What not to do in Cozumel may seem like a negative approach to your vacation on this enchanting island. But essentially, it’s common sense. Any responsible and thoughtful traveler wants to blend in with the local culture, stay safe, and avoid cultural faux pas.
Cozumel is packed with things to do, from exploring Mayan antiquities to snorkeling over coral reefs, swimming in cool cenotes, and sampling local cuisine. If you follow a few simple guidelines, from how to protect the wildlife to getting the best from your server in a restaurant, your experience in Cozumel will be all the richer.
Don’t Drink the Tap Water
Bottled water
Drinking tap water in Cozumel is really not advised; even the locals don’t drink it. So for your time on the island, stick to bottled water, or purified water if you know it’s from a reliable source.
You’ll need to be sure that bottled water has been used for everything from washing your fruit salad to creating the ice for your margarita. It’s not impolite to ask—and indeed, restaurants do use purified water to make ice. If in doubt, avoid it.
Don’t Leave Your Belongings Unattended
Beach bag
Cozumel is a safe place, but leaving valuables unattended on the beach is an open invitation to petty thieves, wherever you are in the world.
Ideally, you won’t bring any valuables to the beach apart from perhaps a cellphone and some cash. Leave valuable jewelry in the safe for a day out on the island. Invest in a waterproof dry bag for your phone that you can wear around your neck when you swim, and stash your cash in there, too.
For walking around towns and markets, a money belt or a small cross-body bag is ideal as a deterrent to pickpockets.
Read: Mexico Travel Tips
Don’t Take a Taxi Without Confirming the Price
San Miguel de Cozumel
Cozumel doesn’t have ride-hailing services like Uber, so you’ll be dependent on taxis if you don’t rent your own vehicle or take a guided tour. Always agree on the price with the driver before setting off.
If you can’t come to an agreement, ask to see the fare sheet, which displays the fixed and official fares to most parts of the island. All taxis are supposed to carry these.
Don’t Use Money Exchange Offices
Mexican peso
Don’t use the cambios, or exchange offices, unless you’re absolutely desperate for cash. You will get a much better rate from an ATM.
Just in case anything goes wrong with the transaction, use an ATM that’s affiliated with a bank rather than a random dusty booth on a street corner; if one of these swallows your card, you could be in for a long haul to get it back.
It’s always a good idea to carry some cash in Cozumel as not everywhere takes cards, particularly small beach shacks, souvenir vendors, and street food stalls.
Don’t Skimp on Tipping
San Miguel de Cozumel
A lot of locals in Cozumel depend on tourism for their income, and wages are low. As such, it’s culturally sensitive to understand the local tipping culture, which takes many of its influences from the US.
Servers in restaurants will be happy with 15 to 20 percent, as will tour guides—provided they’ve offered a good service, of course. Around 15 percent of the cost of the tour is appropriate, so the peso equivalent of $15 for a $100 activity.
For attendants who fill up your rental car with gas, a small tip of 10 or 20 pesos is appreciated. Taxi drivers are the exception to the rule and don’t expect a tip, but if you feel particularly compelled to tip for excellent service, you can just round up the fare.
Don’t Expect Everybody to Speak English
Restaurant in Cozumel
Many locals in Cozumel do speak English as tourists from elsewhere in North America make up the majority of visitors to the island. But don’t expect everybody to understand you automatically, especially if you have a strong accent or are asking for something unusual.
Learn a few words of Spanish. Buenos dias, for “good morning”, buenas tardes for “good afternoon”, por favor for “please”, and muchas gracias for “thank you” are the absolute basics.
Don’t Be Confused by Restaurant Culture
Restaurant in Cozumel
Eating in a restaurant comes with its own etiquette in Cozumel, and it may be different from what you are used to at home.
Mealtimes in Cozumel are a time for relaxation, chatting with friends and family, and enjoying the food. As such, the service may seem slower than you’re used to. The waiter or waitress won’t just put the check on the table; this would be considered rude, and a hint that they want you to go.
To get the check, simply ask for “la cuenta, por favor” and they’ll bring it to the table.
