Our visit to Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy.

Actually, on our trip, we mostly heard good things about Isla Mujeres: it was supposed to be a small, charming island with turquoise waters and a beautiful beach. So we packed our bags, got on the bus, and traveled from Mérida to Cancun, where we took the ferry to Isla Mujeres. Once we arrived, we settled into one of the two hostels right on the water and started exploring the island. This can be done on foot, by car, by golf cart (which is what most people do), or by bike. Due to our limited daily budget, we rented two bikes and quickly realized why most people prefer motorized vehicles instead: unlike our beloved Holbox Island, Isla Mujeres is a bit hillier, and exploring the island by biking in the sweltering 40°C heat required a lot of sweat.

We initially explored the southern part of the island, where the water in the distance is truly beautiful and turquoise, but there were no beaches where we could stay. The next day, we explored the northern part of the island, where a small town is located as well. Unfortunately, the town was extremely crowded with people, cars, and garbage, so we didn't feel comfortable there. Adjacent to the town was also supposed to be the 'most beautiful' beach on the island, so we went straight to look for it. However, we have to say that this was probably the least beautiful moment of the whole trip. The white sandy beach was really nice, but hardly visible due to the close proximity of the beach chairs, umbrellas, and people, making it hard to imagine that there was even a beach there. In the truly very turquoise water, there were another 1000 people and hundreds of anchored boats. WOW - that was too much for us, so we had to turn back and look for something else.

Back at the hostel, we felt for the first time that we wanted to leave earlier than planned. We had one more day planned, but we didn't really know what else to do on the island that day. By chance, we found out that there is another island 30km north of Isla Mujeres: Isla Contoy.

Unlike Isla Mujeres, Isla Contoy is under protection. So we decided to spend our last day on Isla Contoy. To do that, you have to book a tour because only 200 people are allowed to visit the island each day and only with a tour. On Isla Contoy, there is no running water, electricity, or anything else. Only a viewing tower, a pit toilet, and a small museum about the island.

The tour was truly the best decision we could have made. Isla Contoy was so untouched by civilization, paradisiacal - simply beautiful. We even saw a huge starfish! :)

On the other hand, we wanted to get away from Isla Mujeres quickly and then decided to spend the rest of our time in Yucatan in Mérida and Holbox, which have become our two favorite places. Tomorrow we will fly back to Germany and spend 2-3 weeks on vacation in Leipzig and the surrounding area before going somewhere else for two more months - we still don't know exactly where in the world we will go.