Getting Here
Cozumel has its own small airport at the north end of the island. It serves about a half a million people per year, and if you don’t mind the cost, it is very convenient to catch a direct flight in. But most divers arrive in Cozumel by ferry after first flying in to Cancun International Airport.
Here’s the inside scoop:
It is probably not a good idea to rent a car in Cancun if you’re destination is Cozumel. The car ferry is expensive, has
long waiting lines, and there are plenty of rentals on the island.
After you get off your plane and pass through immigrations you will enter what is known as “The Gauntlet.” There will be groups of people, dressed in official looking clothing, standing at booths in the concourse and along the walls. They will beckon and call to you with, “Sir/M’am, are you from flight number so-and-so?” They’re watching the schedules, and know full well what flights are coming in. Chameleons live in this part of the world. These people are chameleons. They are not airport employees. Their purpose is to capture uninitiated travelers and make a sale. They work for hotels, tour operators and taxi services. Unless you want this sort of thing, your job is to remain focused and continue to baggage claim.
Okay, you’ve successfully negotiated “The Gauntlet” and picked up your checked luggage. Now go through customs, find the Riviera bus counter and buy your round trip ticket to Playa Del Carmen, henceforth referred to as “Playa”. This is the most affordable bus service we have used for this purpose. If you are at terminal 1, make your way to terminal 2. If you are at terminal 2, simply go outside and walk 200 feet or so to the right, where you will see blue and white buses with the word “Riviera” on their sides. They are parked near the end of the terminal. On the way you may see a Riviera Bus employee, (recognizable by his Riviera Bus name tag) who is selling tickets to Playa. If you see him and still don’t have your ticket to Playa, he will sell you one. A bus leaves almost every hour during the part of the day when flights are arriving,
and the ride to Playa takes about 45 minutes.
For more Riviera bus information, click here.
Once you arrive in Playa, you may want to go ahead and change some money into pesos. There is a bank close to the bus station. This isn’t imperative yet, but will make it cheaper in the long run. Then walk downhill to the oceanfront and turn right. A few hundred yards south you will see the ferry pier. If you don’t have luggage with wheels there are locals who are glad to transport you gear to the ferry. They wait just outside the bus terminal with large three wheeled bikes that look like backwards tricycles with a cargo basket in the front. The 3-4 dollar fee is worth the cost for many people. These friendly entrepreneurs will walk with you to the ferry pier and you’ll get a chance to exchange some interesting small talk.
When you arrive at the Ferry pier, you can buy your round trip ticket to Cozumel. The Ferry leaves almost every hour during daylight hours.
Check your luggage with the crew, and relax. Have a cerveza at Senor Frog’s, or sit on the beach and pinch yourself. You’re getting close!
Okay, now you’re getting off the ferry in Cozumel, and reclaiming your luggage. There will be another Gauntlet for you to get through, only this time they’ll be offering diving, hotels, taxis; just about any island service you can imagine. If you don’t want anything, please be polite. These are the people of Cozumel trying to make a legal living. There are worse things they could be doing. Walk out to the end of the pier, grab a cab, and go to your hotel. And pinch yourself again. You are in the diving capital of the Caribbean!
Here are 2 links for the Ferry schedule:
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