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Things to do in Holbox - Beautiful Mexico Untouched

Enjoy endless, unspoiled beaches in Holbox Mexico, just north of Cancun.

Isla Holbox is your beautiful Mexico destination for your family vacation when you are all yearning for a beach getaway.

Or, celebrate a special anniversary and easily slip away as a couple to this little slice of paradise.

Where is Holbox Island ? This sweet, skinny island is just a 20 minute ferry ride north of Yucatán Peninsula, in Quintana Roo Mexico. Holbox is also part of the Yum Balam Nature Preserve, where flamingos, hundreds of birds, whale sharks, sea turtles, and scores of marine life make their home.

The best part: move around this car-free island and the village of Holbox simply by foot, bicycle or golf cart taxi.

Most people only visit the island of Holbox in Mexico as a day trip. We say string up your hammock and stay a while.

We spent an entire week in Holbox. See why we loved this Mexico hotspot.

One of the Most Eco-friendly Destinations in Mexico

Holbox is one of the most sustainable, adventurous Mexican islands.

A lesser known island in Mexico that ecological travel-minded tourists and families especially love, you’ll immediately sense respect for the area’s ecology upon stepping off the ferry.

The best Holbox hotels, restaurants and businesses work hard to maintain thoughtful, long-term tourism without damaging the natural and local cultural environment.

On this wild island in Mexico, you’ll make a positive impact as you are dining, shopping, boating, snorkeling, and fishing, as well as while using local transportation and accommodations.

Whether you’re a couple, a group of friends, or a big family, you’ll love the island of Holbox for your next Mexico vacation.

Find outdoor adventure, delicious authentic local food, and affordable, relaxing accommodations in this sweet, island in Mexico called Holbox (HOL-bosh).

Let’s look at the best things to do in Holbox, fantastic places to stay, where to eat, and how to get to Holbox from Cancun.

Eco Friendly Holbox
Why You’ll Love the Beaches Here
Punto Mosquito Beach in Holbox
Punta Coco Beach in Holbox
Pro Tip: Finding Beach Chairs in Holbox
Street Art Around Holbox
Swim with the Whale Sharks
Fishing and Snorkeling
Kayak in the Mangroves
Kiteboarding Lessons
Best Places to Stay in Holbox
Where to Eat in Holbox
How to Get to Holbox
Should I Pay in Pesos or Credit Cards?
What to Pack for Holbox
Drinking Water and Other Important Tips

Everyone loves the beaches in Holbox

Isla Holbox marks where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean Sea. The beach appears to stretch on forever — the island is 26 miles long and just shy of a mile wide.

Warm, clear shallow waters invite you in for wading and swimming. These shallow waters and sandbars make this one of the best locations to learn the sport of kiteboarding.

Rent a SUP or a kayak to explore the coastline, or hop on a kayaking excursion through the mangroves.

Fishing and snorkeling excursions are easy to book, and if you happen to visit May through September, you can swim with the whale sharks who make their home here then. Wild nature at its finest. Read more below.

Wild, undeveloped beaches are why we also loved spending a week in Cozumel snorkeling, beach hopping and riding scooter with our older kids and teens.

RELATED READING: Beach vacations, hiking in national parks, or colorful road trips? Here are our top 10 favorite spring break trips for outdoorsy families.

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April to October making this the best time to visit Holbox if you want to see flamingos, but we saw them in January off Punto Mosquito

Punto Mosquito Beach in Holbox

Naturally, one of the best things to do in Holbox is to head to the beach.

Our favorite spot for enjoying the natural, undeveloped beach was Punta Mosquito. Rent a bicycle or hire a golf cart taxi to take you as far as Las Nubes Hotel, one of the best hotels on Holbox. Then walk just a bit further before staking your place on the beach.

Pack a picnic lunch and watch kite-boarders do their thing. Walk the sandbar. When you’re ready for a break from the beach, walk or bicycle back to town or your hotel for a dip in the pool, or call a taxi to take you back.

Punta Coco Beach in Holbox

Punta Coco is another great spot for enjoying the beach, with access to kayaks and SUP, and mixed drinks!

Hire a golf cart taxi to Punta Coca, or hop on a bicycle, as the walk is a bit long on foot.

At Punta Coco, you can pay to rent beach beds or plastic loungers.

Holbox at Night

Sunsets on Punta Coca are spectacular. Plus, this is a popular bioluminescent beach. It’s like a million stars are sparkling under your feet as you explore Holbox at night.

What is bioluminescence? Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Think of it as neon bright colored living beings seen at night on the beach.

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Finding Beach Chairs in Holbox

If your hotel is not on the beach (like ours!), you will most likely have to pay to sit on shaded beach beds or loungers you’ll see on the way out to Punta Mosquito.

Punta Mosquito itself is untouched and natural, so you’ll want to bring your own shade, beach chairs, and beach towels.

Here, it pays to throw your own shade.

Before you travel, order this lightweight Neso Tent Shade, plus pack-and-carry Eno Lounger SL Chairs (3.5 pounds each) for this trip.

