Isla Contoy is northwest of Cancun. It's an uninhabited island, only accessible via a tour, about 800m at it's widest point and over 7km long. A national park, it's apparently a bird lovers paradise providing shelter for over 150 species. Only 200 visitors are allowed each day in an attempt to protect the fragile environment. After another good breakfast we got the bus to the Cancun Diving Centre at Zona Hotelier (no buskers at 0815 on a Sunday!) for the boat. We were the first to arrive and ended up waiting until 0915 before we finally left the mooring. We were a bit surprised by our fellow trippers, no binoulars in sight or sturdy shoes which we'd been advisd to wear. It wasn't long before we realised that we were also going to Isla Mujeres. So much for the reassurance given yesterday. We didn't mind other than we were heading to Isla Mujeres tomorrow for 3 nights. We only stayed for an hour so just walked along the front and had a refreshing strawberry juice. On route to Isla Contoy we stopped to snorkel at a nearby reef. Despite several of the trippers staying on board the boat it did feel a bit restricted as we were herded around the reef. It was nice to be back snorkelling and the reef was impressive with sea feathers, purple fan coral and brain coral. We had to wear life jackets which we think is to stop people diving down and touching the coral. It was a bit restrictive and made it hard to keep the flippers underwater and efficient. We stayed in the water as long as possible and were the last to get back on the boat. We docked at Isla Contoy and went off on a short tour with one of the guides. Amazingly of the c50 passengers on the boat only 5 were interested in the tour. The island has a couple of short trails, one to a laguna and one to the ocean on the other side of the island, a small museum and observation tower. We saw some bird life, mainly frigates. To be honest the Galapagos has set such a high benchmark nothing else stands any chance of getting close. Afterwards we had lunch and then an hour free before the boat headed back. We found some shade on the beach under a palm tree and enjoyed a few dips in the water to cool off. Back on board the boat it took on a bit of a party atmosphere with tequila in free flow, loud music and dancing. We sat at the back of the boat observing! We arrived back in Cancun just after 1830, got the bus back to the town with busker and had a swim in the pool given we'd not been able to yesterday. In the evening we went to an Italian restaurant, Rolandi's, which was close by and shared a pizza.
 |
| Sailing past the Palm Oasis where we'd been yesterday |
 |
| Practicing the art of selfie taking |
 |
| Arriving at Isla Mujeres (our hotel is the white block on the right!) |
 |
| Passing Playa Norte on the north of the island |
 |
| Ready for snorkelling |
 |
| Some of the corals we saw |
 |
| The laguna on Isla Contoy |
 |
| The research centre from the observation tower |
 |
| Looking northwards |
 |
| And south towards the laguna |
 |
| The end of the short trail |
 |
| Enjoying the shade from the palm trees |
 |
| Setting off back to the mainland |
 |
| Onboard the boat |
That was a full fun packed day. You seem to be among people who like loud music, not your scene, wouldn't be mine. Nice to relax with a swim and good meal at the end of the day
ReplyDelete