Is your lodging in Holbox or are you planning to visit and get to know this little piece of heaven in the Riviera Maya? Well, keep reading because now we will tell you how to get to Holbox from Cancun.
Holbox Island
Holbox is a small virgin island located 60 kilometers northwest of the city of Cancun and is a totally beachy place where you do not expect to see large hotels up to 20 stories high.
Here the accommodations and resorts can be from 1 floor to 3 floors at the most, but in spite of that there are stays that will make you fall in love with its natural, jungle, nomadic and beach architecture.
Besides, if you are looking for a place far from the pollution and the classic life of cities like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, Holbox becomes this option. The island has no nightclubs, no roads where cars pass by and even more; don’t expect to find plazas or shopping malls.
Holbox is completely a paradise full of beaches up to 500 meters long where the depth is very low and a totally homey and beach atmosphere, so get ready to know it.
How to get to Holbox
The distance between Holbox Island and the city of Cancun is 60 kilometers and these 60 kilometers can take up to 2 hours. Why so long? Well, the route to get to the island is through several towns that are part of the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas.
Due to the fact that the trip goes through 3 towns, you have to slow down a little to pass the speed bumps and residential areas, however something that very few people know and are surprised to discover when they reach the last kilometers of their trip is that Holbox is an island and the last kilometers of the trip is through a sea voyage that lasts approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
What, how? As such all people who want to visit the island either because their hotel is located here, or just passing through, their first stop is the fishing village of Chiquila. From here you have to take a ferry for a 25 minute sea trip to Holbox Island.
Of course, so far we are only talking about the tour from Cancun, but what if it were from Playa del Carmen or Tulum? At this point you have to consider that the time is much longer and the logistics are totally different.
Are you a little lost? Well, keep reading because now we are going to answer all the questions you must be asking yourself. Let’s get to it. Where is Holbox?
Where is Holbox?
Holbox is an island that is part of the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas, 60 kilometers away from the city of Cancun and 12 kilometers away from the Port of Chiquila. To get there you must first take a road trip to the town of Chiquila from where you can get to the port to take the ferry to Holbox, or you can take a small plane or helicopter.
Where is Chiquila located?
Chiquila is a small fishing village located on the coast of the state of Quintana Roo, in the municipality of Lazarara Cardenas.
What is the distance from Cancun to Chiquila?
The distance between Cancun and Chiquila will depend a lot on the type of route you choose, if you go directly through the free highway the distance can be less than 60 kilometers, but if you take the federal highway the distance is 139 km.
How to go to Holbox from Chiquila?
Once in Chiquila to go to Holbox is very simple, since its main avenue leads directly to its maritime terminal. In the maritime terminal you will find 2 ferry transportation companies, the first one is called Holbox Express and the second one is called 9 hermanos.
The cost of the ferry transfer from Chiquila to Holbox is 150.00 MXN in both companies and the cost of the return from Holbox to Chiquila by ferry is 150.00 MXN.
The only difference between these two shipping companies, apart from the name, is the departure and return schedule of each one of them and here we present it to you.
| Holbox – Chiquilá |
Chiquilá – Holbox |
| Salida |
Servicio |
Salida |
Servicio |
| 05:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
06:00 |
9 Hmnos |
| 06:00 |
9 Hmnos |
07:00 |
9 Hmnos |
| 06:30 |
Hxpress |
07:30 |
Hxpress |
| 07:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
08:00 |
9 Hmnos |
| 07:30 |
Hxpress. |
08:30 |
Hxpress |
| 08:00 |
9 Hmnos |
09:00 |
9 Hmnos |
| 08:30 |
Hxpress |
09:30 |
Hxpress |
| 09:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
10:00 |
9 Hmnos |
| 09:30 |
Hxpress. |
10:30 |
Hxpress |
| 10:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
11:00 |
9 Hmnos |
| 10:30 |
Hxpress |
11:30 |
Hxpress |
| 11:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
12:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
| 11:30 |
Hxpress |
12:30 |
Hxpress |
| 12:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
13:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
| 12:30 |
Hxpress |
13:30 |
Hxpress |
| 13:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
14:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
| 13:30 |
Hxpress |
14:30 |
Hxpress |
| 14:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
15:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
| 14:30 |
Hxpress |
15:30 |
Hxpress |
| 15:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
16:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
| 15:30 |
Hxpress |
16:30 |
Hxpress |
| 17:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
18:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
| 17:30 |
Hxpress |
18:30 |
Hxpress |
| 18:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
19:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
| 18:30 |
Hxpress |
19:30 |
Hxpress |
| 19:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
20:00 |
9 Hmnos. |
| 19:30 |
Hxpress |
20:30 |
Hxpress |
| 20:30 |
Hxpress |
21:30 |
Hxpress |
Well, now you know that in order to get to Holbox, no matter where you are in the Riviera Maya, you will have to get to the port of Chiquila first. So right now we are going to know what are our options to get there from Cancun, from Playa del Carmen or from Tulum.
