Cancún Itineraries: Day Charters and Multi-Day Routes

The Riviera Maya’s reef-protected Caribbean corridor is one of the most rewarding short-passage cruising grounds in the Americas. Every anchorage delivers something different – a bird-filled national park, a coral canyon teeming with turtles, a cenote connected to the sea, a Mayan citadel visible from the swim platform. The itineraries below cover the full range: day charters from Cancún, a 3-day route hugging the northern Riviera Maya, and a 4-day voyage south to Cozumel and Tulum. The 3-day and 4-day routes cover different ground and can be stitched together into a 7-day voyage without repeating a single stop. Every route is fully customisable – your captain adjusts stops and pacing based on conditions and your group’s mood.

Day Charter Routes from Cancún

Cancún to Isla Mujeres: The Caribbean Classic

Depart Cancún mid-morning and cruise 8 nautical miles to Isla Mujeres – a 20-minute run across flat Caribbean water. Anchor off Playa Norte for a morning of swimming and snorkelling over the nearshore reef. Lunch on the aft deck or ashore at a harbourside table in the island’s colourful downtown. Spend the afternoon paddleboarding over the seagrass beds where green turtles graze, or visit the MUSA underwater sculpture museum. Return to Cancún in the late afternoon. Duration: 7–8 hours.

Cancún to Isla Contoy: The Bird Sanctuary

A longer day run north to Isla Contoy, roughly 30 nautical miles from Cancún (or 13 nautical miles beyond Isla Mujeres). This protected national park limits daily visitors to 200, so your crew secures permits in advance. Morning snorkelling at Ixlaché reef, then a walk along the island’s nature trails among frigate birds, pelicans and roseate spoonbills. Lunch on board in the island’s sheltered lagoon. Return via Isla Mujeres for a sunset swim off Playa Norte. Duration: 9–10 hours.

Cancún to the Riviera Maya Reef: The Snorkelling Run

Cruise south from Cancún along the barrier reef to Puerto Morelos (roughly 20 nautical miles). Snorkel the marine park’s shallow coral gardens in 3–8 metres of crystal water, with sea fans, brain corals and the occasional nurse shark. Continue to Playa del Carmen for lunch ashore on the Quinta Avenida – or try Alux Restaurant, set inside an underground cenote-style cave. Return to Cancún in the late afternoon. Duration: 8–9 hours.

3-Day Cancún Yacht Charter Itinerary: Islands and the Northern Reef

Day 1: Cancún to Isla Mujeres

Board your yacht at Cancún by mid-morning. Cruise 8 nautical miles to Isla Mujeres and anchor off Playa Norte for a morning of swimming and reef snorkelling. Your chef prepares a Yucatán lunch on the aft deck: tikin xic (achiote-marinated fish grilled in banana leaf), salbutes and fresh ceviche. In the afternoon, visit the southern tip of the island for paddleboarding and turtle-spotting in the seagrass shallows. In whale-shark season (mid-May–mid-September), your captain arranges a licensed encounter north of the island. Overnight at anchor off Isla Mujeres with the lights of Cancún on the western horizon.

Day 2: Isla Contoy and Puerto Morelos

Rise early for the 13-nautical-mile cruise north to Isla Contoy – a protected bird sanctuary limiting visitors to 200 per day. Your crew secures permits in advance. Walk the nature trails among nesting frigate birds, pelicans and roseate spoonbills, then snorkel the pristine Ixlaché reef in 3–5 metres of untouched water. After a chef-prepared brunch, cruise south to Puerto Morelos (roughly 25 nautical miles, two hours). Snorkel the marine park’s shallow coral gardens and anchor overnight in this quiet fishing village, where the main square’s pace is a world away from Cancún’s hotel strip.

Day 3: Playa del Carmen and Return

Continue south to Playa del Carmen (roughly 15 nautical miles from Puerto Morelos). Anchor offshore or berth at the marina for a morning exploring the Quinta Avenida – restaurants, boutiques and galleries lining the pedestrianised strip. For something truly unique, lunch at Alux Restaurant inside an underground cave surrounded by stalactites. In the afternoon, snorkel a final stretch of barrier reef, then cruise back to Cancún (roughly 35 nautical miles, two hours), arriving in time for sunset.

