Cozumel, Mexico is a dream for anyone who loves sun, sand, surf, and adventure. Cozumel is an island located off of Mexico’s southeastern most shores along about the same meridian as Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. This vacation hot spot is known for its beaches, weather, and wildlife. Jay and I were fortunate enough to visit there a couple of years ago, so today we are going to share with you some of the amazing things to do in Cozumel, Mexico.
13 Amazing Things To Do In Cozumel
Cozumel may be known for its beaches and beautiful waters, but there’s so much more to this island than surf and sand. You can take a break from the beach to see and do all sorts of amazing things.
Faro Celerain Eco Park
Also known as Parque Punta Sur, Faro Celerain is a wildlife lover’s dream. This 2,500 acre shelter, spread across the southern tip of Cozumel, is home to many indigenous species of animals including exotic birds, crocodiles, and sea turtles.
In addition to the wildlife, you’ll find the El Caracol Mayan ruins and the Faro Celerain Lighthouse featuring a small maritime museum. This wonderful park also features the Laguna Colombia, a beach known for its beauty and calmer waters.
Discover Mexico Park
Mexico is a huge country filled with more things to see and do than anyone can tackle in even a few trips. If you want to see all you can in a limited time, visit Discover Mexico. It houses scale models of some of the country’s most famous landmarks such as the Mayan ruins of Tulum and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico. You can also learn about Mexican culture through demonstrations such as tortilla making and their Tequila Tasting Tour.
Stingray Beach
This is a beach focusing on wildlife rather than lounging. A visit to this beach on Cozumel provides the interactive ocean experience you’d get from scuba diving without all the gear. Stingray Beach, located in San Miguel, allows visitors to get up close and personal to the beautiful gliding creatures of the sea. They are so friendly, you can even touch them!
Palancar Beach
One of the top beaches in all of Cozumel is Palancar Beach. It is known for its watersports, where visitors can kayak, snorkel, sail, and dive. With its nearby restaurants and dive charters, vacationers can make a full day of fun and sun in one convenient – and beautiful – location.
Punta Molas Faro
Do you want your Cozumel vacation to be less crowded and more natural? If so, Punta Molas is the place for you. Because of its rustic nature and out of the way location, travelers won’t have to deal with the crush of tourist crowds. Just be sure to bring a great tent and plenty of supplies, food, and water.
El Cedral
While these ruins aren’t as impressive as other Cozumel sites such as Tulum, they offer a great glimpse into the past of this area of Mexico. Although El Cedral is only the size of a small house, it makes a great spot to discover all the ins and outs of a ruin without the crushing crowds that are found at some other ruins sites.
Cozumel Museum
Located in downtown San Miguel, the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel features exhibits on everything from the island’s ecosystems to local development and conservation issues. This former luxury hotel also houses a variety of old Mayan and Spanish colonial artifacts. A tour through the Cozumel museum takes anywhere from one to two hours, depending on how much you stop to absorb everything, so it leaves plenty of time for beach bumming.
Chankanaab National Park
Most people think camping and wilderness when they think national park. Chankanaab is a different kind of national park devoted to the undersea wonders of Cozumel as well as the terrestrial sites. It features diving and snorkeling tours, dolphin encounters, a lovely beach, and nature trails.
San Gervasio Ruins
In days long past, Mayan women visited the shrine in central Cozumel to pay tribute to Ixchel, the goddess of love and fertility. Today, travelers can pay a tribute of around $4.00 US to visit these ancient ruins. In addition to the ruins, you can also see a variety of small lizards and iguanas. I visited something similar in Roatan and loved it.
El Cielo
El Cielo, Cozumel is known as Heaven, and there’s a reason for that. El Cielo is about a mile from Cozumel’s shoreline and is only accessible via boat. It’s known for its shallow, crystal clear water as well as its soft, powdery sand, running the length of the beach as well as far out into the shallow ocean waters.
Arrecife Palancar
The Palancar Reef is the destination of choice in Cozumel for snorkelers and scuba divers. Rated as one of the best reefs in all of Cozumel, Arrecife Palancar is noted for its beautiful formations and diverse wildlife thanks to the shallow waters of the reef and the deeper waters directly adjacent to it.
Be Sure To Check Out The Cruise Port In Cozumel
A lot of people think that cruise ports don’t have much to offer. I totally disagree with that. The cruise port that we docked at with our cruise was absolutely gorgeous – especially all of the care that they took with the landscaping. Also, there was a huge flea market with local vendors to buy from. You don’t have to buy from the duty free shops if you don’t want to as there are plenty of opportunities to shop local. I think that everything I purchased in Cozumel came from the cruise port and the surrounding area.
