Holbox travel tips

Holbox Island is a nature and vacation paradise with white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and mangrove forests. Holbox is perfect for a relaxing beach vacation. The tourist center on Holbox comprises the kilometer-long white sand beach in the north, Playa Holbox, and the only island village. This is also Holbox. The 40 or so hotels and resorts spread out along the beach and in the adjacent village. Here are some Holbox travel tips.

Weather and best time to travel

Dry season and best travel time for Holbox are the months from November to May. The rainy season on Holbox begins in June. It lasts until the end of October. April to August are the hottest months on Holbox with maximum daytime temperatures between 33 and 34 degrees. Whale shark season starts in mid-May and lasts until mid-September. The best chances to see flamingos on Holbox and Isla Pasión are in June and July.

Travel and ferry connections to Holbox

The journey to Holbox is made via the ferry port of Chiquilá in the extreme northeast of the Yucatán Peninsula. The ferries of “Holbox Express” and “9 Hermanos” go to Holbox in regular intervals. The crossing with Holbox Express takes about 20 minutes, with 9 Hermanos half an hour.

During the peak tourist season and vacations, ferries usually leave every half hour.

Buses to Chiquilá depart from Cancún, Mérida and Valladolid, among others.

Holbox travel tips: Getting around

Means of transportation on Holbox are golf cars, mopeds and bicycles. Cars are not allowed on the island. Except for trucks delivering goods or construction materials. Mopeds are usually driven only by locals. Tourists can rent golf cars and bicycles in the village of Holbox or through some hotels.

Rental stations for golf cars include Rentadora El Brother, Rentadora El Cachorro, and Rentadora Monkey’s. These and other stations are located in the village on the streets around the Plaza. Prices are mostly uniform: a golf car for one hour costs 200 pesos, for a full day 1000 pesos. The standard cars seat four people, two in the front and two in the back.

Money and ATM

To be on the safe side, you should take enough cash with you to Isla Holbox, as there are only a few ATMs there. There are no exchange offices on Holbox. Some hotels may exchange foreign currency into pesos. However, you should not rely on this.

Holbox travel tips: Prices

If you don’t want to eat only snacks and finger food, Holbox is an expensive place. The prices in the restaurants are quite high. For two, you can expect to pay about 50 to 60 USD for a meal and a bottle of wine in a restaurant. If you want to eat fresh lobster, seafood or fish, you can expect to pay 90 to 100 USD in some restaurants, plus at least 10 percent tip.