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A boat trip from Cancún costs $45 to $109 per person: $45 for two hours of self-driven speedboat and reef snorkelling with Jungle Tour Adventure, plus $20 in cash on the day; $55 to $75 for a snorkel trip to the reef, the MUSA sculptures and a shipwreck; and $97 to $109 for a whole day to Isla Mujeres — or to Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy — with lunch and drinks.\g<2>
Checked against the operators' own sites on 19 September and 1 October 2026
- $65a shared speedboat seat once the $20 cash fee is added
- $77the Isla Mujeres catamaran per adult, booked eight or more days ahead
- 10–60the ages at which Cancun Sailing lets guests snorkel
The trips start from different places. Jungle Tour Adventure works from its own small marina on the lagoon side of the Hotel Zone, at Km 14.6, in the car park of Fred's House opposite the JW Marriott, and does not collect you from the hotel. Cancun Sailing does: its catamarans board at Marina Punta Norte by Playa Mujeres or at Marina Las Perlas at Km 2.5, and neither marina has parking.
Contoy Adventures leaves from its own terminal at the Punta Sam ferry dock north of the city, and Total Snorkel Cancun's marina is on the same Punta Sam road; both include hotel transport on the options shown above. Manta Dive & Snorkel checks you in at Marina del Rey, Km 15.6 of the Hotel Zone. DC Explorer starts on Isla Mujeres itself, so from Cancún you take the ferry first.
Who drives the speedboat, and who can come?#
You do. Jungle Tour Adventure says its 13-foot boats are easy for first-time drivers, and the guide explains the wheel, the three-position throttle and the hand signals before you leave the dock. The driver must be 18 and show a photo ID. Children come from three, and from three to seven they need an adult who is not driving. A boat carries up to 240 kg, and no one over 117 kg.
How much of the trip is snorkelling?#
On the speedboat, about 45 minutes on the Punta Nizuc reef after a ride of about 40 minutes; if you would rather not swim, you stay in the boat. The operator takes only intermediate and advanced swimmers to the MUSA sculptures at Punta Nizuc, and only in good weather. On the catamaran the stop at El Meco lasts 30 minutes on average, life vests are compulsory in the water, and Cancun Sailing does not let children under 10 or guests over 60 snorkel.
What does it cost a family?#
Booked eight or more days ahead, two adults and a child aged 5 to 11 on the Isla Mujeres catamaran pay $207, and a child under five goes free. On the speedboat each person pays $45 plus $20, and a boat takes two adults and a child, or one adult and two children, within its 240 kg.
What happens if the weather turns?#
Jungle Tour Adventure runs in light rain but cancels the snorkelling in winds of 20 knots or heavy rain, and if the port authority suspends trips you get a full refund or a new date. At Cancun Sailing only the Harbor Master decides whether boats sail; if the port is officially closed, the operator refunds in full.
- Nichupté
- the lagoon behind the Hotel Zone; the speedboats cross it through mangrove canals.
- Punta Nizuc
- the national park at the southern end of the Hotel Zone, where the speedboats tie up to snorkel.
- Dock and reef fee
- $20 per person; Jungle Tour Adventure collects it in cash on the day, Cancun Sailing puts it in the ticket.
- That the $45 is for two sharing one boat; a boat to yourself is $80.
- That you carry $20 per person in cash for the speedboat trip.
- That the card you paid with and a matching ID are with you at the Jungle Tour check-in.
- Which marina your catamaran leaves from, and the pickup time, confirmed with Cancun Sailing.
- The cancellation terms: at Jungle Tour Adventure 48 hours for a full refund, at Cancun Sailing 24 hours.
Important
The $45 speedboat price needs a partner. A lone guest who books it and finds no one to share with pays $35 more at check-in, so if you travel alone, book the $80 boat of your own.
