holbox

[wizmo]

i'm thinking of going to holbox for the whale sharks, does anybody have any tips,whats a good time to go. i heard between may and augest, whats a good place to stay.i figure a few days in holbox than go to cozumel for a few days. any tips would be great

thanks wizmo

 

[CaptEsteban]

Mid Summer,, July is a great time to go. I don't remember the exact months, but there is only a short period to swim with them. Are you familiar with Holbox, && how to get there ????? You can stay in Isla Mujeres or Cancun, & swim with the Whalesharks just as well. Much easier hop over to Cozumel, too !

 

[divinglife]

Whale Shark season is from June to September. Peak season usually with the largest numbers of whale sharks would be the last 2 weeks of July, first 2 weeks of august. Its a very easy day trip from anywhere on the Riviera Maya. Staying in Holbox itself during that time can be a little pricey and busy so book ahead.

 

[wizmo]

thanks for the input, i think i'll look into Isla Mujeres i read you can get a ferry from cancun. that will be easier. any good dive shops& whale watching tours i should consider.

thanks wizmo

 

[bayeloi]

My wife and I went to Isla Holbox last August to swim with Whalesharks. We loved it. Granted, it is more difficult to get to than Cancun or Isla Mujeres, but I think it is worth the effort. Holbox is like Cozumel or Cancun was long before they became developed as they are now, especially Cancun. It is simple, laid back and the people on the island are very genuine, kind and honest. No rat race there. The island itself is beautiful. I thought it was a very endearing experience that anyone that has been to Cozumel or Cancun should do at least once. Besides the whale sharks, the thing that impressed me the most was the food. I had two of the best meals of my life on that island. One was at Edelins pizza where they have the best lobster pizza ever. Then another place called Zapata's had the best grilled fish ever.

Granted though.....there's no night life and not much to do besides the whale sharks, maybe some fishing and eating. Every night pretty much everyone on the island goes to the beach to watch the sunset. That was always an impromptu party and alot of fun.

I didn't find that it was very expensive there. We were there during the peak season and I found everything to be quite reasonable. Food was downright cheap.

With all that said...... I would recommend a trip to Holbox.

 

[Ed Hatfield]

I did the whale sharks last July. We were in Playa del Carmen and booked through EcoColors. We were picked up at my condo (and returned) and took a boat out of Puerto Juarez just north of Cancun. We were a group of 4 and paid $150.00US p/p for the trip. There was a pod (school?) of 40-60 whale sharks at the site and the boat max was 12 persons. We got our fill of swimming with the whale sharks because some of the group just weren't up to the trip and only went in once. The four of us had repeated turns when others passed. FYI - some of the people on the boat paid as much as $240.00US booking through the hotels. If you have a group they are willing to talk $$$. It was amazing and I recommend it to anyone who gets the oppportunity. They made you wear a life-jacket in the water but I found out that they would have let us go without them if we had brought our wet suits. I'm going again this coming July. I will be in PDC July 18th to the 25th for my annual 'dive trip with the guys'.
If you plan to dive Coz you may as well stay in PDC and do some cenotes and reef diving PDC as well. You can ferry to Coz for a day trip and dive. You can also stay there for a couple days at Hotel Cozumel (an AI) that does have some 3 or 4 day packages especially in July because it's off-season.

Hey Sofie - Want to take a day off and tag along and see the whale sharks?

 

[jerryscuba]

I've been in Isla Mujeres three times and in Holbox too. In the last three summers there were thousands of wonderful whale sharks very close to the island... and the advantage is that in Isla Muejres you can also dive and spend a good while in the day and night, or cross to Cancun in 15 minutes all the day.... in Holbox you are far from everything. Beautiful but still too wild. And the sea it's not beautiful like in Isla Mujeres, where there are many confortable accomodations. The whale shark's trip is the cheapest you can find in all the Riviera because the tours starts from there directly. Remember between half june and half september... bye good luck

 

[CaptEsteban]

Here's a couple of good links for info. Mujeres is very easy to get to from the Cancun airport. Looking over the bottom link will answer your questions.

Good hotel for the money in town. Good places to eat all around it.
Hotel and Restaurant Bucaneros in Isla Mujeres
A lot of Isla info=
www.islamujeres.info/

 

[DandyDon]

Holbox is worth the time and trouble as it is indeed a neat island village.

 

[dzonokwa]

Holbox is definetly worth the time and the adventure. We stayed with Hotel La Palapa. They were wonderful. Snorkeling with the whale sharks was so much fun. Right up there with snorkeling with manatees at Crystal Springs, dophins off of Cuba, and sea lions in the Galapagos.
Spending time on Holbox, fly fishing, bird watching, and sitting on the beach is heavenly.
GO. Have fun! Then go back to Isla or Cozumel or Akumal and dive and have more fun!