HOW TO GET TO HOLBOX

If you are planning a trip through the Yucatan Peninsula, a great idea is to end your days in a place as magical as Holbox. Especially if you are traveling by car. Next we count how to get to Holbox from Playa del Carmen and from Cancun by car

Holbox, as you know, is an island, and to get there first you will have to take a ferry that leaves from the population of Chiquilá. There you can leave your car in one of the many private parkings and ride the ferry that leaves every 30 minutes from its port. Then we tell you more, but first we will see the road trips to Chiquilá.

The most direct route from Playa del Carmen is by the toll road 305D. They are about 45 kilometers on a road in good condition (nothing from the other world) and the price of the toll is 107 pesos (in November 2018, about € 5). It took us 25 minutes to travel this stretch. The truth is that we found it too expensive for what it was, but there is an alternative:

The alternative to toll road 305D It is up to Puerto Morelos and there take the secondary road to the inner town of Leona Vicario. Then we join Highway 180 and continue to the turnoff towards Chiquilá. In total this journey is about 100km and it takes about 1 hour and a half.

Once this route is over, you will reach the intersection with the most important road in this part of Mexico, the 180D (or its free version 180). But we will not join her, but we will cross it to take a secondary road that leaves us on the highway 5. This will be the one that takes us to Chiquilá, it has a distance of about 75km and it takes about 1 hour. It's free.

The state of the floor of the road 5 is quite deteriorated and there are some sections with many potholes, so we recommend to be careful not to have scares. Remember that potholes don't usually come alone, and like mushrooms, if you see one, others will probably follow. If you are ahead of a tourist transport van, or a place that lives in this area, you will see how memory obstacles are almost known, so it is not a bad idea to get behind and imitate the zigzags.

The total route from Playa del Carmen to Chiquilá is about 130km and 1 hour and a halfby toll road 305D, or 160 km and 2 hours and a quarter If we decide to avoid paying the toll.

To get to Holbox from Cancun by car, you will also have to get to Chiquilá to take the ferry. The road you will have to take is the number 180D (toll) or your free alternative the highway 180. We recommend the latter, the condition is very good, it does not have excessive traffic and you save money from the toll. In 180 you will have to deviate in Valladolid Nuevo until the junction with Highway 5. This section from Cancun to the crossing is 75 km and takes approximately 1 h 15 mins.

From the crossing to Chiquilá you take the highway 5 and the route is about 60 km and approx 45 mins. As we said, this section has some bumps and it is better to go with some caution.

Both the section of highway 180 and that of highway 5 are free.

There are two companies that offer this connection:Holbox Express Y 9 brothers. The schedules are distributed and the departures are interspersed, so every half hour you will have one ready to take you to Holbox, either from one company or another. From what we saw, perhaps the Holbox Express ferries are somewhat newer, it's the one we take. But it doesn't really matter what you take, both take the same and have the same price.

Departures from Chiquilá to Holbox start at 06:00, and the last one is at 21:30. Back from Holbox to Chiquilá, the first one is at 05:00 and the last one at 20:30. The company 9 Brothers has the schedules of the o'clock, while Holbox Express has those of the and a half.

The travel time is barely 15 minutes, and the one-way price is 150 pesos (about € 7). Tickets are purchased directly at the port and no reservation is necessary.

On the main road that crosses the town of Chiquilá and that reaches the jetty itself there are lots of private parking lots, on the left and on the right. How to choose one? Actually they all have the same prices (100 pesos per day, or 50 pesos for half a day) and offer the same. We stopped to ask for a discount on one and they did not accept, but in the second we asked they accepted 200 pesos for three days without problems. It was on the left side as you go to the port. So you already know, haggle!

We hope we have helped you solve the doubt of how to get to Holbox from Cancun or from Playa del Carmen by car. Enjoy your visit to this wonderful island!