Holbox

If you are thinking of visiting the Caribbean Mexico, surely you have in your travel itinerary to visit Holbox Island. If you are planning to visit this paradisiacal place, then you have just arrived to the most indicated place on the internet, because in this article we will tell you everything, but everything you need to know to visit this place.

And do you know what the best part is? This article will bust a lot of myths and misinformation that exists on the net about Holbox. Why misinformation, it’s very simple, these phrases sound familiar:

• Holbox is part of Cancun.
• On Holbox island everything is very cheap
• Getting to Holbox is very fast.

Well, let me tell you that these phrases and many more that exist in other blogs, are completely wrong, because Holbox is not part of Cancun, in itself is part of the state of Quintana Roo.

It is not very close to the city of Cancun, but it is not very far either and it can take 2 to 3 hours to get there from Cancun and a little bit longer if you are coming from Playa del Carmen.

And no, not everything is very cheap, in fact there are very few places where things are cheap, but almost everything on the island is very expensive.

But don’t worry, because here we will tell you everything you need to know, what to see, how to go, how to save, what to see and much more about Holbox Island. Let’s get to it.

Travel guide to visit Holbox

Holbox Island is one of the places where we all would like to be and it is very likely that you will make a habit of visiting it every time you can or every time you vacation in the Caribbean Mexico and this is because it gives us something that very few places have nowadays: Peace, Tranquility, Nature, Pure Air, Beaches and far away from technology.

Why is that? Because the island is far away from civilization and big cities, where the internet signal is very low, so you will forget about your social networks for a while and it gets even better, because it is an island that still keeps its “Virgin Island” charm, so do not expect to see cars or big hotels.

On the contrary, in Holbox you will find humble inns and hotels of only 3 floors, some of them in front of the sea, others not so much, but that is the least of it, because the beach is less than 5 minutes away from the “farthest accommodations”.

Is Holbox Pet Friendly?

As such, Holbox is a natural reserve and therefore access with pets is prohibited. BUT thanks to the care taken by the island’s inhabitants, nowadays hundreds of travelers enter the island with their dogs or cats.

In fact on the island you can see several dogs happily enjoying the fresh and crystalline waters of the place and for this to continue it is necessary that you also do your part, ie:

• Keep an eye on your pet
• Do not allow them to disturb wildlife.
• Do not allow them to damage natural areas.
• Pick up their waste.

These are just some tips so that people can continue to access the place with their dog or cat and of course almost all hotels allow you to stay with your pet, so go ahead.

 

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Where is Holbox located?

Generally Holbox Island is marketed as if it were part of the city of Cancun, but this is not so, Holbox is part of the state of Quintana Roo, it belongs to the municipality of Lazaro Cardenas being part of the northwest coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Thanks to this location Holbox is the only place in Mexico where you can enjoy the most beautiful sunsets, because it is the only place where you will completely see how the sun sets very elegantly between the immensity of the sea.

How to get to Holbox?

If you want to know more in depth how to get to Holbox from Cancun, you can click here. However, we are going to summarize this a little bit for you, okay?

First of all we remind you that Holbox is an island and as such cannot be reached by road, on the contrary, you first have to get to a small town called Chiquilla.

The town of Chiquilla has a port and from that port ferries depart every 30 minutes to Holbox Island, BUT these ferries only operate from 6 am to 10 pm, that means that you can not leave the island after 10 am or enter it before 6 am.

How much does the ferry to Holbox cost?

There are 2 companies that dominate the maritime routes to Holbox and although each one of them has different schedules, the cost of the ferry is the same: 150.00 MXN one way and 150.00 MXN return trip, that is 300 Mexican pesos for a round trip.

Other ways to cross to the island

Crossing to the island by ferry is the most common and economical way to get to the island, but they are not the only ones, another alternative you have to cross from the port of Chiquila is through the private boat service or through a private helicopter or plane trip.

Holbox has a small airport for helicopters or small planes, but the cost is approximately 4,500 MXN per person.

Available options to go to Holbox from Cancun.

Surely your vacation destination is Cancun and among your list of activities, you have written “visit Holbox”. Well, you now know that to get to Holbox, you must first get to Chiquila and for this we have 3 ways.

Before mentioning these ways, it is necessary that you know the distance you have to travel: If you are in downtown Cancun, in order to go to Holbox, you will have to travel about 60.9 kilometers and if it is from the airport the distance increases to 144 km.

Well, now that you know the distance, let’s know the ways in brief.