How to go from Cancun to Holbox?
Now that you know that first you have to get to Chiquila to be able to go to Holbox Island, it’s time to answer how to get from Cancun to Holbox. So let’s see your options, their advantages and disadvantages.
Private Transportation
The best way to go to Holbox from Cancun is through our private transfer service. Our service is totally private, with comfortable, safe, clean, air-conditioned and air-conditioned units to make your trip as pleasant as possible.
Also, being a private service you do not have to worry about the strict schedules and costs of other means of private transportation such as cab or public transportation such as ADO.
ADO
ADO has a transfer route from Cancun to Chiquila and it is an economical shared transportation service. It should be noted that despite being the most economical means of transportation to Holbox, it only has two departure routes and with very strict schedules.
Private Car
If you are one of those who like to drive and take your time to visit every place of interest you come across along the way, renting a car and traveling from Cancun to Holbox would be a very good option for you.
Getting to the island by driving is really not very complicated and you can be guided through applications such as Google Maps.
You just have to consider that the car has to stay in one of the private parking lots in Chiquila, which costs 100 pesos a day, since private vehicles are not allowed on the island.
How to get to Holbox from Playa del Carmen
Unlike Cancun, Playa del Carmen is located 103 km from the island of Holbox. Of course this distance is only considering the fastest and shortest route. There are other routes that are usually “economical” or, as they are known, “free road”.
So through the free road the distance can be longer, because first you have to go down from Playa del Carmen to the route of the cenotes in Puerto Morelos and from Puerto Morelos you have to go to the town of Leona Vicario.
So as you can see, the distance from Playa to Holbox is greater but that should not be a limiting factor for you not to know this place and in fact, that is why there are transportation services to Holbox from Playa and now we will know them.
Holbox Collection
Holbox Collection is a private transfer company that operates in Playa del Carmen and Tulum. This line specializes in transfers to Holbox and therefore, you will not have any problem getting to the island if you use this type of service.
Colectivos
The colectivos are semi-private service or as many call it “public transportation”, it really is not, however we are not going to debate about it.
This service is provided in a van type vehicle that has been equipped as a colectivo and which has the capacity to carry up to 16 passengers.
It normally costs approximately 250.00 MXN per person per trip. This means that the round trip round trip would be 500.00 MXN or in USD: 25 dollars.
It is worth mentioning that this vehicle departs from downtown Playa del Carmen and has specific departure times.
Omnibus and ADO
The Omnibus is a shared transportation line and is similar to ADO. This line together with the ADO operates a route from Playa del Carmen to Holbox. So these two options can still be ideal for you and of course, totally economical!
How to get to Holbox from Tulum
Well, from here things get a little more complex, because the distance from Tulum to Holbox is 180 km and unfortunately this distance shortens the transfer options.
Therefore, here we are left only with Holbox Collectión. As we mentioned above: This transportation line is the one that operates from Playa del Carmen and from Tulum.
Conclusion
Now that you know a little about Holbox Island, the distance and the ways you have to get there from Cancun, don’t forget that we can offer you a private transfer service to Holbox,
