How To Get To Isla Holbox

This article or section does not match our manual of style or needs other editing. Please plunge forward, give it your attention and help it improve! Suggested fixes: None specified. Please use the article's talk page to ask questions if you are not sure why this tag was added and whether it is safe to remove it.

Isla Holbox is in Quintana Roo, better known worldwide as The Mexican Caribbean

Get in [edit]

You get to Isla Holbox by taking a ferry in Chiquilá. It's run by the companies 9 hermanos and Holbox Express, costs $200 pesos (for both companies) and runs daily at from 6am to 21:30 every half an hour. During high season there can be an additional 22:30 ferry. It takes about 25-30 minutes. With two or more people you can charter a fishermans boat for the same price.

You can find updated time schedules for ferries at:

El Holboxeño Ferry Timetable and bus connections
Holbox Express page (only shows half of the departures)
Holbox Guide Ferry Departures

To Chiquilá by car: from Cancún (follow signs on the road), take the free highway 180 (called Merida Libre) or Avenida José López Portillo, direction to Merida; keep always on the right also when the road separates. At El Ideal, turn right to Kantunilkin, and then you will arrive to Chiquilá, where the road ends. There's a few buses, colectivos and shuttles daily from Cancún to Chiquilá. There are also now shuttles departing directly from the Cancún International Airport(you need to book these in advance preferably). From Playa del Carmen and Tulum, there's a direct first class bus that leaves at 8:10 am and takes 3:30 from Tulum (284 pesos). There are also two colectivos departing 11:30pm and 18:30pm (you need to book these in advance preferably)

From Mérida you can take a nightbus at 23:30, arriving in Chiquilá at 5:30, passing Valladolid around 2:30. If you prefer traveling at daytime, you can take a bus from Mérida or Valladolid to Tizimín and change there to a bus to Chiquilá (go to the other terminal next door; buses run at 4.30, 11:00, 13:00 and 14:15 and cost 95 pesos). Buses from Valladolid to Tizimín depart every hour starting at 6.00).

Frequently updated bus timetable

You can also find the road map directions to Holbox Island and Chiquila from the Holbox Guide

You can find further information:

If you download The Holbox Guide App available for both Android and iPhone.Holbox Guide Download or visit The Holboxeño online guide

Sunset in Punta Norte, Holbox.

See [edit] [add listing]

The island of Holbox is in fact very small, you don't see many cars around, so the best way to go anywhere is walking, bicycle (mostly in calle Damero) or golf carts. You've got a good chance to see flamingo's and lots of other birds if you walk the beach.

Do [edit] [add listing]

Whale Shark Tours. Tours depart daily from late May through September, with peak season in July and August. Most tours leave at 9AM, returning around 2PM. Requires a one-hour bouncy boat ride but passes dolphins, flamingos and maybe turtles and manta rays. Ceviche lunch included as well as snorkeling at a well-used reef with potentially cloudy visibility. Visitors are generally given three times in the water with the sharks, and no touching is allowed. Standard price is 1200 pesos, although cheaper deals may be found; note that anyone charging less than the standard rate may not be a completely legitimate business and thus may not be following all regulations designed to protect the whale sharks. edit
Refugio de Mapuches, esquina Tintorera / Coldwell . Refugee for animals including mapuches and pelicans. If you have 30 minutes to spare, visit it! Free (donations). edit

Buy [edit] [add listing]

Lalo.com is on the second floor of this beautiful palapa

Lalo.com [5] is a beautiful shop offering: local crafts, shells and conches. Our craft is made with a variety of materials such as: Coconut, Capiz, Leck, Wood. Additionally you can find Stones, Jewelry, Beach Items, Gifts, and more.
Papa Rana Official Holbox Logo Shop (Papa Rana Official Holbox Island Logo Shop), Igualdad / carito y Tiburon ballena central square, 77310 , [1]. You can find several souveniers at Papa Rana Official Logo Shop for Holbox Island. (21.52411,-87.37915,17) edit

Eat [edit] [add listing]