ADO bus: This option is one of the most economical and can cost from 250.00 MXN to 280.00 MXN per person. Prices tend to change according to the season and the type of class you travel in, but do not exceed 300.00 MXN. It should be noted that this form of transportation has very specific schedules to come and go, so if you miss the bus back, you have to stay until the next day.

Public transportation: There are public transportation services that you can take from downtown Cancun to Holbox and they are vans. The cost here is about 150.00 MXN and their only problem is that they make many “stops” along the way which makes the journey very long.

Private transportation: If you want to completely avoid any inconvenience and your thing is to enjoy the trip comfortably, happily and smoothly, the private transportation service is ideal for you and can cost from 255 USD single trip to 435 USD round trip and if you want to know the prices and everything it can offer you click here.

What is Holbox like?

Holbox itself is characterized for being a virgin island, which keeps a beach atmosphere. In fact you won’t see here women wearing fancy dresses or men wearing brand name clothes because none of that exists here! Here people are in shorts, flip flops, bathing suits, homemade clothes, etc, etc, etc and etc.

Don’t expect to see brand name cars or the latest models either, as this is forbidden on the island and in fact the cabs you will find here are more like golf carts.

How much does a cab cost in holbox? The average price of cabs in Holbox is from 45.00 MXN.

As you go deeper into the center of Holbox, you will come across the artistically painted murals of figures or people who have left their mark on the history of the place. In fact, it is estimated that there are more than 150 murals in Holbox.

And despite being a small place, the island has a main square that serves as a sports and recreational park.

Another thing that you can observe and that you will love is that it has no roads or rather its streets are sandy and the center of the island is less than 3 minutes from the beach.

Now get ready to fall in love more, because the beaches of the island are shallow and very quiet, in some of them you will find “swings or hammocks” where you can rest or take pictures and of course there are places where the water is so, but so low that it will seem that you are walking on the beach.

Where to take pictures in Holbox?

Practically the island is a very photogenic place, because nature, the weather, the beach, its murals lend themselves to take pictures of all kinds, poses and even hours. However, if you are looking to immortalize your visit in the famous letters of Holbox, we have two places.

The first place is at the island’s seaport and while it is a nice place to immortalize your trip, it is not very “crowded as such”, as most people prefer to go to the letters that are located on the beach of the main square.

Why? Because these letters are missing the letter “L”, which allows people to “stand” on that missing letter to take amazing souvenir pictures.

What to do in Holbox?

In another article that you can see here, we have talked about 15 activities that you can do on the island, however, in summary mode, here we will only list 5, which we consider the most sought after by thousands of travelers who visit this magical destination.

Enjoying the beaches

Undoubtedly the beaches are the first maximum attraction of the island and it would be almost a sin not to enjoy them. They are quiet, are shallow and are ideal to be all, but all day in them.

Driving a golf cart or bicycle

Although many people only know what is the center of the island, Holbox has much more to offer and if you want to tour the place one of the best options is to do it with a golf cart or a bicycle.

How much does it cost to rent a golf cart? The cost depends a lot on the hours, but the “average” cost is 800.00 MXN for 6 hours, 900.00 MXN for 9 hours, 1,600.00 MXN for 12 hours and 1,800.00 MXN for 24 hours. Meanwhile, renting a bicycle costs MXN 250.00 per day.

 

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Experience Bioluminescence

Holbox is one of the few places in Mexico where you can live and appreciate the effect of bioluminescence, that is: The effect generated by some microorganisms that “generate light” in the water or in other words, imagine thousands of fireflies, but in the water. Well, you have to experience this magical and incredible spectacle on the island.

How much does the bioluminescence tour cost? This tour has an average cost of 250.00 MXN per person and lasts only one hour. Of course you can take it on your own, you will only have to walk for about half an hour in the darkness.

Take the 3 island tour

The 3 islands tour is another must do activity in our Holbox travel manual, as it is a tour that will take you to other nearby islands or rather that are part of this paradise, but this one is a bit far to go on your own.

This trip lasts about 3 or 4 hours and among the islands that you will know, there is the island of passion and bird island. These islands are full of wildlife, mainly birds, flamingos and many more.

How much does the 3 islands tour cost? The 3 islands tour has an average cost of 450.00 MXN per person and has a duration of 3 to 4 hours.

Enjoying the night

While during the day the beach is a great place to enjoy, the nightlife on the island is soooooo lively that you will feel like you are in a Mexican movie.

Where to stay on Holbox?

Despite being a small place, Holbox has more than 100 accommodations. And here you will find everything from camping sites to exclusive, adults-only and luxury hotels. So right now we present you the list of options available to you to come and enjoy a few days in this small paradise in the Mexican Caribbean.

Where to eat in Holbox?