Playa Mia Water Park
We spent the day at Playa Mia for our shore excursion and had a blast. It was a very fun water park with huge blow up “rides” in the Caribbean Sea. There were also tons of lounge chairs, a great buffet with authentic Mexican food and free alcoholic beverages {with paid admission}. I also got to hold a huge iguana named Poncho and I could have also held a beautiful parrot. And I got a beautiful hair wrap. It was just a great way to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery that Cozumel has to offer.
Cozumel – Unmatched Tropical Beauty
Whether you love sand, surf, watersports, or a little bit of it all, Cozumel is a great place to have a spectacular tropical experience. From its flora to its fauna to its ancient ruins, Cozumel has no shortage of wonderful things to see and do. If you’re considering a tropical getaway, make Cozumel your next vacation destination.
Check out the rest of our pictures from Cozumel on Flickr.
Have You Been To Cozumel Before?
What did you do there? Is there something that we missed that we should add to the list? If so, please share in the comments below.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
Cozumel is such a wonderful place to visit with the family. We love heading down there. A solid week in Cozumel is the best way any family can relax and unwind.
Jeanette says
I have been to Cozumel once and I missed SO much of this stuff! I need to go back and check out a few more things! It looks there is a lot of fun stilt be had there.
Jocelyn Cañasa Brown says
Sounds like so much fun! I have always wanted to go to Cozumel! Looks like a great place to visit.
Mandie Stevens says
I’ve never been but I want to go…. like now! My girls would love Faro Celerain Eco Park so much.
cheryl s says
We LOVE Cozumel – have been there many times. Chankanaab is a favorite place of ours to visit. Also so many all-inclusive beach clubs make for a great day and definitely try Pancho’s Backyard – couple locations tin Cozumel – love their margaritas and guacamole.
reesa says
We went to cozumel about 10 years ago on a cruise and had such a great time there!
Claudia Krusch says
I have always wanted to go back to Cozumel. It is so beautiful there. Perfect for a vacation.
Kathy says
Wow, that looks like a great place to visit. I’d love to go there sometime. I love that they have so many things to do there too.
Amy Desrosiers says
At this point, I am ready to hop on a plane and get away from it all. This sounds like a great tropical escape!
chei says
Never been here in cozumel. Looks a beautiful place for a family vacation.
Kim @ What's That Smell? says
I was in Cozumel on a cruise once, so I didn’t get to do too much. We went shopping. I wanted to do an excursion but I wasn’t feeling well. It’s such a beautiful place!
Diana Rambles says
I would love to be there NOW! How warm and refreshing would that be? I need a break from winter.
Patty says
I have never been to Cozumel. It sounds like a great place to visit. The only place I have been in Mexico is Loreto and an uninhabited island in the middle of the Sea of Cortez. Don’t ask…
Hali @daytodayMOMents says
I have never been, but looks like a place I need to add to my list of places I need to visit. So ready for a vacation!
Nancy at Whispered Inspirations says
These are such great ideas! Thanks, I’m bookmarking for when I go there next.
Ashleigh @Dash of Evans says
I stopped at Cozumel 10 years ago during a cruise and it was so fun! I love the recommendations!
Melissa says
After reading this post I am ready to pack my bags and buy a one way ticket to Cozumel! Seems like it would be incredible!! So many wonderful things to do- and this list makes it so easy to remember to get them all done!
Elizabeth O. says
That’s a lot of places in one go! It’s awesome to go to places where there’s a lot of things to do and see, it makes the trip more worth it. I would very much love to travel here someday with my daughters.
Rachael Yerkes says
Oh I love cozumel! Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to go back.
Rachael Yerkes says
Those do look amazing! I am definitely adding this to my travel list! Thanks for sharing all these tips!
Lisa says
Some friends went last year and absolutely loved it! They are going in again and I’m hoping timing works so I can join them!
Aubrey says
We went to Cozumel last summer. I really liked it, but didn’t get to see as much as I wanted. I wanted to check out the Mayan ruins.
Robin Rue says
All of this sounds like an amazing time. I would love to be able to visit and see the sights for myself.
Anosa says
It all sounds so amazing but the thing that draws me to it most is the Stingray beach, my son absolutely loves them at the moment thanks to finding dory and all creatures of the sea.
Cindy Ingalls says
I’ve never been to Mexico, but have heard great thing about Cozumel. I’m not much a beach person, but I do love the water and being able to see sea life is one of my favorite ways to relax.