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Isla Contoy: The Hunters and The Hunted

I sla Contoy is a small island in the Mexican state  national park in 1998.                             the path, among the wildlife you may see Hermit
   of Quintana Roo, approximately 30 kilometers                                                         crabs, Geckos and Iguanas.
north of Cancun. The island is only 8.5 km in        Supervised eco-tourism and regulated com-
                                                          mercial fishing is allowed on and near the    The seaward side of the island fronts a long
length and has an area of 3.17 square kilometers. island. Only a few tour companies have permis-             spectacular Limestone wall butting into the
                                                                                                        sea. With anything other than a flat calm the
In addition to offering an extraordinary land        sion to bring tourist with an allowed maximum      waves break and cascade over the limestone,
                                                                                                        providing a truly impressive spectacle, and
experience, the island’s coastal areas provide a 200 daily visitors. Visitors need to apply for         offering some really good photo shots. If you
                                                                                                        go down to the limestone wall just be careful
rare opportunity to explore coastal dunes, l and permission to visit the island at the park offices     to remember where the access point was. Once
                                                                                                        down on the rocks it is easy to lose sight of the
an extraordinary concentration of coral reefs.       on Isla Mujeres or Cancún.                         paths. A walk along the limestone wall entails
                                                                                                        some deft footwork to avoid stepping on any of
These reefs, which begin at the southern             There are no poisonous snakes on the Isla          the hundreds of Geckos sunning themselves on
     end of the island, form the beginning of the         Contoy and no fresh water, which probably     the rocks.
Great Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest          explains why it has been free from develop-
coral reef in the world. The beautiful, nutrient-    ment so far. The beaches are nesting grounds for
rich waters surrounding the island attract           several different species of turtle and there are
hundreds of different marine species, with the       over 100 different species of marine birds on the
rare whale shark and the more common manta           island. The island is home to over 4000 Frigate
ray among the most prominent local inhabitants.      birds. The inland lagoon and the surrounding
Schools of sailfish arrive in the winter to feed on  mangrove are major nesting and rest over areas
the migrating sardines.                              for these birds.

S Tince 1961, Isla Contoy has been protected by      here are a number of paths that radiate out
     the Mexican government and was declared a       from the visitors center. As you walk along
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