Mexico · HOLBOX TOURS
No cars, sand streets and bioluminescence on the right dark night. These 15 trips cover the Yum Balam boat loops, the whale-shark season and the long day-trip versions from Cancún and the Riviera Maya.
Holbox Yum Balam Reserve classic boat tour: swim at Yalahau (optional), birdwatch on Passion Island, and visit Punta Mosquito sandbar.
“Very nice guide (Willy). Only four people on the boat. Saw flamingos and a lot of birds. Left early enough to be there before all the big boats arrive which was especially great at the cenote as we were there on our own :)”
Guided night snorkeling in Holbox’s glow plankton waters, with wetsuits, star spotting, and lunar-timed bioluminescence. Reschedule if it fails.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my trip with Alex as he was super friendly and fun to be around. He picked us up, made sure we understood the entire process, and even taught us plenty about ocean life and stars. I definitely recommend him to anyone wanting to experience the bioluminescence.”
Full-day Holbox tour with Yalahau cenote swim, sandbar time at Secret Beach, Isla Pasion beaches, plus lunch and pickup.
“The trip is quite long with different changes in transportation, but it’s totally worth it if you have to organise the logistic by yourself instead. Guides were good but not always precise but delivering the instructions and the logistic information. It would be have been great to have a little bit more of natural and cultural background information while touring.”
Swim with whale sharks off Holbox on a small-group morning trip with breakfast, snorkeling gear, and fresh ceviche on the beach.
“Just the most incredible, magical day! The whale sharks are so stunning. Diego our guide was kind and encouraging, and clearly loved his job and the animals. Lunch was really tasty and we saw lots of other animals as well as the sharks. Just for clarity - this is not a relaxing day trip. The boat trip to see the sharks is very bumpy and swimming with the sharks for any meaningful amount of time requires lots of effort to swim quickly and keep up with the shark! I’m not saying that to detract from how brilliant the experience was - I just want people booking to be aware of…”
Holbox full-day trip from Playa del Carmen with pickup, Yum Balam bird-spotting boat ride, lunch with vegetarian option, and free time on Holbox.
“Guide was fab overall experience not great, when the boat moored at passion island, we were told to get out a stroll through the vegetation, which was full of mosquitoes. I personally had 50 bites in a minute. We should have been warned of this.”
Kayak at sunrise through Holbox mangroves in Yum Balam Reserve, spotting flamingos, rays, and even crocodiles with fruits and water included.
“We clicked for an English guide, and our guide spoke 99% Spanish to the others in our group. The only English we got was "sr you ready, get in boat" maybe a total of 10 words in English. Our guide never told us his name. At one point we were stuck on a sandbar and the rest of the group, guide included, just kept going. We did not get any explanation of the surroundings but we did enjoy the nature. The group that was with us, got very long chats(maybe explanations of the surroundings???) It would have been very nice to actually get someone with a little more English. Yes…”
Shared shuttle from Cancun Airport to Holbox’s Chiquila port with on-time departures, easy Terminal 2 pickup, and one 25kg bag included.
“The directions were clear. The driver was friendly and efficient and he got us to the ferry with perfect timing.”
Holbox night kayaking: paddle under stars, walk glowing sandbanks, and swim as plankton lights you up for 2 hours.
“Activity was brilliant - Victor was the best guide and really made the activity educational and enjoyable. It was a perfect starry night and although there was some light pollution from a fishing boat - Victor took some sheeting to block out the light to get the best view at one part - would highly recommend… but make sure you have mosquito repellent - absolutely essential even with it on - I did still get bitten - but that is the nature of the environment….”
Three islands by boat from Holbox with hotel pickup, birdwatching, swimming at Yalahau cenote, plus beach time on Isla de la Pasion in 3.5 hours.
“We visited 3 islands (starting with Misquito). The day prior to my trip, I was advised that they are currently not doing the cenote b/c admission prices doubled this year. I was given the option to cancel, and I am so glad that I didn’t! Mosquito has a great beach to swim in and lots of bird watching. We saw dolphins on our way to Isla de la Pasion! We were also fortunate to see 5 pink flamingos near Pasion. Our Guide is very knowledgeable, and encouraged us to identify types of birds. This is a 3 hour tour, which is the perfect amount of time. No frills and an…”
Swim in small groups with Holbox whale sharks, plus manta rays, dolphins, turtles, snorkeling time, and fresh ceviche, guac, and mango on board.
“Willy was the best guide you can imagine. Born and raised on Holbox, he knows his way around and not only knows all about the whale sharks but can also tell you many other things about Holbox. Swimming with the whale sharks was simply a breathtaking experience, I would book the tour again at any time via V.I.P Holbox. Just because of the delicious ceviche we had for lunch. Highly recommended☺️”
Kayak by night in Holbox for a short ride to sandbanks and a glowing plankton swim, with pickup, small groups, and star views.
“Really enjoyed out trip, it’s a short kayak journey and your eyes do adjust to see in the dark (although you get some lights from the hotels nearby). We went in Jan and still saw quite a lot, so would recommend”
Holbox night kayaking to a sandbank for bioluminescent plankton, stargazing, and an up-close glow show near Quintana Roo.
“It wasn’t really the right time of year to properly see the bioluminescence but we did see some sparkles. Unfortunately I’m not the greatest at kayaking and was paired with someone who chose not to do any work and so it took us a lot longer than necessary to get where we needed to. This isn’t the guide’s fault and so on the way home the two guides kayaked us back in their ones which was very nice of them.”
3-hour Holbox sunrise kayak through mangroves, paddle without a motor, spot birds and even crocodiles, with golf-cart pickup.
“Our guide Carlos was amazing and we had a great time on our tour! e saw flamingo's and loads of other birds, as well as one big crocodile!”
Kayak Punta Mosquito on Holbox at night for stargazing and bioluminescence, with hotel pickup, life jackets, and reserve access.
“Omar was an incredible guide, he took such good care of our family. This was one of the most magic moments our family has ever had. I cannot recommend it enough.”
Full-day Holbox boat tour with lunch from Cancun or Puerto Morelos, including Secret Beach sandbars, cenote swimming, and island time.
“Kokonaisuus oli hyvä ja aikaa oli riittävästi eri kohteissa. Ruoka oli hyvää, mutta voisi mainita et ruokailu tapahtuu veneessä, sillä siinä voi tulla huono olo. Tekisin retken uudelleenkin”
Every kind of day out, and the best of each.