Don’t Upset the Ecosystem
Marine life in Cozumel
Cozumel is home to an abundance of wildlife including sereques, a kind of agouti; mapaches, or racoons, and coatimundis. You’ll also see large iguanas basking on rocks and in the trees.
Enchanting as the wildlife may be, don’t feed any of these animals. You will upset the ecosystem and possibly harm the animal, too. The same applies to feeding fish; they’re wild creatures, not props that can be enticed for a selfie. Avoid excursions that boast about feeding the fish for better viewing.
Observe signs asking you to stay away from beaches where turtles nest, which includes several on Cozumel’s less developed east coast.
Snorkeling in Cozumel
Whether you’re snorkeling, diving, or just swimming, take extra care not to touch Cozumel’s delicate corals. These are living creatures and even brushing past one can destroy it. Certainly don’t tread on the coral, or break pieces off as a souvenir.
Finally, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t feed the crocs that inhabit the lagoons around Punta Sur Eco Beach Park. You can observe them from a specially built tower, but encouraging them to approach for food is extremely dangerous; you could end up being the meal.
Don’t Forget Your Manners
San Miguel de Cozumel
In Mexico and therefore, in Cozumel, people are admired for being thoughtful, polite, respectful, and loyal. Not for how much they earn, or how wealthy their family is.
Treasured values include hospitality, generosity, and selflessness. People here have a strong sense of “face”, not unlike the Japanese, so try to avoid causing someone to lose face in your transactions with them. Don’t use sarcasm or criticize your waiter in front of their boss, for example.
Treat people in Cozumel as you wish to be treated yourself. Smile, greet people, say please, and say thank you. This includes everybody from the street vendor to your taxi driver.
Make eye contact. Greet the shopkeeper when you walk into a store and say goodbye when you leave. If you’re looking for a conversational ice-breaker with, say, your taxi driver, soccer, basketball, family, and the beauty of Cozumel are all excellent starting points.
Beach in Cozumel
Accept the fact that life moves at a slower pace here. What you may perceive as slow service is simply the rhythm of local life. One of the best pieces of advice regarding what not to do in Cozumel is to avoid showing impatience, which is seen as a sign of weakness in foreigners.
Don’t drink alcohol to excess. For a start, the hot weather can easily make you dehydrated. Drunkenness is uncommon among locals in Cozumel; alcohol tends to be consumed with a meal, but not purely for the sake of drinking.
Don’t Forget to Dress Modestly
Beach in Cozumel
Mexico is a Catholic country, and while Cozumel may seem like a fun-in-the-sun kind of place, attitudes to dress code here are still pretty conservative.
This isn’t to say Cozumel is a prudish place, but a few good manners go a long way. Men should not walk around San Miguel or any other town shirtless. Stick to a T-shirt and shorts. Women should keep bikinis for the beach and avoid skin-tight shorts and micro-dresses in town.
A sun dress, a pair of walking shorts, or a decent coverup should protect your modesty. If you dress immodestly, you may attract unwanted male attention. Don’t sunbathe topless on the beaches, either.
Don’t Drive Too Hard a Bargain
Souvenir shop in Cozumel
It’s appropriate to bargain politely when you’re shopping for souvenirs or for goods at local markets and around San Miguel. But don’t try to drive down the price for the sake of it. The chances are you’re from a country where incomes are much higher than they are in rural Mexico.
Engage with the vendor. Be polite and smile. Make the bargaining part of an exchange, rather than being aggressive. Mexico isn’t like Morocco or Egypt, where haggling is a mock-drama and you have to flounce off in pretend disappointment for the vendor to come chasing after you with a better offer.
Don’t Forget Reef-Safe Sunscreen
Sunscreen
One thing’s for sure: you will need sunscreen in Cozumel, which is in the tropics. Getting sunburned, especially if you’re out on the water where there’s a lot of reflection, is highly possible. So sunblock up—but in Cozumel, you must consider the environment at the same time.
Cozumel is surrounded by thriving coral reefs and has some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world. Chemical sunscreen that’s not labeled reef-safe is banned in this pristine environment.
