Holbox Island Full Day Trip with Lunch from Cancun

Posted By : John_Zwicke
My wife and I have traveled several times to Cancun (we are Suba divers), and on our off days from diving, we always try to take a tour somewhere. Holbox was one of the last items on our list of things to see.

I was trying to find a tour that departed directly from Cancun (without any side stops like Playa del Carmen) and didn’t include the “artisan stop” and the “tequila distillery tour” because we just wanted to go see Holbox and experience the island. I selected this one in hopes it would meet our expectations. So, let me share my experience with you.

To start with, I was notified via WhatsApp the night before the island had suffered some storm damage, and the individual texting wanted to know if we were still interested in going or if we wanted to reschedule. Somewhat surprised by this, the condition of the island wasn't clear. Was it destroyed? Or was there just minor damage? We had already been in Cancun for three days, and there hadn’t been any storms since we were there. I know Holbox is a little farther north, but I wasn’t aware of any recent storms. We replied that we still wanted to attend the tour as planned. The individual confirmed later that evening.

We were picked up at our hotel in Cancun at 6:30 am as scheduled; the tour guide informed us that we would need to pay the additional fee of $540.00 MX (per person), which was clearly stated in the tour description. However, we were told that we also needed to pay and $50.00 MX per person for a “bridge tax”. I’m not sure what this was, and the additional $ 100.00 MX (about $ 6.00 USD) isn’t a big deal, but it should be stated in the description.

Then, we were informed that we were going to Playa del Carmen to pick up additional people. Ugh, just what I didn’t want. But the bus was somewhat empty, so I figured we must be getting the remainder of the group there. So, we were on our way 45 minutes in the opposite direction of Holbox to pick up more people. Once we arrived in Playa del Carmen, we picked up four people: really…45 minutes in the opposite direction for four people.

Finally, we were on our way to Holbox. The road trip was uneventful, except that the closer we got to the port of Chiquila, the rougher the road got. The last few miles were almost what I would imagine it would be like if you were driving on the moon, with craters everywhere.

Upon our arrival at the ferry port of Chiquila, we were escorted to our private boat. The boat was clean and appeared in very good condition. The boat captain then ferried us to our first stop, Passion Island. Be prepared to get your feet wet in that to visit the island; you need to step off the boat into knee-deep water. The Island is a beautiful place with a lot of bird life. Nice to walk around and enjoy the beach area.

Our next stop was on the other side of Holbox Island at Punta Mosquito. This area of the island has a beautiful sugar-white sand beach with calm waters. Again, you will need to step off the boat and into the water to make it ashore.

The next stop was finally to the main part of Holbox Island. As we approached the port area, we could see that there was some storm damage. The main dock was destroyed, and some of the buildings were damaged. Our guide informed us that this happened some time ago (months or years; it wasn’t very clear), and they haven’t repaired the dock yet.

Again, we had to step off the boat into the water to make it ashore (due to the condition of the dock). This required you to take your shoes/sandals/bags with you because we are planning to walk around the town for a few hours. Not a very convenient situation.

Note to the Tourist Department of Holbox: Due to the number of tourists you get to your island, I think you would want to repair your only dock.

After making it ashore, we were guided to the restaurant for our included lunch. During the boat ride over the guide asked everyone what they wanted for lunch, there were several selections to choose from, so when we arrived the food was ready. The food was very good, and the restaurant was clean and comfortable.

Once lunch was complete, we had about one hour of free time to explore the town and shops. My wife and I found the island to be like the Island of the Mujerses but more primitive. No cars (only ATVs), no paved streets, and muddy and dusty.

We returned to the boat and headed for our last stop, which was a cenote located somewhere on the island. Surprisingly, this was the island's only stop with a functioning dock. Once we were done with our time at the cenote, we returned to the boat and traveled back to the port of Chiquila. We got back on the bus and headed back to Playa del Carmen. After dropping off the four people, we headed back to Cancun.

We stopped alongside the road shortly after getting outside of Playa del Carmen. After waiting for a few minutes, we asked the driver/guide why we were stopped. He told us we were waiting for another van to transfer so additional people could be dropped off in Cancun. Once the other van arrived and several people boarded our shuttle, we were once again on our way. Finally, we made it back to our hotel in Cancun.

So…in summary, the tour was good, the trip was long, and, in my opinion, not worth seeing. My wife and I both agreed that the Isla Mujeres is more enjoyable and much closer. If you must make the choice between going to Holbox or Isla Mujeres, go to see Isla Mujeres.
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Posted On : 2024-02-18 13:06:24