11 Cool Things to Do on Isla Cozumel + 4 NOT to Do
Discover the best activities and attractions on Isla Cozumel in this list of the best things to do on the island and offshore, plus unethical things to avoid.
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Cozumel is one of Mexico’s most beautiful islands, best known for SCUBA diving, but there’s plenty to do in and out of the water without a certification. From exploring Mayan ruins and beaches to snorkelling, driving around the island, and finding quieter coastal spots, you can easily fill several days without spending all your time underwater.
We spent time exploring different parts of Cozumel and found that some of the island’s most popular activities come with a few things worth thinking about first. In particular, some wildlife experiences and tourist attractions aren’t as harmless as they might initially appear. Discover the best things to do in Cozumel, along with the popular activities and wildlife experiences we think you should avoid, plus some more responsible alternatives.
More from Cozumel
The best things to do in Cozumel
Isla Cozumel has so much more to do than SCUBA diving and snorkelling (although they are the reasons we visited). The island is fairly easy to explore independently, although some of the best experiences, particularly those on the reef, require a boat trip or organised tour. There’s also a noticeably different feel between the developed west coast and the much wilder east coast, which is one of the reasons we think it’s worth exploring beyond the beach clubs.
Top Tours in Cozumel
1. Go SCUBA diving
Cozumel is one of the most famous diving destinations in the Caribbean, and for good reason. The island sits alongside the Mesoamerican Reef, with clear water, colourful coral formations, and an impressive variety of marine life, including turtles, rays, reef fish, and nurse sharks. We came to Cozumel with only a few dives under our weight belts, and it was an incredible place to build our confidence and improve our skills.
SCUBA diving in Cozumel is particularly well known for its drift diving, which was a new experience for us, as you simply let the current carry you along the reef rather than constantly finning to move forward. The visibility is also insanely good, with around 30 metres (100 ft) possible on a good day. We also saw loads of marine life, including our first sharks (gentle nurse sharks), moray eels as big as us, and Dan’s first sea turtles.
There are countless diving tours in Cozumel, ranging from introductory Discover SCUBA experiences to multi-day trips for experienced divers. You don’t need to be certified to try diving for the first time, although anyone doing a proper dive course will need to meet the relevant training requirements.
There are over 300 dive shops on Cozumel, but we’d recommend choosing a small-group operator that selects dive sites according to the conditions and your experience rather than simply taking every group to the same reef. We loved the team at CozuDive and went out 6 times with them.
2. Snorkel on the reef
You don’t need to be a diver to experience Cozumel’s underwater world, and snorkelling is one of the best things to do in Cozumel and one of the easiest ways to see the reef.
The protected Cozumel Reef National Park (Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel) covers a huge area of the island’s southern and western coastline, and we were pleased to see vibrant corals when so much of the world’s reefs are suffering from bleaching.
One of the most popular places to visit is Playa El Cielo, a shallow sandbar reached by boat where the clear water makes it particularly good for swimming and snorkelling. Some Cozumel snorkelling tours include multiple reef stops, including Palancar Reef and Columbia Reef, so you can see the diversity of the various areas in one day.
There are also several places where you can get into the water directly from shore, which is handy if you don’t want to spend money on a boat tour every time you fancy a swim. They’re not the same quality as the areas reached by boat, but it’s a good option if you’re on a budget.
The best shore snorkelling spots on Cozumel include:
3. Explore Punta Sur Eco Park
Punta Sur Eco Park is the largest protected natural area on Cozumel and covers more than 1,000 hectares at the island’s southern tip. It encompasses beaches, wetlands, wildlife, the Celarain Lighthouse, and Laguna Colombia, a coastal saltwater lagoon system home to crocodiles – there’s a dedicated observation tower where you can safely look for them.
There’s a small navigation museum where you can learn more about Cozumel’s maritime history, and El Caracol Archaeological Site, which houses preserved Mayan ruins. Plus, there are walking trails, and it’s possible to take a boat ride through the lagoon, so it’s worth allowing enough time to explore the area properly.
The attractions are spread over a huge area, and it’s not possible to walk between them. It’s best to rent a car and drive yourself or book onto a Punta Sur Eco Park tour.
