One of the reasons Cancun is such a great holiday destination is because it serves as a springboard for exploring all the incredible areas that surround it! There are so many places to take a day trip to, it can be hard to whittle it all down into an itinerary! One of these places is Isla Holbox, a small and slender island – just one mile wide, and 26 miles long – that lies off the northern coast of the Yucatan. Read on to see how to enjoy a day trip here!

Wake up bright and early in your Cancun vacation rental, such as the Krystal Beach Resort - located in the middle of the world famous Cancun Hotel zone, and prepare for the exciting day ahead! Pack your beach bag with some snacks, a towel, sunblock, and a bathing suit! Note that there is only one ATM on Isla Holbox (that we know of!) so make sure you’ve got some cash on hand ahead of time.

Depart Cancun and make the two-hour drive north to the fishing town of Chiquilá. If you don’t have a rental car, there’s also a bus that runs to Chiquilá from Cancun that runs several times a day, but we recommend booking in advance.

Upon arrival in Chiquilá, you’ll park your car for the day and take the 15-minute ferry journey over to Isla Holbox on foot. When you reach Holbox, we suggest renting bikes or a golf buggy for a few hours, making it easier to explore. You’ll be spending most of your day in the Zona de Playa area of the island, near where the ferry comes in, but first...

Head straight over to the Yum-Balam Nature Reserve for a guided wildlife tour! Expect to see exotic birds, hawksbill turtles, flamingoes and monkeys. If you fancy freshening up, you can take a dip in a cold natural spring too!

Make your way back to the Zona de Playa, return your bikes or golf buggy, and sit down for a deservedly large lunch at the Coquitos Beach Bar with your toes in the sand! Treat yourself to a cold beverage and some of their mouth-wateringly good shrimp tacos. Spend a few hours at this part of the beach, ambling along the sand, going for a swim in the calm waters, relaxing beneath the swaying palm trees, and sipping delicious cocktails from the Coquitos Beach Bar!

Tear yourself away from the beach and take an hour or two to get acquainted with Isla Holbox’s charming town! Holbox is bursting with colors everywhere you look; take yourself on a self-guided tour through the brightly-hued streets, where the houses are painted in delightfully clashing shades, and enormous, vivid murals provide photo opportunities on every corner!

It’s almost the end of the day, so be sure to enjoy a fresh, homemade smoothie or artisanal ice cream from Angeles y Diablitos in the Main Square before you catch the ferry!

Bid farewell to an amazing day on the beautiful Isla Holbox and board the ferry to make the return journey, we hope you had a chance to see the Flamingos! If you’re looking to grab an earlier dinner in Chiquilá before the drive back to Cancun, check out Sardina Enamorada, right by the ferry port!

Arrive back at your vacation rental in Cancun, where you can pick a nearby restaurant for dinner, or simply tumble into your luxuriously comfortable bed, such as these at Krystal Cancun Beach Resort, for a good night’s sleep before your next Cancun adventure!

For more things to do in and around Cancun, check out our blog!

And don’t forget to check out Latitude21Resorts’ Cancun promotional offers! Take your pick from the great resorts we have on offer at hugely discounted rates. Accommodations include rooms at: Krystal Cancun Beach Resort, Ocean Spa Resort, Laguna Suites Golf & Spa, Sunset Royal, Grand Park Royal, Grand Oasis Cancun, Grand Oasis Palm, Melody Maker, among others!