No lie, we used the beach chairs every day on the beach in Holbox! Then, enjoy the Holbox beaches whenever you like.

street-art-holbox — Go on a street art walking tour of Holbox

Walking around Holbox Town Center

You’ll discover murals on sides of buildings throughout the unpaved streets and sandy lanes of Holbox. I will not show them all here because I want you to discover them for yourself in this street art tour.

Your hotel will likely provide a town map showing all of the locations of the murals. Embark on a self-guided walking street art tour one evening before dinner.

Shops also line the streets in Holbox, where you’ll find fun souvenirs and mementos of your time in Holbox while supporting local families.

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Swim with Whale Sharks in Holbox

The whale shark season in Holbox typically runs from June 1 to September 15 each year and is one of the best things to do in Holbox.

Book a tour with this VIP group for this once in a lifetime experience.

You will hop on a boat early in the morning. This amazing day trip will take you between one and two hours to reach the whale sharks, and you will likely see other cool species, like giant manta ray, on the way.

To have the best experience swimming with whale sharks in Holbox, once you come upon them, you will swim in groups of two with a guide, for obvious safety reasons.

On the way back, you will stop near Cabo Catoche to snorkel the "cuevones" reef and maybe see sea turtles, nurse sharks, lobsters, squids, octopuses, and different reef fish.

Your guides will also prepare fresh ceviche you'll ever have. They may take you to Santa Paula, where you can stretch your legs, have a pleasant swim and enjoy the ceviche. From this point, you have a 45-minute journey back to Holbox.

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Swimming with whale sharks - image from Unsplash

Fishing and snorkeling in Holbox

Yum Balaam Preserve Boat Excursion

Hop on a fishing boat for some simple line and hook fishing, followed by snorkeling and a stop at the Yum Balaam Preserve.

The captain serves up fresh ceviche using the fish you caught! Explore the quiet Preserve and found a baby mangrove tree! The fishing was our favorite, and the highlight of snorkeling was swimming above several sting rays.

Kayak in the Mangroves of Holbox Island

Kayaking through the mangroves of Holbox is fantastic!

What are mangroves? Mangroves are tropical plants that grow in loose, wet soils, and salty water and find themselves periodically submerged by the tide.

The mangroves in Holbox are home to different types of birds like: the American flamingo, osprey, chocolatiers, herons and plovers. You may also see crocodiles, boas, insects, crustaceans, and fish.

Kayaking in the mangroves in Holbox is the only way to experience this important ecosystem.

Book Your Kayaking Tour through the Mangroves

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kiteboarding-punta-mosquito — Learn how to ride a kite board in Holbox Mexico

Kiteboarding in Holbox Mexico

Holbox island is the ideal place to learn and practice kiteboarding. The wind conditions on the island are consistent for more than 250 days of the year.

The winds on Holbox are predominantly around 15-25 knots. The turquoise blue shallow waters and sandy beaches are the perfect backdrop for your kiteboarding lessons.

Learn with professional IKO instructors.

Book Kiteboarding Lessons on Holbox

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Where to stay in Holbox

Hotel Para Ti

If you’re looking to book an adults-only trip and a place near the town center then Hotel Para Ti is by far the place for you! And, they will help you book a private transfer from and to the Cancun airport.

One of the best hotels on Holbox when you’re looking for a budget-friendly stay that includes a lot of great amenities. It was perfect for us two.

Just two blocks walk from the beach and the town center, this boutique hotel boasts beautiful, clean rooms with perfect little balconies, morning coffee and small pastries, roof-top vistas and shaded lounging beds, and a sweet little pool with several hammocks and beds where you can be served the best afternoon Mojitos in the world. The owner hails from Cuba and claims that’s why her Mojitos are the real deal! The staff are super helpful and accomodating.

Villas HM Palapas Del Mar

A Holbox all inclusive hotel that can’t be missed.

If you’re bringing the family, want to be on the beach, and you’re looking for luxurious amenities, like your own private dipping pool and tiered all inclusive dining options, then Villas HM Palapas Del Mar is where you want to be!

By far one of the best hotels on Holbox, this one boasts 52 suites. While further out from the town center, it is still within an easy walking distance. Here, you can get very close to nature in a relaxed and exclusive atmosphere.

This is our first choice when we take our kiddos back. While on our mom-and-dad-only retreat in Holbox, we happened upon this small hotel on our walk back from Punta Mosquito and stopped in for a drink and an afternoon Mexicana Pizza. Many happy families were enjoying the pool with a swim-up bar and the many hammocks and comfy beach loungers leading out to the beach.

Charming Cabana on the Beach

Looking for your own private place on the beach, complete with a kitchen and great views? Check out this charming cabana on the beach where you can watch amazing sunsets. Walk just a few short blocks to Le Jardin for breakfast or lunch and reach the center of town in minutes.

Or check out this Casa Mariposa: beach house with a private pool for larger groups.

Wonderful villas and more on Isla Holbox

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Get Expert Advice

Need help deciding or planning your next family vacation? Book a one hour consultation call with me. Ask me questions and gather tailored advice and next steps for putting together your next adventure.

