Island Lázaro Cárdenas, Quintana Roo Municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas Holbox and Yum Balam
Car-free sand island off Quintana Roo's north coast: shallow beaches, flamingos, whale sharks in summer, ferry from Chiquilá.
Reached by ferry from Chiquilá: 25 min each way. How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Holbox
Where to stay near Holbox
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Holbox.
Tours to Holbox
Day trips and guided outings from Isla Mujeres often include Holbox; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Bioluminescence Experience in Holbox
★ 4.7 (400) · From US$40
How to get to Holbox
- Reached by ferry from Chiquilá: 25 min each way.
- From Playa del Carmen: about 1 h 50 min by road (~123 km)
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Popular tours to Holbox
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About Holbox
Holbox is a long, narrow barrier island on the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, where the Caribbean meets the Gulf of Mexico. It runs for roughly 42 km but is only about 1.5 km wide, and a shallow lagoon some 10 km across (the Yalahau lagoon) separates it from the mainland port of Chiquilá. The whole island lies inside the Yum Balam Flora and Fauna Protection Area, created in 1994, and around three quarters of it is mangrove and empty beach. The only town, also called Holbox, sits near the western end and had 1,841 residents in the 2020 census.
The island appears in written records from 1852, when people from the mainland settled there to escape the attacks of the Caste War; the government wanted them gone, but they stayed. Hurricanes flattened the settlement in 1886 and it was rebuilt. For most of its history Holbox lived from fishing, with lobster as the main catch, and electricity only arrived in 1987. Tourism grew from the early 2000s, first around the whale sharks that gather offshore each summer and then around the beaches themselves, and a real estate boom followed. Buildings are capped at about 12 metres and the streets are still sand.
There are no private cars: people walk, cycle or rent golf carts, and porters meet the ferry. The north shore beach in front of town is shallow, warm and calm, with hammocks strung over the water; walking east it leads to the sandbars of Punta Mosquito, and to the west the path ends at Punta Cocos, 30 to 45 minutes on foot, where the water glows with bioluminescence on moonless nights. Boat tours run to Isla Pájaros, Isla de la Pasión and the Yalahau spring on the mainland shore. Lobster pizza is the dish the island is known for. There is no bank, ATMs often run dry, and many shops add a surcharge for cards, so carry cash.
How to get to Holbox
Drive from Playa del Carmen to Chiquilá: 1 h 50 min, 123 km
Holbox is reached only by boat from Chiquilá, about 144 km (2.5 hours) by road from Cancún airport. Drivers take Highway 180 west from Cancún towards Mérida, turn north at El Ideal towards Kantunilkín and follow the road to its end at Chiquilá, where port parking costs around M$100 a day. ADO buses run from Cancún's main bus terminal to Chiquilá in roughly 3 to 3.5 hours, and a night bus comes from Mérida. Two ferry lines, 9 Hermanos and Holbox Express, cross in 20 to 25 minutes between about 06:00 and 21:30; a private fishing boat (lancha) is faster but bumpier. Small charter planes can also land at Holbox's airstrip.
Reached by ferry from Chiquilá: 25 min each way.
Directions to Holbox on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Holbox
- Playa del Carmen · 123 km by road, 1 h 50 min to Chiquilá, then 25 min by ferry
- Tizimín · 123 km by road, 2 h 5 min to Chiquilá, then 25 min by ferry
- Cancún · 145 km by road, 2 h 10 min to Chiquilá, then 25 min by ferry
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Holbox: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- Ferries leave Chiquilá from about 06:00; the last crossing is around 21:30. Ferryscanner (2026) · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- Ferry from Chiquilá: M$330 one way per person (9 Hermanos). Cancún Trip Insider (2026) · checked Oct 2026
- Best time of day
- Whale sharks May–September; the rest of the year brings flamingos at Isla Pájaros, and November to May is kitesurfing season at Punta Mosquito. Mexican Caribbean tourism board (2026) · checked Oct 2026
- Best season
- Whale shark tours run under CONANP permits from 15 May to mid-September (permits ended 17 September in 2025); peak sightings are in July and August. Ruptura360 (2025) · checked Oct 2026
- What to bring
- Cash: many shops add a 3–5% card fee and the island's ATMs sometimes run out of money. Wikivoyage (2025) · checked Oct 2026
- Rules
- No private cars on the island: walk, cycle or use a golf cart. The island is part of the Yum Balam protected area. Wikipedia (2026) · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Holbox: what to see and do
Swim with whale sharks on a licensed boat tour (mid-May to mid-September)
Walk the shallow north beach east to the sandbars of Punta Mosquito
Watch the bioluminescence at Punta Cocos on a moonless night
Take the Three Islands boat tour: Isla Pájaros, Isla de la Pasión and the Yalahau spring
Spot flamingos, pelicans and frigatebirds in the Yalahau lagoon
Try the island's lobster pizza in the town centre
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Holbox
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Holbox.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Isla Mujeres often include Holbox; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at CUN (Cancún), 26 km from Isla Mujeres as the crow flies; Holbox is 66 km beyond the pueblo.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Cancún (CUN), 26 km from Isla Mujeres, the base for Holbox.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Isla Mujeres: download a map of the way to Holbox before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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Photos
When to go to Holbox warm
Holbox shares the climate of Isla Mujeres, 66 km away. The best months to visit are February, March, April, and July.
See the month-by-month climate of Isla Mujeres
Weather in Holbox now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Holbox, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Closest to Holbox
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Isla Pájaros · Island · 4 km away
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Punta Mosquito · Beach · 7 km away
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Chiquilá · Village · 13 km away
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Yalahau · Cenote · 15 km away
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El Cuyo · Village · 41 km away
Near Holbox
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Lists with Holbox
Islands in Quintana Roo · 4Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.