Guests looking for a longer voyage can combine this 3-day northern route with the 4-day southern itinerary for a comprehensive 7-day Riviera Maya charter covering the full corridor from Isla Contoy to Tulum and Cozumel without repeating a single stop.

4-Day Cancún Yacht Charter Itinerary: The Riviera Maya, Cozumel and Tulum

Day 1: Cancún to Puerto Aventuras

Depart Cancún mid-morning and cruise south along the barrier reef to Puerto Aventuras – roughly 50 nautical miles, a comfortable three-hour passage. En route, pause for a snorkel stop at a reef section your captain selects based on conditions – the coral gardens between Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen are consistently excellent. Puerto Aventuras is a sheltered marina community and the primary departure point for yacht charters along the Riviera Maya’s southern coast. Berth at the marina for a late lunch ashore, or let your chef prepare panuchos (black-bean-stuffed tortillas topped with cochinita pibil) and papadzules on the aft deck. In the afternoon, explore the marina’s lagoon, where dolphins swim in the enclosed waterway, or take the tender to the nearby In-Ha Reef for an end-of-day snorkel. Overnight at Puerto Aventuras.

Day 2: Cozumel

Cruise east from Puerto Aventuras to Cozumel – roughly 12 nautical miles across the channel, a 40-minute passage. Cozumel’s western coast is one of the world’s premier snorkelling and diving destinations. Your crew anchors near Palancar Reef, where terraced coral walls descend from 5 to 30 metres in cathedral-like arches, and eagle rays, sea turtles and enormous barrel sponges populate every level. After a long morning in the water, your chef serves lunch on the aft deck: Yucatán-style lobster, lime-dressed jicama salad and fresh guacamole. In the afternoon, reposition to Columbia Reef – a shallower, equally vibrant system with swim-throughs and sandy patches where nurse sharks rest. Take the tender ashore to San Miguel for a sunset stroll along the malecón, or stay aboard for dinner as the sky turns pink over the channel. Overnight at Cozumel.

Day 3: Tulum and the Cenotes

Cruise west back to the mainland and south to Tulum – roughly 30 nautical miles from Cozumel, two hours of flat water. As you approach from the sea, the 13th-century clifftop ruins of Tulum appear above the treeline like a stone crown on the jungle’s edge. Anchor offshore and take the tender in to the crescent beach below El Castillo. Explore the walled city – one of the last Mayan cities to be inhabited, a thriving trading port until the 16th century – then swim back to the tender with the ruins framed against the Caribbean sky above you. After a chef-prepared lunch (poc chuc with pickled red onion, hibiscus agua fresca), take a short transfer to Casa Cenote on the coast: a brackish lagoon where freshwater springs meet the Caribbean, surrounded by mangroves and teeming with tropical fish. The temperature drops, the light changes, and you’re swimming in an entirely different world. Return to the yacht for a farewell dinner on the aft deck as the Tulum coast glows in the last of the sunlight.

Day 4: Southern Riviera and Return to Cancún

Spend a final morning along the southern Riviera Maya – a reef snorkel at Akumal Bay, famous for its resident green-turtle population (turtles feed on the seagrass beds year-round and encounters are near-guaranteed), followed by a leisurely cruise north. Your chef pulls out all the stops for the farewell brunch: huevos motuleños (eggs on tortillas with black beans, peas, ham and plantain – a Yucatán classic), fresh tropical fruit and strong Mexican coffee. Pause at Playa del Carmen if time allows for a final tender stop ashore, then continue to Cancún, arriving by late afternoon.

Guests looking for a longer voyage can combine this 4-day southern route with the 3-day northern itinerary (Isla Mujeres, Isla Contoy, Puerto Morelos) for a comprehensive 7-day charter covering the full Riviera Maya without repeating a single anchorage.