4. Visit San Gervasio Mayan Ruins
The San Gervasio Mayan Ruins (Zona Arqueológica San Gervasio) is the most important archaeological site on Cozumel. The settlement dates back to around 300 AD and became particularly important during the later Maya period, when Cozumel was part of wider trading and political networks across the Yucatán Peninsula.
Unlike the dramatic cliff-top setting of Tulum Ruins, the huge pyramid at Chichén Itzá, or the intricate carvings of Uxmal, San Gervasio is a smaller, spread-out site, with groups of buildings and temples connected by ancient roads through the jungle.
It’s often described as an important pilgrimage site dedicated to Ixchel, the Maya goddess of fertility, but the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) says there’s currently no archaeological evidence proving that the buildings at San Gervasio were dedicated to Ixchel, so we’d take that particular claim with a pinch of salt.
The site is around 4 miles (7 km) from central San Miguel and is easy to reach along the island’s Transversal Road by car, or you can book onto a tour to see them.
5. Drive around the island
One of the best ways to explore Isla Cozumel beyond the main town is to drive around it. Once you leave San Miguel, you’ll see how different the developed west coast feels from the much quieter eastern side, where the roads pass through more natural scenery with relatively few buildings.
The island is compact enough that you can see a lot in a day, although you’ll want to allow plenty of time for stops along the way. If you want to explore independently, you can rent a car and circumnavigate the island, and if you’re happy to just explore a bit of it, you could rent a bike and cycle instead.
If driving’s not for you, you can take an ATV tour in the jungle, which is one of the most fun ways to spend a day. While taking a Jeep safari is possibly the most popular tour in Cozumel, taking you to beaches, the Mayan ruins, Punta Sur, and local food and drink spots.
6. Wander the streets of San Miguel
San Miguel is Cozumel’s main town and the place where you’ll find most of the island’s restaurants, shops, bars, and ferry and cruise connections. It’s easy to spend a few hours simply wandering the streets, browsing local shops, and stopping for food or a drink without needing a particular itinerary.
The waterfront promenade (called a malecĂłn) is also a pleasant place to walk, particularly around sunset when the heat starts to ease. We spent many a morning or evening just wandering up and down and watching locals go about their business or tourists rushing to and from the cruise terminals.
We’ve gone into more detail about the best things to do in San Miguel, landmarks to see, and what not to miss along the promenade and in town in a dedicated section later in this post.
7. Relax on the beach
If all you want to do is spend a few days swimming, sunbathing, and doing very little, Cozumel has plenty of options where you can spread out on sandy shores. The beaches on Isla Cozumel are very different depending on which side of the island you visit, with most of the west coast beaches being calmer and more developed.
This is where you’ll find the majority of the island’s beach clubs, restaurants, water activities, and loungers, so it’s the easiest side for a classic beach day. The top beach clubs on Cozumel to check out include:
We don’t recommend the very popular Chankanaab Beach Adventure Park, as they profit off unethical animal experiences like dolphin and manatee swims, which we cover later in our What Not to Do on Cozumel section.
The east coast beaches are more rugged and worse for swimming, but they’re also more untouched without loud music or lots of sun loungers. Some of the best beaches on Cozumel’s east coast include:
Playa El Cielo is another option, although it requires a boat trip and is really better thought of as a snorkelling excursion than a traditional beach day.
8. Walk a dog at the Humane Society of Cozumel
If you’re missing your pets while travelling, volunteering with the Humane Society of Cozumel is a lovely way to spend a morning. The shelter welcomes dog-walking volunteers, giving the dogs some exercise and time outside while you get to see a different side of the island.
Volunteering at animal sanctuaries is something we try to do more and more, having seen firsthand what a difference helping amazing initiatives like this makes. The Humane Society of Cozumel cares for animals that need treatment, fostering, or permanent homes, so even a short visit can give the dogs some much-needed attention.
You’ll need to contact the Humane Society in advance to volunteer, with volunteer hours between 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM from Monday to Sunday.
9. Visit the Mayan Bee Sanctuary
The Mayan Bee Sanctuary is worth considering if you’re interested in nature, Mayan culture, or simply want to do something a little different. The sanctuary focuses on stingless Melipona bees and the importance of their honey to Maya culture.
