Most tourists come to the Riviera Maya to visit Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Chances are most of you have not heard of this hidden paradise called Holbox. It’s pronounced Hole-bosch. This small island is starting to grow exponentially in terms of popularity, just like Tulum was once a ‘hidden gem.’
We are always looking for something a little less touristy, so when I found out about Isla Holbox, I had to check it out.
Located off the northern coastline of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula lies a laid-back bohemian island. It’s 26 miles long and only one mile wide.
There are no cars, except a few utility & police trucks and no paved roads and you get around by golf carts, bicycle or by walking.
HOW TO GET TO HOLBOX
1) The quickest way to reach Holbox is to fly there from Cancun. It takes around 40 minutes.
2) If you are traveling by car or bus, you will stop in Chiquilá ( ferry port). Then take a ferry to Holbox.
The ferry ride is approx 30 minutes.
From Cancun or Puerto Morelos, it’s just two hours by car to Chiquila.
Ferry from Chiquilá to Holbox
From Chiquilá, catch their daily ferries to Holbox from 6:00 am to 9:30 pm. The route is operated by two providers called “9 Hermanos” and “Holbox Express”. The timetable is designed so that every 30 minutes (always on the hour and at every half hour) a boat departs from the mainland to Holbox.
If you are not going in a tour, when you arrive at the pier, you will buy your ticket for the next time-slot.
Ticket price: 220 Pesos per person (one-way)
Note: the price are always going up so please check before you start your trip.
We didn’t want to handle any of the logistics, so we took a tour from ‘Holbox Magic’ so we can simply relax and enjoy.
THINGS TO DO ON ISLA HOLBOX
1. Go see the Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism. For example, think fireflies that you see on land.
We booked a snorkeling tour in bioluminescence from viator ‘Experience in Holbox’ $30.92 usd per person. This is night snorkeling that will begin in the sea in Punta Cocos around Holbox Island at a depth of 1 meter with an approximate duration of two hours. The bioluminescent is hard to capture by a regular camera.
The time we booked was at 7 pm but the actual time is confirmed on the day of because it depends on the moon until it goes away. It has to be a dark night. Our tour was at 3 am in the morning. But it was worth it!! Your movement in the water makes it look like twinkling stars. I felt I had magic, twinkling stars….Peter pan and Tinker Bell comes to mind. We also saw constellation of stars, Milky ways & Venus.
2) Swim in Yalahau Cenote
This is actually located on the mainland in Yum Balam Nature Reserve, you will have to take a half-hour boat trip to get there. Swim in fresh water, and according to the legends this water have strange properties that when people immersed here, you will feel 10 years younger. The water was cold but was refreshing on a hot day.
3) Have a drink at one of the rooftop bars or spent a day at a beachclub
My favorite beach club is Mandarina. If you are not staying at their property Casa Las Tortugas, you can rent their daybed for 500 pesos per person ( $25 usd) and that can be put towards food and drinks. The beach area and the pool and the ground were swanky. Staying in Casa Las Tortugas costs about $315 a night currently.
4) Swim with whale shark
Mid May to Mid September is Whale Shark Season in Isla Holbox. The peak of the season is in late June to Early July. Whale Sharks can be spotted in Isla Holbox during the summer months during their annual migration around the Yucatan Peninsula.
The whale sharks are protected animals and therefore there is a limited number of people that can go at a time.
5) Take a boat tour to Passion Island
Passion Island is a really small island, located just 15 minutes from Isla Holbox. Passión Island is far from civilization.
The entire atmosphere is accompanied only by the soft sand, birds and palm trees. There is no one human living there, so golf carts, no stores or restaurants.
6) Relax in Punta Cocos.
This is the perfect beach to spend the whole day. You can float in the shallow water, relax in the hammocks, and walk along the soft white sands.
7) Watch the sunset on Holbox island
I love sunset and one of the best things to do is watching the sunset and sipping a drink or two!
LODGING
There are all kinds of lodgings from budget to luxury. Art Maya Rooms was our choice.
Tour we booked
IT INCLUDES:
Visit to the Yalahau spring where the water is born
Visit to Isla Pasión
Visit to mosquito point
Photos taken in viewpoint
Swimming on the island.
A la carte food
Grilled fish fillet.
Fish fillet in butter.
Fillet of fish a la diabla.
Grilled chicken.
Garlic chicken.
Chicken fajitas.
NOTE:
It does not include drinks in the restaurant.
Visit to Holbox IslandFree time to enjoy the beach.
Plus $ 20 pesos for sanitation (paid on the spot)
It already includes dock tax
COST
Since their tour was a day trip, we paid 300 pesos extra per person to transit from Chiquila back to Puerto Morelos.
We got picked up -at the seven eleven in Colonia, in Puerto Morelos at 7.30am
On April 22nd- we took the ferry at 3 pm.
Tour Cost estimate per person
1650 day tour + 220 pesos ferry fee +300 pesos transport return, $20 dock fee = 2190 pesos ( equivalent to $109.50+ $124.45 for hotel ( we booked hotel ourselves)
Total costs was $233.95 usd + $30.92 bioluminescence tour = $265 plus spending money such as food, golf cart taxi )
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