You must try the delicious LOBSTER PIZZA, nowadays an icon of the delicious Holbox gastronomy
Seafood, delicious in many places for all budgets
Italian food. Mixed with the delights of the sea and the local preHispanic cuisine
La serenita (The little mermaid). Very local place, specialized in antojitos (panuchos, sopes, tacos, chalupes, all 13 pesos a piece). edit

Drink [edit] [add listing]

Sleep [edit] [add listing]

Deluxe

The Holbox Collection, rooms at various(?) price points
Casa Sandra [6] - boutique hotel on the island
Holbox Dream [7]
La Chaya Holbox [8]

Convenience

Hotel La Palapa, Av. Morelos 231 , ☎ 0052-984-87-52121 , [2]. It offers island-themed rooms and suites, all of which have balcony/deck, Internet connection, and private toilet and bath. Some of its amenities are massage service, restaurant and bar, and recreational activities (whale shark viewing, sunbathing, snorkeling, and windsurfing). Best rates on official website start at USD 69.00. edit
Elements [9] - has a good view from the top
Maya Inn Holbox [10] - near to the pier harbor

More options

Villas Flamingos [11]
Mawimbi
Faro Viejo
Los Delfines

Hostal Y Cabanas, Calle Plutarco Elias Calles s/n (At the very end of the fifth street from the pier.), ☎ +529848752358 , [3]. Unique, fresh and cozy, the campground is located 80 m from the main beach and offers to backpackers the possibility to sleep on hammocks or beds in small wooden cabañas protected with mosquito nets as well as within tents on the soft sand of the garden. Includes all basic comforts such as hot water, electricity and ventilators. Additional to communal kitchen, laundry, BBQ grill and toilets, the camping provides also a fully equipped house for families and small groups who desire a bit more privacy. Tents from 8 USD per night/person, hammocks from 10 USD per night/person, Beds from 12 USD per night/person & Private cabañas from 45 USD per night.. edit

Tribu Hostel, Av. Joaquin Coldwell (3 blocks from the pier and 40m from the beach), ☎ +52 984 875 2507 , [4]. Brand new hostel with the following facilities: dorm rooms, private rooms, kitchen, internet/wi-fi, book exchange, cinema, bike rental, tours, laundry edit
Ida y Vuelta, (near Elements). Nice palapa huts with fan and hammock, sand floors, shared bath (300 pesos), AC rooms (400 pesos). Dorm beds 100 pesos. Shared kitchen. Free wifi. Owners Italian, multi-lingual and can help arrange tours and other activities. 300 pesos. edit

Cope [edit]

Creditcards are not widely accepted. Cash is king. There's three ATM's on the island, but they're not very reliable so avoid running out of cash. There are now 2 Bureau de Change / ForEx establishments on the island. Both are on avenida tiburón ballena.

Mosquitoes are very aggressive during dusk. Consider bringing eco-friendly mosquito repellent.

Get out [edit]

Ferries from Holbox to Chiquilá run every half hour from 5:00am till 20:00,. . Both companies (9 Hermanos and Holbox Express) cost 150 pesos one way.

Buses from Chiquila:

To Cancún: 5:30, 7:30, 13:30. The trip takes 3,5 hours and costs about 128 pesos. Alternatively, there are usually colectivos willing to take you to Cancun for 200 pesos and it takes around 2-2,5 hours.
To Playa del Carmen and Tulum: 4:15 pm (246 pesos to Playa, you'll need to arrive in Playa del Carmen and buy a ticket to Tulúm)
To Merida: 5:30. The trip takes almost 7 hours and costs 206 pesos
To Valladolid: 5:30.
To Tizimín: 5:30, 7:30, 13:30, 16:00. The trip takes 3 hours and costs about 90 pesos

Tizimín has two bus stations where you'll find busses to several destinations, including Valladolid.

In Valladolid you can catch plenty of busses to Mérida, so you can consider spending some hours here and move on in the evening.

The buses are run by Autobuses del Noreste en Yucatan, are second class and stop at a lot of places during the ride.