These native bees are particularly interesting because, unlike the honeybees most of us are familiar with, they don’t have a conventional sting, and they live in hollow tree trunks and logs.
A visit includes an explanation of how the colonies work, the relationship between Melipona bees and the Maya, and the traditional uses of their honey. You can also see the meliponary and try different types of honey, so it’s a nice little family day out.
10. Sail on the turquoise sea
Getting out onto the water is one of the absolute best things to do in Cozumel and the easiest way to appreciate just how beautiful the coastline is. A boat trip around Isla Cozumel can take you to reefs and shallow sandbars that aren’t accessible from land, with plenty of opportunities to swim and snorkel along the way.
We’ve honestly never seen the sea the shade of crystal-clear turquoise it is off Isla Cozumel – it’s so beautiful. If you’d rather spend the day relaxing than snorkelling, you can sail on a catamaran and enjoy the views from the deck, with food and drinks included on many tours. Sunset cruises are another popular option and are especially romantic for couples.
11. Sample local cuisine
Cozumel’s food scene is another good reason to spend some time in San Miguel rather than eating every meal at your hotel or beach club. You’ll find plenty of Mexican and Yucatán-influenced dishes, from tacos and fresh seafood to cochinita pibil and other regional specialities.
A food tour is especially fun if you want to try several things without having to research every restaurant yourself, and local guides can introduce you to smaller places you might otherwise walk straight past.
You can also visit the Mayan Cacao Company to learn more about cacao and the role chocolate has played in the region, or book a cooking class if you’d rather get hands-on.
Depending on the experience, you might get to try local ingredients and dishes, or you can book dedicated tastings like tacos, tequila, and mezcal. There are also chocolate workshops if you have a sweet tooth.
Back in town, there are plenty of independent restaurants in San Miguel where you can eat well without spending a fortune, although prices vary considerably depending on how close you are to the waterfront and the main tourist areas. Once dinner is finished, you can drink at the lively bars around town, which range from relaxed local spots to louder places aimed at visitors that love banging nightlife.
Other things to do in Isla Cozumel
We’ve covered the top things to do on Isla Cozumel, but there’s plenty to keep you occupied if you have longer, including:
The best things to do in San Miguel
If you don’t want to leave San Miguel, the main town is small enough to explore on foot, and it’s worth spending a few hours here rather than simply passing through. There’s plenty of colourful street art, small parks, and cultural attractions dotted around the centre, so you can easily make your own walking route. Here are the best things to do in San Miguel, Cozumel.
1. Stroll along the malecĂłn
The main road, Avenida Rafael Melgar, runs along the waterfront through San Miguel, with the malecĂłn (a waterfront promenade) providing a wide pedestrian route beside the Caribbean Sea. It’s lovely to wander along, with plenty of sculptures, monuments, and places to stop and look out towards the mainland along the way.
2. Snap a pic with the many landmarks
There are a surprising number of sculptures, monuments, and colourful installations dotted along the malecĂłn and around the town, many of which make fun photo stops as you explore. You can find these stops named on Google Maps:
3. Relax in Benito Juárez Park
Benito Juárez Park is one of the main public squares in central San Miguel and is a good place to take a break while exploring the town. You’ll find the large Isla Cozumel multi-coloured letters here, which make for an iconic photo opportunity, as well as the distinctive orange clock tower that has become one of the island’s most recognisable landmarks.
There’s also colourful street art around the square, so it’s worth having a wander around. In the evenings, the park comes alive with local food vendors offering tasty and affordable treats.
4. Shop in Plaza del Sol
Plaza del Sol is home to an artisans’ market where you can browse handmade Mexican crafts, souvenirs, clothing, jewellery, and other locally made goods. It’s a great place to pick up a souvenir that’s not the traditional tacky plastic magnet.
Prices vary between stalls, so it’s worth looking around before buying anything, especially if you’re after a particular type of craft. Most artisans are happy to discuss their work with you, too.
If you’re happy to head south out of town, you could also visit the Plaza Mexico Flea Market, which offers a variety of souvenirs, and is where we picked up a lovely hand-painted Christmas bauble. It’s right by one of the cruise terminals, so it can be a bit overpriced, but you might find something nice to take home.
