Cancun live webcams

A hotel zone shaped like a 7

Most of Cancun's beaches lie on a narrow strip of sand shaped like the number 7, about 22 km (14 miles) long, with Kukulcán Boulevard running its whole length. It was a barrier island of dunes and coconut palms when work on the resort began in 1970, and it is joined to the mainland by bridges at both ends. Inside the 7 lies the Nichupté Lagoon, a system of shallow lagoons ringed by protected mangroves.

Two faces: the bay and the Caribbean

The short arm of the 7 faces north onto the Bahía de Mujeres, the Bay of Women, where the water is shallow and usually calm. At Punta Cancún the strip turns south, and the long arm faces the open Caribbean, with wide beaches, livelier waves and currents that call for respect. The reefs off Punta Cancún and Punta Nizuc belong to a national marine park.

Isla Mujeres and Costa Mujeres

Across the bay, Isla Mujeres has Playa Norte, a shallow beach that faces the sunset. On the mainland to the north, Costa Mujeres is the newest resort coast, quieter and more spread out than the hotel zone.

When to watch the Cancun cams

The Caribbean beaches face east and get the sunrise; the bay, the lagoon and Playa Norte are where the sun goes down. December to April is the high season, while sargassum can arrive from spring to autumn, so the cams are the quickest way to see which beaches are clear today. Cancun stays five hours behind UTC all year, the same as New York in winter; the time in Cancun page compares it with your own city.