Isla Mujeres / Isla Contoy

Isla Contoy is located 30 kilometers north of Isla Mujeres where the waters of the Caribbean Sea join those of the Gulf of Mexico. The Ixlaché reef south of Contoy marks the start of the second longest barrier reef in the world, the Great Mesoamerican Reef. Isla Contoy has been a protected natural area since 1961 and was declared a National Park in 1998. It is an uninhabited island and managed by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). Contoy is the most important refuge of marine birds of the Mexican Caribbean. Its lagoons, mangroves and low jungles are home to 152 registered bird species. Since the winter more than 10,000 birds have gathered, including frigate birds, cormorants, boobies, herons, brown pelicans and marine swallows.

In the summer, three species of sea turtles come to the beaches of Contoy to spawn: the hawksbill, white and loggerhead turtles. Of the 98 species of plants identified, especially the mangroves that cover 70% of the island's surface have been preserved intact, and house many species of birds, reptiles, crustaceans and fish. The surrounding waters of Contoy are very rich in nutrients that serve as food for the plant that forms the food base of more than 234 species of fish identified in the area, including the majestic whale sharks and manta rays that feed near their coasts.