Send Tanya an email to learn more

le-jardin-holbox — One of the best places to eat breakfast in Holbox

Where to eat in Holbox

Another thing to love about a vacation in Holbox is how affordable it is to eat good, authentic Mexican food. For two adults, we only spent about $10-$30 (USD) per meal, drinks and tip included (most often $15-$20 for two). We always tipped 20% because the service was fantastic and tourism is the main source of income for families living on the island.

Viva Zapata! - This ocean to table restaurant serves fantastic tacos and margaritas, plus live music. We ate dinner here our first and last night. Avenida Damero
Le Jardin Panaderia - Scrumptious breakfast served here from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm or earlier if they run out of food. Fabulous fruit plates, omelettes, fresh croissants and baguettes made on sight, coffee, and more! We visited here three times. Calle Lisa 2
Villa Palapas Del Mar Bar & Restaurant - Order the Mexicana Pizza for lunch, then order a drink at the swim-up bar while you wait. Calle Paseo Kuka
Las Panchas - Get the empanadas, tamalitos, and a mango-pineapple juice drink for breakfast. Cheap, good, and between the beach and town center. Calle Esmedregal
La Papalotes - If you love guacamole, you will come back to this place. Just one block from the town center, this restaurant also serves up fresh fish dinners and more from the grill. Avenida Damero
Raices Beach Club - If you’re on the beach, closer to town, stop here for cerveza and yummy ceviche served up with live music. Playa Norte
Tierra Mia - Great coffee. Better than Starbucks, which you won’t find on Holbox. Av Damero 310
Big Fish - Try the tostadas loaded with seafood and the guacamole is quite good here too. Along a side street, near town center. Calle Esmedregal

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bicycles-rent — Many hotels and places rent bicycles in Holbox

How to get From Cancun to Holbox

It’s really not that hard or expensive to reach Holbox from Cancun — it just takes a few minutes of planning ahead.

We flew into the Cancun airport and arranged for a private transfer from there to our hotel. We simply told the hotel our flight times and they arranged all of the following. It was not expensive.

Once we were picked up from the airport (our driver was waiting just outside with our names on a sign), we had a two-hour drive to Chiquilá.

Then, we hopped on a ferry from Chiquila to Holbox called the Holbox Express. It ran daily from 6:00 to 21:30 every half hour. You can buy your tickets on the dock; ours were handed to us by our private driver that we hired through our hotel.

The ferry takes about 25-30 minutes. Once we reached Holbox, a golf cart taxi was waiting for us to take us straight to our hotel.

If you’re on a budget and feeling more adventurous, there is also an ADO bus that runs from Cancun to Chiquilá. Then, you will hop on the bus. You can learn more about the buses here.

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ATM for Pesos

Pesos and Credit Cards

You are wise to bring cash for spending money. Only a few places in Holbox take credit cards. Be prepared to pay in cash with pesos for most everything besides your hotel. If you need more pesos, there is an ATM on the town center (up the yellow stairs) on the second level from the street.

There are also two ATMs in town that dish out US Dollars. Many places will take US Dollars as well, just ask.

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Packing list for Holbox

2-3 swimsuits
Swimsuit cover-up
Lightweight Turkish towel (dries quickly and sand shakes off easily)
Small backpack
Wide-brimmed hat / baseball hat
Tennis shoes
Sandals (Birkenstocks were great!)
T-shirts and shorts
Sundresses
Light jacket for evenings
Sunglasses
Book to read
Camera
Eco-friendly sunscreen
Eco-friendly bug spray
Snorkel gear if you prefer your own
Inexpensive swimming raft or ring for floating
Water bottle to refill with purified water only
TruNature Advanced Digestive Probiotics — safeguard your stomach from bacteria your body isn’t accustomed to
DiaResQ — most likely won’t need it, but just in case you get too much of a bacteria your body isn’t familiar with
Eno SL Lounger Chair for the beach (if not staying in a hotel on the beach)
Neso Tent Shade (if not staying on the beach)

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Drinking Water and Other Tips

Always drink bottled water and brush your teeth with bottled water as well. If a restaurant serves a drink with ice, or water in a glass, make sure it is purified water.
Buy bottled water, Cokes, cheap beer and snacks before you head to the beach. Just pop into any of the small convenience stores.
If swimming with whale sharks is on your list, visit Holbox May through September. It will be hotter then, but I bet it’s worth it!
Ask for the taxi driver’s number or business card so you have access to call one, especially if you are hot and tired out at Punta Mosquito or Punta Coco.
Your hotel may have free bicycles! Otherwise, there are many vendors to rent from by the hour, half-day, or full-day.
If you are thinking of booking an excursion, there are several vendors on the beach. Compare prices. We liked Xplore for our fishing/snorkeling boating day.
Consider renting your own golf cart for the day via Rentadora 2 de Agosto.
There’s a park right in the center of town. And ice cream - or helados - everywhere.
Learn why else families love Isla Holbox for vacation.

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Curious about more eco-friendly beach vacations? Check out Playa Junquillal, Costa Rica.

All photos in this post belong to Tanya Raedeke. Do not use without permission.

What else would you like to know about the island of Holbox in Mexico? Reply below in the comments, or send me an email at tanya@radfamilytravel.com.

Looking for more great beach vacations? Click on the images below to read more!