Isla Mujeres is an island in Mexico just off of Cancun. It’s an amazing place to visit for many reasons, but this one is pretty special! Because of the island’s location, you can be the first person in Mexico to watch the sunrise! Watching an Isla Mujeres sunrise at Cliff of the Dawn is worth getting up early for!
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Getting to the Isla Mujeres Sunrise Spot
The Easternmost point of the island is pretty easy to find, especially considering the island is only 4 miles long. Most of the hotels are on the West side of the island because that is where the beach is, so you will need to plan on renting a golf cart the night before you watch the sunrise. There are many places to rent golf carts on the island and some hotels rent them out to guests. If you want to book a golf cart in advance, check out Isla Mujeres Golf Cart Rentals. For this particular experience, I recommend renting a golf cart for 24 hours which starts at $50 and varies depending on the season. If you really wanted to walk to the other end of the island and back, you could, but I personally prefer to drive.
Although the island is small, golf carts don’t go very fast so you will want to leave your hotel AT LEAST 30 minutes before the sun is supposed to rise. I would recommend leaving closer to an hour beforehand in case you take a wrong turn or need to get gas. To get there, get on the main road on Isla Mujeres (Av Rueda Medina) headed East and follow the road until you hit a roundabout. At the roundabout you will take a left. Stay on that road until you see the end of the island! You’ll have to park in front of Acantilado (a seafood restaurant) and walk a little ways to reach Punta Sur.
What to Expect
When you walk over to Cliff of the Dawn, you will see ruins of Ixchel Temple. This is an added bonus to the sunrise spot as it lets you see a bit of Mexican history. At the end of the cliff there are stairs you can walk down to see the sign pictured above. There are typically a few other visitors watching the sunrise as well, but it shouldn’t be crowded. When we visited, there were only four other families there. Besides that, you can expect an amazing sunrise! It does feel special to know you are the first people in Mexico to see the sun that day.
Anna’s Pick of the Week
This camera lens will make your sunrise photos spectacular! And the best part is, the lens is meant for the camera you already carry around – your phone! You really don’t need a professional camera to take amazing pictures anymore! Use these lenses on any brand of smartphone. They’re also affordable, which makes them a unique gift for fellow travel enthusiasts!