The island has some restaurants, food places, bars and some small stores so eating will not be a problem. Generally the gastronomy of Holbox, is mainly seafood, but there are places where you can eat a good hamburger, tacos, soup, pasta, etc, etc.

You just have to be careful not to go in for the sake of going in to eat, since most of the restaurants have costs ranging from 300.00 to 800.00 MXN per dish. In fact, almost all the restaurants have their “menu” of food on display at the entrance.

But don’t panic, there are some other places where you can eat with 100.00 MXN to 150.00 MXN. It’s all a matter of looking and looking.

On the other hand, if you are traveling as a backpacker, there are some small stores where you can buy provisions such as bread and ham.

List of Restaurants in Holbox

To make sure you don’t want to miss any more, we leave you with the updated list of restaurants and eateries in Holbox.

• Casa Nostra Roof Restaurant
• Las panchas
• Las Empa Holbox
• Mahi Holbox
• Tacoqueto
• El Chapulim Holbox
• Painapol – Vegan friendly, breakfast & brunch.
• La Barracuda
• Tortas del Carmen “Holbox”
• Restaurante Viva Zapata
• Los Peleones Holbox
• El Hornito Argento
• Rosa Mexicano
• Maiztro
• Manglu – Waffle House in Holbox
• Fresco – Bar & Grill
• El Velero Beach Club
• Las Fridas de Punta Coco
• ANS MON IL HOLBOX
• El Crustaceo Kascarudo holbox
• Bambu Holbox
• Pescadería “doña Tere”
• Arte Sano
• Parador 33
• Restaurante Milpa
• Roots Pizzas a la leña Isla Holbox
• Restaurant y Pizzería Edelyn
• El Hornito Argento
• Lecmu_tacos
• Los Peleones Holbox

Holbox Weather

Just like any other destination that is part of the Mexican Caribbean, Holbox Island has a warm and tropical climate that undoubtedly invites everyone to show off their best swimsuit, but not everything is peaches and cream, because it has some seasons where the weather is a little cold and others where it rains a lot.

Between the months of December to February the weather on the island is a little “cold”, it should be noted that cold for a person accustomed to a tropical climate, can be from 16 degrees to 24 degrees below zero.

If you come from a city fleeing from the cold, surely for you this will be nothing, meanwhile between the month of March to August, the weather is very warm there are even times when the heat of the sun becomes unbearable, but the advantage of the island is to be surrounded by the sea, so the thermal sensation is still “pleasant”.

The month of September and October, is particularly the rainy season, so it is a gamble whether or not to visit the island, since not having paved roads, when it rains the road is not usually pleasant and mosquitoes and other insects are noticeable.

What is the best time to visit Holbox?

Holbox is an island visited by thousands of people every year, but there are times of the year when you can find it NOT SO CONCURRENT, as it could be usually. These months are in low season, which are usually the following months:

• February
• March
• May
• September
• October
• November

However, the island has become the weekend “escape” for people who live near the place, so it is not convenient to “go on the weekend” and it is best to go between Monday and Friday.

 How much does it cost to visit Holbox

This travel guide to visit Holbox, has mentioned in several points some of the expenses that can generate your visit to the city and before giving you a breakdown of them, it is necessary to mention that 1 day, one day is not enough to enjoy as it should, so we advise you to stay at least 2 to 3 days.

Now, let’s find out how much it costs to visit Holbox.

Is it expensive to visit Holbox?

As you can see in the table above, only the round trip transportation from Cancun to Chiquila can cost 500.00 MXN per person, plus the cost of the ferry ride to get to the island which is 300.00 MXN, it adds up to a total of 800.00 MXN just for the logistics of the trip to get there.

Now, the island has accommodations for all types of travelers, there are very cheap hostels that cost from 150 MXN per night, some other 3 star hotels that offer rooms for 4 people for 700.00 MXN to 1,000.00 MXN and for travelers looking for the best of the best, some luxury accommodations for up to 2,500 MXN per night.

Therefore, “depending on the type of lodging you choose for yourself”, you can spend in 3 days from 450.00 MXN to 7,500.00 MXN.

TIPS: It is advisable to book your accommodation from the Booking.com platform a few days before going to the island and that way you will avoid paying more for “unanticipated reservation”.

On the other hand if comfort is not your thing, you can minimize expenses by doing tours on your own, for example you can walk around the island and even the bioluminescence tour or you can do it on your own, so there are ways to save money.

Regarding food, there are places where you can eat from 150.00 MXN and others where it can cost you up to 800.00 MXN, so our best advice here is: Ask the prices, until you find the restaurant you can afford and eat like a king.