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Holbox Island Day Tour: Visit Yum Balam Nature Reserve and Enjoy Lunch
4.3
214 Ratings
Playa del Carmen
Discover the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of Holbox Island on a day trip from the Riviera Maya. Take a boat ride on a lagoon, explore the Yum Balam Nature Reserve, and enjoy a delicious lunch.
Discover the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of Holbox Island on a day trip from the Riviera Maya. Take a boat ride on a lagoon, explore the Yum Balam Nature Reserve, and enjoy a delicious lunch.
Duration:
13 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Holbox Island - Embark on a day excursion to Holbox Island, complete with hotel pick-up from selected locations in the Riviera Maya. Explore the abundant wildlife of the Yum Balam Nature Reserve on a guided boat journey with a native fisherman. Stop by Isla Pasin and search for indigenous fauna, followed by a dining experience at a regional…
- Holbox Island - Embark on a day excursion to Holbox Island, complete with hotel pick-up from selected locations in the Riviera Maya. Explore the abundant wildlife of the Yum Balam Nature Reserve on a guided boat journey with a native fisherman. Stop by Isla Pasin and search for indigenous fauna, followed by a dining experience at a regional eatery.
Navigate the Yum Balam Nature Reserve, home to over 300 species of birds in their natural habitat. Keep an eye out for eagles, cormorants, flamingos, and ducks as you make your way through a lagoon to Isla Pasin.
Proceed to Holbox Island’s primary harbor for a brief tour. Savor a scrumptious meal at a local restaurant, accompanied by a soft drink or water. Enjoy some leisure time to wander through the fishing village or unwind on the sandy shores before your return to your lodging.
What's Included
- Bottled water included
- Lunch provided
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Guided tour
- Bottled water included
- Lunch provided
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Guided tour
What's Not Included
- LOCAL TAX
- LOCAL TAX
Additional Information
- Not included: Reservation tax MXN 500.00 per person, must be paid on the day of travel
- Not included: Reservation tax MXN 500.00 per person, must be paid on the day of travel
Location
Coco Bongo
08:00
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(214 Ratings)
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Nichola
Mar 7, 2026
Holbox trip with Cenote swim - We had a great day, and Alex drove us to our destination and back again. Ricardo was our guide for the day. He was excellent and spoke a few languages. The scenery was outstanding, and there was beautiful sand.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Memplouf
Feb 23, 2026
Great Tour! - The tour guide was great, Ricardo. Organized, polite, professional, he was an expert at keeping the group on schedule and communicating expectations. He spoke English well.
Picked up on time at our Airbnb which was very convenient.
I went with my mother who is 70 years old, the captain and Victor were very patient and helpful getting her in and out of the boat.
The tour itself was good, I found the stops to be enough time, not too long. Having said that, if you want to go at your own pace it is better that you book a private tour.
I’m glad we did it! It confirmed that I would not holiday in Holbox but nice to see once!
Oh and the food was very good, I had rice, chicken (buttergarlic) and salad. I did find it pricey, but worth it for my mom!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynette_m
Jul 13, 2025
Fun adventure - My best friend and I had fun. She does have walking issues and we needed to get a taxi to get around once we were on the island. She also has difficulty getting in and out of the boat and the guides were very helpful. The lunch was really good. Be sure to bring dollar bills so you can tip. They rely on tourism to support them and what they do. July is super hot, so be prepared.
Unfortunately, I only speak English and our tour guides English was hard to understand.
We had one guy on our tour from Austria that was completely hammered when he returned to the boat, which was very entertaining. We also had a little more that two hour ride home and I’m pretty sure the guy wet himself. But overall everything was great.
Review provided by Viator
N912ywfedericom
Jun 26, 2024
Holbox with Gennaro - Nice experience from Playa del Carmen to Holbox Island for an island tour, Gennaro fantastic and reliable driver and guide! Recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F2221hymichag
Jun 12, 2024
Amazing Place ! Good Tour with da very friendly Guide - Amazing Places ! The Trip was so Perfect organised ! Tour Guide was very friendly and explains a lot about the things. We feel very Safe and welcome .
Thank you Leonardo !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patrick_o
Dec 28, 2025
Correct time to pick up... - Correct time to pick up and drop. They were late by an hour. Better transport needed and people from Cancun and Playa de Carmen made the distance very long. Alex was great. Places were beautiful. Needs better organization and English speaking peraon
Review provided by Viator
Maymienrique
Aug 3, 2025
Bad weather was expected... - Bad weather was expected and they still went — sky was gray and they still were in the water. Would appreciate transparency, and plan b.
Review provided by Viator
Sandrine
Jul 1, 2024
Big disappointment! - The weather was bad but the exit was maintained. As a result we were frozen without the possibility of drying up! The sea was gray like the sky like sandbanks. Nothing to do with the crystal clear images of the site. All for three pink flamingos! We ran out of gas in the open sea ... back to the “port” very slowed down. Lunch in a place filled with mosquitoes was nothing extraordinary. A drink a dish bar! This is a big disappointment considering the price paid. 1h30 wasted on the way to pick up other hotel guests and the same on the way back: more time spent by uncomfortable coach than visiting Holbox! The excursion had to be in English but the majority of the present were Hispanic so all the explanations were in Spanish with vague translation in English!! If the weather seems bad I strongly advise against this excursion.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabeth_m
Nov 28, 2025
This is not the nature trip you would have thought reading the description. - Fiestly I was told to get to the departure point for 730, so grabbed a roll from the breakfast room and waited patiently until 750. I then emailed and was told that sorry they forgot to message me and the pick up was 0840.
This is not a 2 hour boat trip looking at birds and exploring the nature reserve. This is miss selling it. It was 20 minutes in a fast boat then get out into the water (knee deep). We did see a few flamingos at a distance. Then up a tower to see the view. Then on the boat another 20 minutes flying through the water. We then stop and the water this time was waist deep. I didn't get out. Not being told that swimwear was necessary. Then on to Holbox and lunch and free time in the town. Very disappointing for anyone who thoughr this was a nature trip.
Also the guides English was not good. Luckily one of the Mexicans on the trip was able to translate.
If my next trip with Viator is as bad, I will think twice about using them again, which is a shame as they were good on other trips in other countries.
Review provided by Viator
Explorer26676600614
Oct 20, 2025
Awful experience - This was the worst excursion that we have ever been on. The driver and the tour guide did not speak English. They pick you up in a van and cram you in it. My husband's seat was broken. The tour guide did not speak for the one hour and forty-minute ride to get to the boat that took us to the cenote. When we did get there, the tour guide left us in the changing room, since we did not know what he was saying, we had to guess the time to be back. We missed other things there as we had no idea what was going on. I tried to communicate with him. Thankful that a few people spoke broken English and could help us out a little bit. When we did get to Hol Box, he had us follow him through town for around 11 minutes to get to where lunch was. We had to guess to get back, as he could not show us on the map. We wandered through town for over two hours. I have been on a lot of excursions, and this is one I wish I had skipped.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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