If you are planning a visit to Holbox Island (or Isla de Holbox) here you will find some useful information on the island and a list of things to see and do.
After a night in Tulum, where we tried glamping for the first time, we head on to Holbox Island, our last stop in Mexico.
This car-free and laid back island in the north of the Quintana Roo state is home to pelicans, flamingos, sea turtles and more, and it’s separated from the mainland by a lagoon. If you are lucky, during certain times of the year you will be able to see the bioluminescent beaches at night time, thanks to the thousands of plankton that glow in the island’s crystal-clear waters and illuminate the whole coast.
Although this place has been getting more popular among tourists and backpackers, it is still off the main tourist track, so if you can enjoy its white-sand streets and beach for yourself.
Here is a list of things to see and do in Holbox:
- Take a walk through its streets and try some local food
- Walk the lagoon up to Punta Mosquito
- Volunteer at Refugio Holbox
- Stay at Tribu Hostel and take salsa classes
- Cath a magical Sunset from Punta Cocos
- Go Kitsurfing
- Experience the Incredible Bioluminescence Phenomenon
Scroll to the bottom of the page to find out more about how to get to the island, is it worth visiting and when is the best time to go.
Take a walk through its streets and try some local food
When you first get on the island, the first thing that will strike you is the absence of cars in the streets – it’s always very nice to breathe clean air! Although street art is pretty common in Mexico, the ones on Holbox Island are among the most famous and have become part of the Island identity.
Take a walk during the day to look at the colourful houses, take a look at daily life images from local people and try some local food. Here I had the best queso fundido ever! At night time, instead, streets are filled with salsa music and people dancing.
Walk the lagoon up to Punta Mosquito
One of the days, we decided to walk up to Punta Mosquito, which is located on the opposite side of the Island from the actual village. You can choose to walk or cycle, but there will be a part where you will have to walk into the water. For this reason, I would avoid making the same mistake we made, and leave early in the morning, since the level of the water rises in the afternoon and it makes it very hard to walk back. During the walk we saw rays, flamingos, pelicans and a lot of fish and sea stars.
Volunteer at Refugio Holbox
There are plenty of volunteering opportunities in Mexico in general, and in the Yucatan peninsula. A way of finding out about such opportunities is asking your hostel. In Holbox, I volunteered at the Refugio Holbox. On this small island, the shelter takes care of all animals who inhabit it, from dogs to cats, birds and even racoons. You can help them by simply walking the dogs everyday, cleaning the spaces and other very little things.
These are Chiquin, Luna and Sophie all happy and tired after going for a walk and Venacio the racoon, welcoming the visitors into the shelter. (Pictures are blurry, but they were so full of energy!)
Stay at Tribu Hostel and take salsa classes
We stayed in a lot of hostel through all of North, Central and South America, and Tribu Hostel is still in my top ten.
In the evening you can take free salsa classes, take part to game nights and pizza or burrito nights, and even take acroyoga classes in the morning.
Cath a magical Sunset at Punta Cocos
Punta Cocos is one of the most famous beaches on the island, located approximately 2.5km from the main town. To get here you can either walk or rent a bike.
This beach is pretty untouched and it only has palm trees and flamingos, as well as some hammocks in the water. This place is one of the most popular to watch a magical sunset from.
Go Kitsurfing
Although we didn’t get a chance to do this, Isla de Holbox is a great place to do kitesurfing, as well as other watersports. Although the island is pretty small, there are at least 4 kitesurfing and surfing schools.
One of the most popular spots to do this is from the Eco Hotel Las Nubes. However, it’s always a good idea to ask the hostel you are staying in for recommendations and deals.
Experience the Incredible Bioluminescence Phenomenon
The Bioluminescence phenomenon is one of the most famous attractions on the Island. Bioluminescence is a weak light produced by some organisms that get very visible in the dark, which is so big on Isla de Holbox because of the number of phytoplankton species that live here.
The best place to see this phenomenon is Punta Cocos. However, you should keep in mind that it’s not possible to see it all year round. The best seasons to witness the bioluminescence in Holbox are summer and autumn and, of course, it’s best to go at night time, particularly on darker/cloudier nights or a night when there is no moonlight.
How to get there
Getting to Holbox island is very easy, but you hear different stories about it.
Here is what we did. From Cancun, get a bus to Chiquilá with ADO or MAYAB. This journey takes three hours and it costs 266 pesos – less than €12.
From Chiquilá, you will need to get a ferry that takes between 20 and 30 minutes to reach the island. There are two main companies, i.e. 9 Hermanos and Holbox Express. We used 9 Hermanos, but the price is still 140 pesos.
The ferry runs every 30 minutes, but there are only three buses to and from Cancun, so you should check the bus schedule before booking your ferry ticket.
Is Holbox Island worth visiting?
Is Holbox Island worth visiting, despite the fact that getting there seems hard? YES! Holbox Island is the perfect place for backpackers. It is touristy, so it will be easy to meet other people, but not as touristy as other places like Cancun or Tulum.
This place has nice beaches and a relaxing vibe everywhere, plus food and accommodation are very reasonable, so I would definitely recommend spending a couple of days here. Personally, I wouldn’t spend more than 3 nights here. However, if you are planning to do several activities, like kitesurfing, snorkelling and boat trips, you might want to spend longer.
When is the best time to visit?
The best time to visit Holbox Island is between December and March, which is the dry season when you can expect warm and sunny weather. December is the “coolest” month of the year, with the temperature staying around 28C, whole May is the hottest month of the year and temperatures get as high as 36 C.
However, May also marks the start of the rainy season which continues until early November, when Holbox Island and the whole Yucatan peninsula are hit by tropical storms and heavy rain.
We visited Holbox in October and we were caught in heavy rain twice. However, the temperature was still quite high and we were able to enjoy the place.
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