F irst sighted by the Spanish Conquistadors, Isla Contoy is situated about halfway between Cancun and Cabo Catoche -where, at the Yucatan Peninsula's northeasternmost point, the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean. Lying on a shallow coastal shelf, and barricaded seaward by pristine reef, the intervening turquoise sea is lake-like.

Enjoying an especially fertile maritime locale, where cool water sardines from the north backwash into tropical reef, and homesteaded only rarely through history (but unsuccessfully) by itinerant fishermen, the isle remains a haven for a myriad of nesting wildlife. It is here, along its beach strands dominated by sea-grapes, and within its coved mangroves dominated by Sea Eagle, where endangered sea turtle, especially the loggerhead (caretta caretta) , and some 96 species of bird, including the Mexican coast's largest Pelican Colony (pelicunus occidentalis), nest -and one of the world's rarest Egret (egretta rufescens) visits.

Reefs, buffering the isle seaward, teem with coral-life, while mangroves, leeward, can be occasioned by crocodiles (crocodylus moroletti) . The reefs themselves shelter, and route, one of the largest seasonal migrations of lobster (panilurus argus) on the planet; and nature trails abound.

Between June and September, the voyage offers the most superlative snorkeling in the region (or anywhere else for that matter) -really wild!

Guests rendezvous at the Pier for Isla Mujeres in the Cancun's Fishermen's Suburb of Puerto Juarez, and from the Pier of the Lancheros in Isla Mujeres:

-Schedules are 8:30AM to 5:30PM from Puerto Juarez,
and 8AM to 5PM from Isla Mujeres
-Aboard the 36' motor-sailor "Estrella del Norte"
Captained by Ricardo Gaitan
-$45US/Person/4 Min/12 Max
-Inc: Astute Host, Breakfast, Barbecued Fish Lunch,
Soft Drinks, Beer, Snorkeling & Trolling Gear + Field Guides
Excludes Hotel/Pier Transport

Distance from Piers: 8 Km

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