Cozumel
Mexico's paradise island
The island of Cozumel, at the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, is known for its fantastic marine life and the beautiful turquoise color of its crystal clear waters.
We arrived on a Norwegian cruise ship, after visiting Roatan in Honduras and Harvest Caye in Belize. That day in the busy port there were at least five other cruise ships visiting Cozumel.
We knew the most appealing options for us were two. Either take a cab directly to a beach resort, perhaps Palancar, to rest under the shade of a palm tree, or hire a tour to get to El Cielo, known for the number of starfish that live in its white sands.
The huge port has a giant free shop with a variety of products, from jewelry, native handicrafts or liquors of whatever you are looking for. The prices definitely did not seem better than those at the airports.
When we left, we started with our classic bargaining among the different tour operators that are ready at the port exits to attract tourists.
In Cozumel the options are super numerous, there are cabs, boats, bicycles, rental cars and buses available.
There are also Mayan ruins to visit, snorkeling and scuba diving tours, and off-road adventures.
@tripticity_ opted for the tour to visit El Cielo, one of the attractions of the Mexican Caribbean, and El Cielito, a shallow sandbank that creates a natural pool ideal for swimming and snorkeling.
The first alternative involved taking a cab to Palancar and from there the little boat that takes you to the attraction. We crossed the street and a lot of tour sellers were trying to convince us to hire them. The first ones didn't close us, so we kept walking for a block until we saw Armando. After a quick negotiation he convinced us, he offered a lower price for the same tour departing from the same port. But a disclaimer: we had to pay the three-dollar fee at the El Cid Hotel to use the deck of its small dock. This saved us fifteen minutes of cab time each way, plus the advantage of being very close to the cruise ship.
There we waited until the catamaran on which we were to take the tour approached.
A trip of more than half an hour to the first stop at the Palancar and Colombia reefs, where we dived into the sea to snorkel and see the marine life; turtles, colorful fish and even a gigantic lobster. Snorkeling equipment was included in our tour.
During the trip we were given a lot of recommendations, such as not to interfere with the environment or touch them. Also, El Cielo is a protected area, so it is necessary to avoid using sunscreen as it affects the corals. Luckily, we had applied the maxim of always having an extra t-shirt in our backpack.
Then the catamaran left for El Cielo, famous for its crystal clear waters, which allow us to clearly see the starfish that inhabit the seabed due to the visibility in the water.
We saw a lot of starfish, really beautiful.
We continued towards El Cielito, where it was very easy to get off and enjoy the natural pool generated by the sand bank.
It was there when we were treated to the drinks and snacks that were included in the tour.
From one moment to the next, it was filled with manta rays that began to walk among us very peacefully. It was amazing to enjoy the Mexican beer in the sea while the manta rays surrounded us in an incessant coming and going. So much fun.
The tour was supposed to last about four and a half hours, but we ended up returning almost an hour later than agreed. Our ship was leaving quite a bit later so we walked leisurely.
Back at the port, we had fun with the many little shops and stalls offering a variety of products for the tourists returning to the cruise ship after a splendid day in beautiful Cozumel.