Our first day in Cancun we spent enjoying the view of Cancun from the Observation Tower “El Torre” and visiting the neighboring island of Isla Mujeres after that. A little about Cancun. Is Cancun Mexico an island or a city? Cancún is a coastal city in Mexico’s easternmost state, Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula. Cancun resort area is bounded on three sides by water: the Caribbean Sea, the Bahia Mujeres (Bay of Women) and the Nichupte and Bojorquez lagoons.
The word cancun translates to a nest of snakes in English. Built in a location that was named by Mayan people, long ago, for the large number of snakes in the area, Cancun has been carefully groomed into one of the most polished resorts anywhere. Long gone are the snakes and most of the mosquitoes that might have enjoyed the numerous lagoons. Few resorts in the world have the infrastructure and amenities that were built into Cancun from the beginning. The area, developed in the 1970s and 80s as a tourist resort, is known for its white-washed buildings, long stretches of sand, diverse shopping, and vibrant nightlife according to wikipedia.
Cancun is within driving distance to the important Mayan temples at Tulum, Coba and Chichen Itza and the many resorts towns along the Yucatan. The most popular attraction is the temperate, sunny climate and the long stretches of white sand beach. In addition, the resorts offer a wide range of water sports, including some of the region’s best snorkeling and scuba diving. This is one of the reasons that Cancun is Mexico’s most popular resort areas, the other reason being… Location, Location, Location.
El Torre Cancún is a revolving tower that offers panoramic views of the Hotel Zone and the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean. The tower is situated at the El Embarcadero pier and entertainment complex.
The best way for us to get there from the Cancun Hotel Zone was to take a bus. We used buses all the time during our stay in Cancun. Some of these buses were very nice, equipped with air conditioning, music, a cost of only 8.5 pesos and they arrived very often, so there was no waiting time. The drivers were always nice and attentive. We got out of the bus a little earlier and took a nice 25 minute walk along the broad pavements, surrounded by numerous resorts.
On the way we saw Palm trees with coconuts. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take a picture.
El Embarcadero is one of the departure piers to Isla Mujeres. Be aware, that passengers of the UltraMar ferry get a discount of 50% at Cancun Tower. So, keep your tickets if you plan to visit Cancun Tower. Single tower ride costs $9 (U.S.), $4.50 (ages 5-12), but if you take a trip to Isla Mujeres, it will cost only half of that.
Here is the place to buy the tickets to the Observation Tower.
During the 10 minutes of the tower ride, we enjoyed a panoramic view, accompanied by the audio in Spanish and English about the area.
The Nichupte Lagoon separates the Hotel Zone from the mainland. Here, freshwater from underground springs and the salt ocean water mingle, creating a unique environment the diverse wildlife. The mangrove swamps provide homes for the cayman and over 200 different species of birds. Interesting fact about mangrove trees is they grow in salt water. To deal with salt, all mangrove trees exclude some salt at the root level, and all can tolerate more salt in their tissues than “normal” plants, often in quantities that would kill other plants. The mangroove swamps are shown in the pictures below:
Next we explored El Embarcardero area, while waiting for the UltraMar to Isla Mujeres. Here are some pics:
The Captain Hook dinner cruise departs from El Embarcadero pier.
Shops sell souveniers and sombreros:
Oasis Palm Beach Resort:
Ultra Mar – On the way to Isla Mujeres.
