Horseback Riding

Located on the inland side of the highway across from Nachi-Cocom beach club, Rancho Palmitas (Carr. Costera Sur Km. 16, cell. tel. 987/119-1012, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily) offers two horseback tours. A 2.5-to-3-hour tour (US$40 pp) includes stops at a cavern with a cenote, the archaeological site of El Cedral, and a few unexcavated Maya ruins. A shorter 1.5-hour tour (US$35 pp) leads to the cavern only. Call to set up a tour or just drop in—the last excursion leaves at 3 p.m.

Calesa Rides

Once a way for islanders to get around town, calesas (horse carriages) are now mainly used by tourists to see San Miguel. For US$30–35 you can hire a buggy to take you on a 30-minute tour of the town—from the waterfront to the interior. Look for the horses lined up on Avenida Rafael Melgar by Calle 1. (And if horse-drawn carriages strike you as a raw deal for the horse, you’re not alone: Cozumel is one of the focus cities of Horses Without Carriages, an anticarriage organization; online at www.horseswithoutcarriages.org.)

ATV Excursions

Though catering to cruise ship passengers, Wild Tours (Av. 10 Bis btwn Calles 13 and 15, tel. 987/872-5876, toll-free U.S./Can. tel. 888/497-4283, www.wild-tours.com, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Sat.–Sun.) offers ATV excursions to everyone. Tours include off-roading through the jungle, visiting isolated Maya ruins, and snorkeling at Chankanaab reef (US$70–80 adult, US$110 child with adult, 4 hours; US$58–65 adult, US$90 child with adult, 2 hours). Tours leave from a staging area in front of Carlos ’n Charlie’s in Punta Langosta.