5. Visit a museum
San Miguel has several museums and cultural attractions, which are particularly useful if you get a rainy day in Cozumel or simply fancy a break from the heat:
6. Watch the sunset
Cozumel’s west coast faces towards the mainland, so San Miguel is a great place to watch the sun go down over the Caribbean Sea. The malecĂłn gives you a long stretch of waterfront from which to find a spot, and the sunset is particularly easy to combine with an evening in town.
We’d head towards the water before sunset rather than waiting until the last minute, as it’s a much nicer time to wander along the malecĂłn when the temperature starts to drop. We did this many times over the three weeks we stayed on Isla Cozumel, and it never got old.
The best day trips from Cozumel
Honestly, we think it’s best to spend some time on the mainland if you’re interested in exploring the jungle, cenotes, coastline, Mayan ruins, and other attractions you can’t find on Cozumel itself, but if you’re really short on time, it is possible to take some day trips to the mainland from Isla Cozumel.
The easiest way to get across is the Cozumel Ferry from San Miguel to Playa del Carmen. The crossing takes roughly 35-45 minutes, and ferries run regularly throughout the day, although timetables change, so check the current schedule before setting off.
What NOT to do in Cozumel?
Sadly, there are quite a few unethical things not to do in Cozumel that we’d recommend avoiding. There are also a handful of tourist traps and gimmicks that we don’t think are worth your time or money, particularly when the island has so many better things to see and do.
1. Swimming with captive dolphins or manatees
There are several places on Cozumel where you can pay to swim with captive marine mammals, including:
These experiences involve dolphins, manatees, and sea lions being kept in confined areas and trained to interact with visitors, often including touching, swimming alongside, and performing behaviours on command – a form of unethical wildlife tourism.
It’s worth noting that the laws around captive dolphins in Mexico have changed, but it’s not quite as simple as saying that all dolphin swimming has been made illegal. While no new dolphins can be brought into these attractions, they’re still allowed to operate with the dolphins they currently hold captive.
We personally could never support establishments that promote and profit from keeping wild animals in captivity for tourist entertainment. Dolphins are highly intelligent, social animals that naturally travel long distances in the wild, so being kept in small artificial environments purely so tourists can interact with them is something we’d recommend avoiding.
We’d also personally avoid companies that work with these establishments, like Playa Uvas, which bundles entry with tickets to Dolphin Discovery.
If you’re interested in marine animal tourism in Mexico, you can ethically swim with sea lions in La Paz in the wild or swim with whale sharks in La Paz in a zone that’s better regulated than the experience on the east coast.
2. Taking pictures with captive monkeys or birds
You’ll sometimes see vendors walking around certain beach clubs, including San Francisco, Paradise Beach, and Mr Sancho’s Beach Club, with animals like monkeys, parrots, and macaws offering tourists paid photos with them.
We’d recommend saying no. These animals are being used as photo props, there’s no guarantee how well they’re treated (and considering they’ve been handled so frequently, they’re probably quite stressed), and some captive birds used in tourist photography have their wings clipped to prevent them from flying away. Even when the animals appear calm, a photograph doesn’t tell you whether they are comfortable or how they are being handled when tourists aren’t looking.
We’d much rather spend our money on wildlife experiences where animals are left to behave naturally, and you aren’t encouraged to touch, hold, or pose with them.
3. Stingray Beach
Swimming with stingrays might sound like a great wildlife experience, but the problem is that the stingrays and sharks at Cozumel’s Stingray Beach, just outside San Miguel, are deliberately fed as part of the visitor experience.
Just like Stingray Beach in Caye Caulker, this changes the animals’ natural behaviour by encouraging them to associate people with food and congregate in one particular area. It also means you’re not simply observing wild stingrays going about their normal lives – you’re participating in an organised feeding experience designed around human interaction.
We’d therefore give this one a miss and look for opportunities to see marine life without feeding or handling it.
4. Jade Cavern
This one’s a little different, but we’d also be cautious about booking tours to Jade Cavern, particularly if the experience you’re looking at heavily relies on photos of crystal-clear water and people swimming inside the cavern. Online reviews describe very different conditions, including strong smells, bat droppings in the water, and water that was far murkier than the promotional photographs suggest. There have also been reports of poorly maintained ATVs, inadequate safety instructions, and tours not delivering everything that was advertised.