Corals are living creatures and are highly sensitive to the chemicals used in traditional sunscreens, which can kill them. Reef-safe sunscreens protect your skin with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which are coral-friendly. Check the bottle for the words “non-nano” and “biodegradable”.
Don’t Rent a Scooter
Cozumel is pretty easy to explore independently and a lot of visitors are keen to get away from the built areas and discover the best beaches. But by scooter? When it comes to what not to do in Cozumel, one of the strongest pieces of advice from locals in the know is, don’t rent a scooter.
The roads have potholes and some are one-way. Tropical rain showers can lash down suddenly, leaving roads slippery and dangerous. And some scooters are not especially well maintained. An alarming number of road accidents involve tourists on scooters.
ATVs
Instead, rent a car or better still, a 4×4 to explore the island’s more remote eastern side, where you’ll find beaches like Playa Punta Morena and Playa Chen Rio. Join a guided tour; there’s a great trip on ATVs, for example, to the Jade Cavern, cool, green cenotes where you can swim and look for bats.
Don’t Skip the Local Food
Cochinita pibil
Food on Cozumel is a delicious fusion of Mexico and the Caribbean, and it would be a shame to miss out, especially if you love seafood. Look for fish fresh from the sea; grilled grouper, or a tasty lionfish, for example.
Taste tortillas, tamales, and shrimp tacos. If you’re super hungry, cochinita pibil is a local specialty—marinated pork, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked. Snack on codzitos, crispy tortillas filled with cheese and beans, fried, and served with a tangy tomato sauce.
Instead of soda, try horchata, a cooling drink of rice, water, cinnamon, and sugar, all blended together. Or agua de Jamaica, a refreshing, cold hibiscus tea.
Don’t Miss Out on Local Festivals
Dia le los Muertos
Cozumel has a rich cultural calendar, and by joining in with a local festival, your experience on the island will be all the richer. Carnival in February is the biggest celebration on the Yucatan Peninsula, with parades, live bands, and elaborate costumes.
El Cedral in April or May brings horse racing, rodeos, and feasting. September 16 is a wild celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day, while the Dia le los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, from October 31 to November 2, honors ancestors and the deceased.
Read: Best Things to Do in Cozumel
FAQs
What should you avoid in Cozumel?
ATV
Avoid renting a scooter; try an ATV or car instead. The roads really aren’t safe for scooters. Avoid taking tours with unlicensed “guides”, too, who could be scammers.
Respect the ocean; don’t snorkel without a buddy. This is standard safe practice when it comes to snorkeling. Better still, join a boat trip that will take you to the best spots.
Is Cozumel safe for tourists?
Cozumel
Yes, Cozumel is safe for tourists and has a low crime rate. Just exercise the usual precautions to minimize your chance of being a victim of petty crime; don’t flash expensive jewelry around and don’t leave valuables unattended on the beach.
What’s a common tourist mistake in Cozumel?
Sunscreen
Underestimating the power of the tropical sun and combining that mistake with an excess of margaritas, or any other Caribbean cocktails, is a common mistake. Sunblock up with reef-safe sunscreen, avoid the sun at midday, stay hydrated, and consume alcohol with caution.
Are there any cultural taboos to avoid in Cozumel?
San Miguel de Cozumel
Cozumel is generally a very tolerant culture, but there are a few taboos. Don’t blaspheme; this is a Catholic society and it’s disrespectful. Don’t talk about Mexico as though it’s not part of North America; it is.
Don’t dismiss the food. Mexicans are very proud of their cuisine. And show respect to older people. If you’re speaking Spanish, address them as “usted”, the formal way, rather than “tu”.
Can I drink tap water in Cozumel?
No. Avoid the tap water and request bottled or filtered instead. Don’t have ice in your drink unless you know it’s made from water that is safe to drink.
Playa Mia
Now you know what not to do in Cozumel, it’s time to discover all the joyful experiences this island offers. Browse Celebrity’s cruises to Cozumel and plan your island adventure.
