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Isla Holbox A Vacation Rental Accommodation Alternative On the Island of Holbox
Welcome to Isla Holbox!!
Isla Holbox is 40km long and 2 km wide with 34 km of white sandy sometimes isolated beaches. The northern side is primarily beach while the south side is primarily mangrove and wildlife sanctuary home to a diverse amount of wildlife. Most of the island is unreachable other than by boat and remains uninhabited. A refreshing sea breeze is constantly blowing.
The center of town is the town plaza or square. Here in the "zocolo"( Spanish word for plaza) you will find the center of activity of the island. The town's basketball court, child's play park, the Catholic church, the police department and city hall as well as several restaurants, small guest lodgings, the island's internet shop and several small grocery or "general" stores surround the square.
How to Get to Isla Holbox
Coming from Cancun by car you would take Hwy# 180 (*free road not the toll road) east to the town of El Ideal, passing through many small Mayan pueblos or villages on the way. At El Ideal you will signs to Holbox and Kantunilkin, take this road north. At one point there will be a fork in the road with left turn to Tizimin and right to Chiquila. You want to take the road to Chiquila. Trip is approx. 3 hours. Drive carefully. The road from KantunilKin to Chiquila is currently under construction. There are parking lots in Chiquila. Here in Chiquila the ferry departs for Holbox island.
Coming from Cancun by bus (main bus terminal in downtown Cancun city) there are departures daily at 7am and 11:30 am only and they will take you to Chiquila.
Coming from Merida car you would take Hwy# 180 east towards Cancun, passing Valladolid, continue until El Ideal. Here turn going to the north to Chiquila.
Coming from Merida by bus you can take bus leaving at 11PM from the main terminal in Merida arriving about 6am in Chiquila.
Coming from Playa del Carmen and points south by car the easiest is to take Hwy #307 south to the town of Tulum. Here you will find signs for Coba. Take this road, as you reach the circle for the entrance to the Coba ruins, you will see a sign to Nuevo Xcan take this road. It will be the farthest right of the traffic circle. Do not go to Chemax or to Merida. At Nuevo Xcan,make a right and now you will be on Hwy # 180 heading east. Stay on this to El Ideal and then follow the above directions to Chiquila.
Ferry Schedule
Chiquila to Isla Holbox 9 Hermanos Ferry service price per person is 40 pesos 6am,8am,10am,12n,2pm,4pm,5pm, and last crossing 7pm.
Isla Holbox to Chiquila 9 Hermanos Ferry service price per person is 40 pesos 5am,7am,9am,11am,1pm,3pm,4pm,and last crossing 6pm.
Crossing time is approximately 25-30 minutes.
If you should arrive at Chiquila and the ferry has left, there will be water taxis available. These are small boats with a driver who will take you to Isla Holbox whenever you want to go. They cost approximately 240 pesos for a boat with a max of 5-7 people. They generally run a bit later than the 9 Hermanos Ferry. These types of water taxis are also available from Holbox Island back to Chiquila at the main ferry dock on the island.
Important Information Please Read !
The island of Holbox does not have a bank, ATM machine or many places that exchange money. IT IS BEST to arrive to the island with MEXICAN PESOS as many establishments do not accept credit cards, travelers checks, personal or business checks, other currencies (Euro, Canadian Dollar, Pound Sterling generally not accepted, only non Mexican currency usually accepted is the US dollar in low denominations). Isla Holbox has very limited cell phone reception.
Holbox Annual Activities Calendar
The island of Holbox like many places in Mexico will celebrate the "Carnaval"or pre Lent festivities so common in very Catholic countries. Carnaval takes place the weekend before Ash Wednesday ( the beginning of the Catholic period of fast called Lent) and will go to Fat Tuesday, the night before the 40 day fast period begins.(Usually in Feb or early March) Isla Holbox has a small parade, music and much excitement for those who wish to celebrate Carnaval in a small town.
The Holy week period is a traditionally very busy time on the island of Holbox simply because it is a traditional Mexican travel time and schools, factories and businesses are closed. Locals and those from afar enjoy the island during this two week period of vacation.
Every April 14 the Day of Saint Telmo is celebrated. This is a small island fest part of tradition that has lasted over decades. Dancing and traditional food for all..
May 13 is the Day of the Heads as well as the Virgin of Fatima day. This day is celebrated with dances, drinking, and eating of pork. The head of the pig is part of this days celebration. The whole island comes out and enjoys this fest and you will too if you are on the island for it!!
The month of June is when the annual party honoring the settlement of the Holbox island community.
As Isla Holbox is a hidden quiet relaxing place off the Yucatan, many families escape the heat of Merida or the hustle and bustle of Cancun and retreat to Holbox. During the summer months of July and August the island is busy hosting many Mexican families. In August the annual Family Fishing tournament is held. Here both parents and children can participate together and go for the big one!!
For more information or reservations, please email holbox@bacalar.net. Always CC your inquiries to amigosholbox@hotmail.com to assure we receive your note.
PLEASE NOTE: We answer all emails received with in hours of receiving it unless otherwise indicated by an auto response message. Due to the various different fire walls, spam blockers and other new technologies to eliminate unwanted emails, often times our responses are automatically blocked because prodigy.net.mx is often associated with large files and spam advertisements. As prodigy is our internet provider, they require their address on all outbound mail. Please make sure you have your mail service as well as your internet provider set to receive email responses with the prodigy.net.mx address, otherwise we will not be able to communicate. Some providers that block prodigy are aol., msn, many .ca ( Canadian providers), yahoo, hotmail, comcast, rr providers and many more. In all email please include your phone number including area code and time zone so we can make a follow up call should we see that perhaps internet address-spam conflicts exists. Thank you, FRIEND!
Isla Holbox and Amigo's House Isla Holbox await your visit.Come visit Holbox Island soon!!