,080 with two children aged 5 to 11. Playa Caracol adds a dock fee, paid there.

Beaches and Water for Small Kids

For toddlers and early swimmers, Playa Norte, at the north end of Isla Mujeres beside the town, decides it: Quintana Roo's tourism board describes its white sand, shallow water and generally gentle waves.

Cozumel's family water is about snorkeling. At Chankanaab, inside the Cozumel Reefs National Park, the reef is so close to shore that snorkeling is enough to explore it, and El Cielo is a shallow, clear sandbar reached by boat, known for its starfish. For splashing rather than snorkeling, Playa Norte wins.

Golf Cart or Taxi: Getting Around

Isla Mujeres is about 7 km (4.3 miles) from tip to tip, and the tourism board says you can cover it in half an hour. The usual way around is a golf cart, rented by the pier; the town is walkable, and taxis run south to Punta Sur, Mexico's easternmost point.

Cozumel is about 48 km (30 miles) long and 14.8 km (9 miles) wide, according to the state port authority, APIQROO. San Miguel, the town, faces the ferry pier, so its waterfront and island museum are a walk away. Beyond town, the tourism board suggests a rental car for the east coast and Punta Sur park, with its lighthouse museum and a boat tour of Laguna Colombia to look for crocodiles and birds, and taxis wait at the southern cruise piers.

Snorkeling: Reef Park or Island Sites

The reefs off Cozumel's west coast were declared a national marine park in a decree published July 19, 1996, and the tourism board singles out Palancar, Colombia and Santa Rosa for coral, underwater walls and clear water.

The park's management program, in the 1998 edition CONANP posts, has snorkelers go with an authorized guide and stay 1.5 meters (5 feet) from coral, and forbids touching or standing on the reef, feeding or chasing marine life, and wearing gloves.

Isla Mujeres has more than twenty snorkel and dive sites, 3 to 30 meters deep, says the tourism board, including the Manchones reef, El Farito and MUSA, an underwater museum with more than 500 sculptures. Garrafón park adds snorkeling in a reef cove and a zipline over the sea.

Snorkel and boat trips in the federal marine parks pay a fee per person per day, set for 2026 at 225.56 pesos in Cozumel's reef park and 125.32 in the park along Isla Mujeres' west coast, Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc, rounded to the nearest 5 pesos when paid. Children under 12 are exempt, and from January 1, 2027, under-13s and adults 60 and over. Ask your tour operator whether its price includes it.

Where Family Photos Fit In

Isla Mujeres is where a family session fits into the day: Playa Norte faces north and west, so the sun sets over the water, and its shallows let small children be in the sea with you.

First light. A sunrise session, before the beach fills, needs an early boat: Xailing's first departure, at 9:00 am, is too late, so check Ultramar's first boat from Puerto Juárez, or stay the night on the island.

Last light. Spend the day, then shoot before the ride back. By our calculation, sunset at Playa Norte falls between 6:04 pm in late November and 7:33 pm in early July (see our Cancun sunset times by month). With Xailing's last boat at 8:00 pm and 30 minutes at the dock, that is comfortable from mid-September to March and tight from late April to late August; in June and July, with sunset at 7:25 pm or later, the session has to end before the sun goes down. Confirm Ultramar's last boat the day you go.

Our online booking offers 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 am and 5:00 and 5:30 pm, with other times on WhatsApp; in November and December, a 5:00 or 5:30 pm start runs into sunset. For an island session, message us your date and boat, and ask about any travel cost for the island before you book. Our Isla Mujeres family photo session guide, Isla Mujeres photographer page and day plan from Costa Mujeres go deeper.

Cozumel is a different day. With about two and a half hours on the ferry side alone and snorkeling at its heart, there is little room for a calm hour of portraits. Let Cozumel be the reef day, and book your session another morning or evening on your own beach, in Cancun or Playa del Carmen (see our Playa del Carmen family session guide). Coming by cruise ship? Our Cozumel cruise-day session guide does the port math.

For families we recommend The Chapter: 60 minutes, 35 edited photos and one look, 475 USD; our six collections run from 295 to 895 USD, with no per-person charge. There is no deposit: you pay at the end, by card or in cash, and cancellation is free until one day before. A preview arrives within 24 hours and the full gallery in 1 to 3 business days.

Our team, led by Vianey Díaz, brings more than 20 years of photography experience and has photographed thousands of families and couples; IVAE Studios has delivered more than 500 sessions since 2023 and holds 5.0 stars across 75 Google reviews. See our Cancun family photographer page, or book online.

The Quick Decision Table

Sources Checked

Read on November 14, 2026. Check again before you travel.

• Ultramar: fares, departure points and child rules.
• Xcaret Xailing: Isla Mujeres schedules, Cozumel ferry and getting to Cozumel.
• Consejo de Promoción Turística de Quintana Roo: Isla Mujeres and Cozumel.
• APIQROO, the state port authority: Cozumel.
• CONANP: Arrecifes de Cozumel management program (1998), rules 20, 22 and 60.
• Federal Law of Fees, article 198 (2026 amounts), and the decree of November 13, 2026, in force January 1, 2027.
• Sun times: our calculation with NOAA's solar equations for 2027 at Playa Norte (21.26 N, 86.75 W), on the UTC-5 clock Mexico's time zone law sets for Quintana Roo.