Cancun Airport to El Cuyo

The journey by bus is broken into three stages:

 

  1. Cancun airport to Cancun ADO bus station
  2. Cancun ADO bus station to Colonia Yucatan
  3. Colonia Yucatan to El Cuyo
  • Remember the time in Cancun (in Quintana Roo state) is 1 hour behind Yucatan state (Colonia Yucatan and El Cuyo are in Yucatan). 6am in El Cuyo is 5am in Cancun. You get 1 extra hour when travelling to El Cuyo, and you lose it travelling back to Cancun.
  • You need to leave Cancun airport by 14:45 to get the bus all the way (which will cost you around $300mx total).
  • If you land into Cancun by 16:30, you can possibly get the 17:55 shuttle into Cancun and the 18:50 to Colonia Yucatan. If you’re lucky, there’ll be a taxi at the sitio taxis (approximately $250mx to El Cuyo). 

Stage 1 – Cancun Airport to Cancun ADO Bus Station:

The ADO bus stops directly outside the airport and is easy to find (look for ADO signs). You can buy tickets online in advance, but there are ticket sellers at the airport and buses are frequent – you rarely have to wait long. Wait and buy your ticket on arrival – just make sure you have pesos as the ATM at the airport is unreliable.

ADO run 2 buses from the airport: to Playa del Carmen OR to Cancun centre – make sure you get the bus to Cancun. Tickets are $98 pesos and the buses leave approximately every 45 minutes between 8am and midnight. After midnight there are some buses but the service is very limited.

It usually takes between 35 and 45 minutes to get to the central Cancun ADO bus station.

When you arrive, go into the terminal to buy your next bus ticket.

Stage 2 – Cancun ADO Bus Station to Colonia Yucatan (direction Tizimin):

 

The buses go at: 03:30, 06:00, 09:00, 10:30, 12:30, 13:00, 14:30, 15:30, 16:50, 18:50.

 

  • There are two bus companies (Mayab and Noreste) that stop at Colonia Yucatan with final destination Tizimin. Mayab and Noreste are the two ticket windows on your left as you enter the terminal.
  • Make 100% sure your ticket is for Colonia Yucatan – it costs approximately $130mx dependent on the type of bus.
  • Colonia Yucatan is 2.5 to 3 hours into the journey, traffic dependent. Get off in Colonia at the main stop in the centre of town – opposite the Neveria Basulto and near the taxi station.

Stage 3 – Colonia Yucatan to El Cuyo:

  • The bus to El Cuyo stops in Colonia Yucatan at the same place you get off the Cancun bus (opposite the Neveria Basulto)
  • Buses to El Cuyo take approximately 45 minutes
  • If you arrive at Colonia and you’ve missed the last bus (18:30), there may be taxis available at the ‘Sitio de taxis’ in front of the bus stop. A one-way ride to El Cuyo costs approximately 200$.

There are big Noreste buses ($35-45mx) or small minivans ($40mx). Pay the driver direct.

Schedules:

Noreste buses are more reliable than the minivans
06:15 – Noreste
07:45 – Noreste
09:45 – Noreste
11:15 – Noreste
11:15 – Minivan
12:45 – Noreste
12:45 – Minivan
14:15 – Noreste
14:15 – Minivan
15:45 – Minivan
17:15 – Noreste
17:15 – Minivan
18:30 – Noreste
18:30 – Minivan

Safety and Clothing:

Baggage:

Bags go underneath so keep money, passport, phone, etc on your person and aim to sit above where you put your bag. Bus travel is generally safe, but not many tourists head in this direction on the chicken bus so you may be a point of interest. 
 

Clothing:

The bus might or might not have AC. If it has AC it’ll be too cold, and if there’s no AC, you’ll be boiling…so have something you can cover up with, but wear something cool so you don’t overheat.
 

 

The return trip

 

Click here for information on getting the bus from El Cuyo to Cancun Airport. 

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