That doesn’t necessarily mean every tour to the cavern will be the same, but we’d do plenty of research before handing over any money.
Up to you: Playa El Cielo
Playa El Cielo is one of the most famous places to visit around Cozumel, so this one might be controversial. However, we personally gave it a miss.
Playa El Cielo, meaning ‘Heaven’ or ‘The Sky’, became one of Cozumel’s most popular attractions due to its clear waters, shallow sandbars, and abundance of starfish, which were said to look like stars in the night sky.
The problem isn’t El Cielo itself, but the sheer number of boat tours visiting the same small area. We’ve seen and heard reports of tourists touching and holding the starfish (even though it’s against the rules), and even lifting them out of the water for photographs (which can cause severe stress, suffocation, and potentially death), while some tour advertising we saw encouraged close-up encounters with them.
Increasing tourism and social-media-driven photography created significant environmental pressure, and the Mexican authorities temporarily closed El Cielo and nearby reef areas in 2019.
Park rules forbid tourists and operators from touching the starfish or from touching and feeding the stingrays, but when we visited, and still today, there are lots of marketing materials showing just that, which made us sceptical about how well the rules are followed.
There’s also the fact that there are just so many boats going to the same place, and the experience can feel quite commercialised, with some reviews reporting add-on photography packages exceeding $100 USD.
In the end, we just couldn’t find a company we liked the look of enough to book the excursion, and we didn’t fancy being surrounded by lots of tourists just to see the poor remaining one or two starfish, so we skipped it.
We know plenty of people visit El Cielo and have a great time, so we’re not saying you shouldn’t go. If you do, we’d choose a responsible operator, keep your distance from the starfish and stingrays, never touch or pick them up, and avoid any tour that encourages you to do so.
Things to do on Isla Cozumel FAQs
To help you choose what to do on Isla Cozumel, we’ve answered these frequently asked questions.
What is the number one thing to do in Cozumel?
What are the best things to do in Cozumel for adults?
SCUBA diving, snorkelling, sailing, exploring Punta Sur, visiting the Mayan ruins, and enjoying Cozumel’s restaurants and bars are all good options for adults.
What are the best things to do in Cozumel for families?
Families can spend the day at the beach, go snorkelling, visit Punta Sur Eco Park, explore San Miguel, or try activities such as Sea Trek and ziplining.
What are the best things to do in Cozumel on your own?
Cozumel is relatively easy to explore independently. We’d recommend renting a car, exploring the island’s beaches, wandering around San Miguel, visiting San Gervasio, and stopping at Punta Sur.
What are the best things to do in Cozumel on a cruise?
If you’re visiting Cozumel on a cruise, you can spend your day snorkelling, visiting a beach club, exploring San Miguel, driving around the island, or booking an organised tour. Just keep an eye on the time and allow plenty of time to get back to the ship.
What are some free things to do in Cozumel?
You can wander around San Miguel, walk along the malecĂłn, visit Benito Juárez Park, explore the street art and monuments, watch the sunset, or relax on one of the island’s public beaches.
What to do in Cozumel near the cruise port?
The cruise ports are close to San Miguel, so you can easily walk into town to explore the malecĂłn, shops, restaurants, and landmarks. There are also several nearby beaches and shore snorkelling spots if you don’t want to travel far.
What to do in Isla Cozumel for a day?
With just one day, we’d prioritise either exploring the island by car or booking a snorkelling or diving trip. If you prefer to stay on land, visit Punta Sur, stop at a few beaches, and spend some time in San Miguel.
What to do in Isla Cozumel at night?
Spend the evening eating in San Miguel, have a few drinks at one of the town’s bars, or take a sunset cruise. San Miguel is the best place to be after dark, with the widest choice of restaurants and nightlife.
Read next:
A Traveller’s Guide to Cozumel: Mexico’s Caribbean Island Paradise
The Ultimate Guide to SCUBA Diving in Cozumel
9 Best Cozumel Dive Shops Compared + Who We Chose
How to Get to Isla Cozumel: Ferry vs Flying + Getting Around
