Western Caribbean · Cruise port guide
Puerto Costa Maya, Mahahual
A purpose-built cruise village on Mexico’s southern Caribbean coast, with the fishing town of Mahahual a short walk or shuttle down the beach.
Port basics
Getting ashore
Ships dock
Berth to town
The port village is at the pier. Mahahual village is about 3 km south — a shuttle, taxi or 30-minute beach walk.
Time in port
Typically 7–8 hours
Cruise season
Calls year-round
Currency
Mexican peso (MXN); US dollars accepted in the port village
Language
Spanish; English spoken in the port village and Mahahual
Time zone
Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5), no daylight saving
Nearest airport
Cancún International (CUN) — About 350 km north — not a practical day connection
These are the patterns Costa Maya normally operates on. Berth assignments, tender arrangements and time in port vary by ship, line and day, and we confirm the specifics for your sailing once we know the dates.
About Costa Maya
Costa Maya is not a town that acquired a cruise pier — it is a cruise pier that acquired a town. The port complex at Mahahual was built specifically for ships and contains pools, a beach area, shops and restaurants inside a controlled compound at the head of the pier. For a group that wants a low-effort day with no planning, it works well, because nobody needs to leave the port.
The real village, Mahahual, sits about 3 km south along the coast. It is a small fishing settlement with a paved beachfront Malecón, independent beach clubs and considerably lower prices than the port compound. Shuttles and taxis run continuously during a call, and the beach walk takes around half an hour.
Chacchoben is the archaeological site most ships pair with this port. It is roughly an hour inland, smaller and far quieter than Tulum or Chichén Itzá, and its temple complex sits in genuine jungle. The drive is on good road.
Sargassum seaweed is the one variable worth checking. Between roughly April and August it can wash onto this stretch of coast in quantity, and how much arrives changes completely from year to year and week to week.
Going ashore in Costa Maya
Within reach on foot
- The port village — pools, shops, restaurants and a saltwater lagoon
- Mahahual’s beachfront Malecón, reached by shuttle or a beach walk
- Beach clubs lining the Mahahual waterfront
What the port is known for
- Chacchoben Maya ruins, about an hour inland
- Snorkelling on the Banco Chinchorro and inshore reefs
- Bacalar lagoon, the "lake of seven colours"
- Beach club days at Mahahual
How ships berth here
A long pier runs out to deep water and can take three large ships at once. Passengers walk or ride a short shuttle from the ship to the port village at the pier head.
Access and mobility
The pier, shuttle and port village are step-free and purpose-built. Mahahual’s Malecón is flat but the surface is uneven in places.
Weather and when ships call
Hot and humid, 27–33°C by day. Driest December to April. Seaweed (sargassum) can affect the beaches between roughly April and August, varying sharply year to year.
Cruise season
Calls year-round
Typical itinerary length
Costa Maya usually appears on 5–7 nights Western Caribbean itineraries. Sails year-round.
Ports often paired with Costa Maya
Itineraries that call here usually call at these too, so it is worth reading them together when you are comparing weeks.
Cozumel
The busiest cruise port in the Caribbean, with three piers, a reef system on the doorstep and Maya ruins a ferry ride away.
Belize City
A long-tender port on Central America’s only English-speaking coast, gateway to Maya sites, cave tubing and the Belize Barrier Reef.
Roatán
A long, narrow reef island off Honduras with two separate cruise ports, world-class diving and the beach at West Bay.
Progreso
A Yucatán Gulf-coast port with the longest pier in the world, and the closest cruise access to Mérida and Chichén Itzá.
Explore further
Bringing a group to Costa Maya?
We hold five cabins or more together as a single block, quote it once, and let each household book and pay separately. Tell us roughly when and how many.