Holbox Island, Mexico is GREAT! Honestly, it is one of my favorite places in Mexico. My son Kaden and I spent a few days there last month, and it was incredible. Holbox is a small island about 2.5 hours north of Cancun, off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. Around 1,600 locals live in the tiny main town on the funky island of Holbox. Everyone gets around by electric golf cart taxis and bikes. Holbox is a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and live off the grid. You’re not totally off the grid because Holbox got electricity, less than 30 years ago, but is the best place for no cars, beach roads and beautiful sunsets.
Getting to Holbox is fairly easy, but it does take awhile. Kaden and I left from Cozumel on the ferry to Playa Del Carmen, and from there took the bus to the airport. The ferry ride is about 35 minutes and the bus ride was an hour. From the airport, we took a 2-hour shuttle ride to Chiquila at the far northern side of the peninsula. On your way you will go through about three of the cutest little towns in Mexico. Once you get to Chiquila, you will take a 20-minute ferry ride over to Holbox. So from Cozumel you go taxi to ferry, ferry to bus, bus to shuttle, shuttle to ferry, ferry to golf cart taxi and finally golf cart taxi to your hotel in about a 5-hour span. BUT it is so worth it! Below are a few pictures of the towns we went through before getting to the golf cart taxi.
There are so many things to do and see, it is hard to do them all unless you have an extended vacation. I’m going to tell you about the top 7 things you must do when you visit Holbox!
1. Dolphin & Whale Shark Watch
Holbox is a wonderful place to see whale sharks. These gentle giants gather 20 minutes from the shore during the months of June to September. You can get up close and personal with them on a snorkeling excursion, or just check them out from the boat. A fisherman took Kaden and I over to Holbox and a pod of about 12 dolphins swam alongside the boat. They were beautiful, and Kaden’s eyes lit up when we spotted them. The kind fisherman slowed the boat down so we could get to watch them. Seriously, it was a very cool 20 minutes.
2. Snorkel
If whale shark watching is not enough for you, how about SWIMMING among them? You’ll enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience, complete with a friendly, informative guide when you go snorkeling. You will swim beside the largest fish (whale shark), as well as visit reefs, where you’ll get a first-hand look at sea turtles, nurse sharks, lobsters, squids, octopuses, and different reef fish!
3. Kitesurf
Seeing Holbox from the air is amazing! Take an advanced or beginner kitesurfing course and you will be up in the air viewing Holbox from the beautiful skies! There is a sand bar that runs parallel with the shore, and the water in between is only waist high, making kitesurfing safe and easy for all skill levels.
4. See the Flamingos
Isla Passion seems to be the spot for flamingos! You can easily spend a morning along the sand bar to the island. It’s a 1-mile walk, and along the way look for starfish, crabs and seashells. If you are a bird watcher, or just love animals, you definitely have to see the flamingos in their natural habitat!
5. Pizza
A-MAZ-ING!! I loved the fresh pizza. In Holbox, there are several different pizzerias. It has been said that Europeans settled on Holbox before the Mayans, which is why they have pizzerias. They also have two homemade tortilla shops. You can see the ladies cooking them, and they are quite tasty fresh off the line.
6. Rent a Bike or Golf Cart
The town of Holbox is very small and you can easily walk it in an hour, but the island has so much more to offer from exotic birds to pristine beaches. For about $70 a day you can rent a golf cart and explore. I highly recommend exploring the island. You can do the whole island in a day.
7. RELAX
You’re on vacation, RELAX! The only beds in Holbox are in the hotels. Locals sleep in handmade hammocks. Curling up in a hammock on the beach is the perfect way to relax and catch up on your favorite novel. Isle Holbox is so beautiful and so peaceful, it is the perfect place to sit back, listen to the ocean, enjoy a beer or two, and just soak in the beauty that comes with life sometimes!
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