Discover Isla Contoy: A Hidden Gem in Quintana Roo

Isla Contoy is the perfect island escape when your away in Mexico. Think white sanded beach, lots of palm trees and greenery everywhere.

Accessible via a 45 minute boat ride from Isla Mujeres, it is great for a day trip if you are wanting to do something different when your away.

What is Isla Contoy?

Isla Contoy is an island protected by the Mexican Government within the region of Quintana Roo. It is a tiny island and you can walk the width of it within 1 day, it is approximately 8.5km in length and 3.17km square. When you picture island paradise, I immediately think of Isla Contoy.

Things to Know about Isla Contoy

Due to it being protected by the Mexican Government, there are a few things for you to be aware of. This is to protect the island, it’s nature and to keep it as clean as possible. Immediately when I went I had an instant respect for the island and felt responsability as a visitor to ensure I don’t do anything to affect the habitat.

One thing to know is that a certain amount of people are allowed on the island at once. This is controlled and the only way for you to go really is through a tour as they are the ones who have approval to go there. This is mainly again to control the number of people on the island to ensure it doesn’t get too congested.

You also can’t take sunscreen on the island, so lather up before you head off of the boat. In Mexico, you will find reef friendly sunscreen, however, even that isn’t allowed. They really ensure nothing is going to be toxic on-land but also in the water – hence why below you can see how blue that sea is! Literally is the definition of milky blue sea!

How to Get To Isla Contoy

So, the main way to get to Isla Contoy is obviously by boat but through a tour guide. As I mentioned, a certain amount of people are allowed on the island at once so multiple tours have specific time slots they have to adhere to.

There’s different stops in Mexico you can get a boat from, but we got one from Isla Mujeres. I believe it was around £70 per person, which included boat to and from the island, snorkelling, lunch and a visit to Isla Contoy (about 3 hours I think).

On Isla Mujeres there are a few tours to choose from and they are all really friendly too. You walk to the local port (not where the main ferry is) and you get taken on a small boat over to the island – about 45 minutes. Wasn’t that choppy either which was lovely!

What to Do in Isla Contoy

Walk Across the Island

When you get to the island, you are immediately offered to go onto a walking tour of Isla Contoy. I highly recommend that you do this as you get to see so much of the place. It does feel weird because you see tons of lizards and crabs around but it’s their home and they stay out of your way.

You get to walk through a footpath which leads up to a boardwalk where you get such a gorgeous view of the island – both sides. It is really interesting to see how one side of the island you have this beautiful calm paradise, and the other side it’s choppy waters and rocks.

The local tour guide will give you fasinating learnings about the island, and show you natural herbs which grow there. It’s quite nice to see it in it’s natural form rather than in a glass jar from the supermarket.

Sunbathe & Snorkel

When you have a beach like that, you aren’t going to avoid it are you? Take some time that you have on the island and have a bit of a snooze and enjoy island life. I recommend you take a dip in the sea, it’s a refreshing dip especially during the peak season. If you snorkel, you will also see some gorgeous marine life – I actually saw 2 x big starfish which was unreal.

There are police patrolling the beach or they are officials of some form I’m not sure – but they patrol the island ensuring that no one is disrupting the animals or their habitat.

Have Lunch

Most trips to Isla Contoy, lunch is included. There was a mixture of soft drinks available and then you can have lunch. It’s a mixture of food including fish, meat, salad, veggies and so much more. It’s a perfect light lunch to have. You also then have rice pudding which was an interesting addition that I wasn’t expecting!