It is one of those quiet islands, away from the crazy Riviera Maya.
When I prepared the itinerary for Mexico, there were thousands of reviews speaking about this island. It is considered the dream island in Yucatan. So, we had to visit it.
Holbox is a small island in the north of the peninsula, which has slowly grown in terms of popularity. And the actual pronunciation of the name of the island, it sounds more like: Hol-bosch.
The history of the island began in the 19th century when the Mayan Rebellion has started through the entire Yucatan Peninsula. To escape the war, the people abandoned their lands to seek refuge in the nearby islands. So, a new town appeared in Holbox Island.
Being mostly inhabited by fishermen and being outside the touristic area, the island remains tranquil and quite authentic.
We decided that we couldn’t miss the island so we prepared a day trip there.
Best time to travel to Holbox
The best time to visit Holbox is between December to April. During this period, the weather is very pleasant.
From May to June is the shoulder season. Still, the perfect time to visit with little rainfall possibly.
July to October gets a little bit rougher during the rain and hurricane season but also the best time to swim with the famous whale sharks.
How to get here
Step 1: Hotel – Chiquila city
By rental
This is the easiest way to reach the Island from any point of the Yucatan Peninsula.
We rented a small car from rentalcars.com and we paid 40 euros/day (insurance included).
Firstly, we had to reach Chiquila city from our hotel in Playa del Carmen.
From Playa del Carmen, Cancun or Valladolid it will be around two hours to reach the small city. And don’t forget it is a toll road.
In Chiquila we parked our rental in a parking place. There are a few places around the ferry terminal.
The parking fee is 100 pesos/day. It is better and safer to parking in a paid parking place.
By ADO bus
There are daily buses to Chiquila from all the major cities, like Playa, Cancun or Valladolid.
Step 2: Ferry from Chiquila to Holbox island
There are two ferry providers: “Holbox Express” and “9 Hermanos” and daily ferries operating every 30 minutes from 6.00 to 21.30.
We didn’t see any major differences between the providers.
Ticked price: 150 pesos one-way
The island
Isla Holbox is a narrow, elongated island. It can stretch on over 30 km.
Only a very small part of the island is inhabited. People live around this small village where there are no roads and cars don’t exist.
The island doesn’t have the tranquility it once had. Everybody wanted to see this non-touristic place and slowly became crowded with lots of hotels, cafes, souvenirs shops. Nevertheless, for us, it was a very nice place to discover.
There are not so many things to do here except to relax.
Another activity to do is to rent a bike. It will cost about 200 pesos.
The road is easily navigable.
Our first stop was Punta Mosquito.
Here you can see perfectly the difference between the low and high tide.
At low tide you can reach, the beach by walking over a very long sandbank.
Do not forget to check the high tide because the water level gets very high and you will have to cross a small lagoon where crocodiles live. We enjoyed the sand bank and the beach. It had a little Maldives feel.
Soon after, we went back to town for lunch.
In Holbox, you can find many places to eat, from pizza to sushi.
Another place to visit is Punta Cocos.
The beach is about 30 minutes away by bike from the small village.
It is the most famous place to witness the Holbox sunset.
It is the perfect place to relax. There are some hammocks in the water for the perfect atmosphere.
The island is perfect.
Still, you will have to set your expectations right, because the island is no longer the untouched paradise. We spent a day here, but we recommend you to stay here at least 2 nights. This way you will have time to enjoy the beach, the beautiful sunset and to lay back for a while.
