July 18–25, 2026 | Cancún & Isla Holbox, Mexico 🇲🇽🌴
Every year my best friend and I go on a trip together and this year we were inbetween so many destinations but Isla Holbox took our votes!!
The deciding factor? We wanted wildlife, ocean adventures, hiking, warm weather, and something that felt a little different from a typical beach vacation. Holbox checked almost every box. We could swim with whale sharks, look for flamingos, kayak through mangroves, experience bioluminescence, and still have plenty of time to relax on the beach.
So, we booked the flights and started planning. Let me tell you what we got up to…
What Is July Like in Holbox & Cancún?
July is HOT. And I knew it was going to be hot, I just didn’t realize how hot. I packed makeup and I like to wear a full face of makeup when I travel but I could not for the life of me keep foundation on my skin.
Expect daytime highs around 31–32°C, with ocean temperatures around 27–28°C. The rainy season has started by July, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re signing up for a week of nonstop rain. We didn’t see a drop!
The biggest thing to prepare for is the humidity. It is VERY humid and in Isla Holbox you are along the Gulf of Mexico which is also quite warm. Book a hotel with air conditioning (which it looks like most have but double check).
The Caribbean Sea along the shores of Cancun are much more refreshing to go into on the hot days (every day).
Day 1: Arriving in Cancún
We landed in Cancún in the evening. Right away it was chaos because we planned on getting an Uber from the airport to our first stay, however when we tried to get one we quickly learned that is ILLEGAL to do there – so line up a shuttle before you land!! Even GetYourGuide has them available.
We stayed at Caleta Hostel, a cute hostel in Cancún with a rooftop pool and a really fun atmosphere. We stayed in the women’s-only room, and one tip: bring a lock! You can store your belongings underneath your bed, but you’ll need your own lock. We did not do this but wasn’t a big deal since we just went there to sleep and leave first thing in the morning. We paid $49.54 CAD for one night. The rooftop pool was super beautiful, but we decided to not use it since we were tired. It’s also right beside a grocery store!
ALSO: The shuttle pick up was right outfront of the hostel in the parking lot with a big sign to go to Chiquila which is where the ferry to Isla Holbox is so this stay was perfect.
Caleta Hostel
Av. Tulum, MZA 1, SMZ 2, 77500 Cancún, Mexico
Day 2: Cancún → Holbox
The next morning, we were up early and officially on our way to Isla Holbox. The journey sounds a little complicated when you first look at it:
Cancún → Chiquilá → Ferry → Holbox
But I promise it is not that bad! Our shuttle left Cancún in the morning for Chiquilá, where we caught the ferry over to Holbox. The ferry takes roughly 30 minutes, and ferries run around every hour throughout the day. Check schedule online in advance to make sure of this. We had ours booked in advance but it was not even close to being sold out.
Welcome to Isla Holbox
Holbox immediately felt different from Cancún. There are no normal cars driving around the island, and instead you’ll see golf cart taxi’s and bicycles everywhere. The main town is extremely walkable with restaurants, shops, beach bars, tour operators and little stores all packed extremely close together.
We stayed at Casa del Viento by ÓOL Hotels, and I absolutely loved the location, the pool and where it’s situated (very close to the beach, about a 50m walk). We paid $360.88 CAD for our stay. Even if you don’t stay at this exact hotel, I recommend staying on this side of the island as it is where most of the activities, restaurants and sight seeing happens. Holbox felt so safe!
Day 3: Swimming With Whale Sharks
This was the big day!!
Holbox is famous for whale shark tours, and it immediately became one of the main reasons we chose Mexico. We had to wake up early, with pickup at around 6:45 AM for our 7:00 AM whale shark tour. We booked it in advance on GetYourGuide for $536.52 CAD both of us,
Swimming alongside a whale shark is one of those experiences that feels slightly unreal. These enormous animals move through the water surprisingly calmly, and being able to see one underwater is something I’ll never forget. You get to go 2 times and I am thankful for that because the first time it was more of a learning curve and being in shock and the second time I was so much more present.
After spending most of the day on the water, the rest of the day was intentionally slow. We relaxed, wandered around town, and eventually went looking for somewhere good to eat.
And because Holbox is known for bioluminescence, nighttime became another opportunity for an adventure, but I’ll get to that later…
Day 4: Flamingos, Mangroves & Beach Time
The next morning involved another early wake-up. This time, we were off to kayak with flamingos at sunrise. Pickup was around 6:15 AM at our hotel door step. The experience took us into the quieter areas around Holbox, where we had the chance to see flamingos and explore the mangrove environment by kayak. We paid $201.70 CAD for this experience (again, 2 of us).
This experience was really incredible in a tandem kayak going through the mangroves and seeing so much wildlife. I really recommend! We spent the rest of the day exploring restaurants and snorkeling at the local beach. There are also a few markets around that we checked out.
Bioluminescence in Holbox
One of the things that originally caught my attention about Holbox was bioluminescence. I had never experienced this and it was on my bucketlist!
At night, certain areas around the island can glow when the water is disturbed, thanks to bioluminescent organisms. This was one of those activities where conditions matter a LOT. The visibility of the bioluminescence depends on things like moonlight, weather and water conditions, so it’s not something you can necessarily guarantee on a specific night.
Now we hired a Taxi gold cart which is also a Bioluminescence tour guide and he was very informative and made the experience amazing, I don’t even know if we would have found it without him so I highly recommend this. We went aroudn 11:00pm and it was super cool to see but the amount of mosquitoes were unbelievable and they were ONLY on the water that had the bioluminescence…so be prepared in bug shirts, hat, and spray. You cannot go without that honestly, it wouldn’t even be worth it.
Day 5: Holbox → Cancún
After a few days of island life, it was time to head back to Cancún. We checked out in the morning and caught the 12:00 PM ferry back to Chiquilá. From there, we took a shuttle back toward Cancún.
Once we arrived, we checked into Ocean Dream Cancún by GuruHotels in the Hotel Zone. This was a very different experience from Holbox. Instead of golf carts and quiet streets, we were back in the middle of the big resort area, surrounded by restaurants, hotels, beaches and shopping. We spent the afternoon relaxing at the beach (since the hotel is on the water) and eventually went out for dinner.
Day 6: Chichén Itzá, Cenote & Valladolid
This was our BIG sightseeing day. Our tour started at approximately 5:00 AM and lasted around 12 hours, taking us to:
- Chichén Itzá
- A cenote
- Valladolid
- Lunch
- Tequila Tasting
- Various stops along the way
Chichén Itzá was a highlight of the whole trip. Seeing one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites in person was incredible. Then came one of my favourite parts of the day: swimming in a cenote. There are tons of cenotes around the Yucatán Peninsula, and prices can vary, but many charge roughly 200–400 pesos per person.
Day 7: MUSA
Our final full day was intentionally left open. One option was to visit MUSA (the Museo Subacuático de Arte), an underwater museum where you can snorkel or dive among hundreds of sculptures beneath the water. (So epic!!)
The snorkeling option we found was around $58 USD. We ended up snorkelling for nearly 4 hours and it was amazing – we saw sting rays, a sea turtle, statues, and so many fish!
We also wanted to spend some time at La Isla Shopping Village, where we could grab some last-minute souvenirs and do a little shopping before heading home.
Sometimes you need to leave one day of a trip completely flexible.
Cost Break Down & Tips Before Your Trip
Our rough estimate before booking was around $1,325 CAD per person.
- ✈️ Flights
- 🏨 Cancún hostel: $49.54 CAD
- 🏨 Holbox hotel: $360.88 CAD
- 🦈 Whale shark tour: $536.52 CAD
- 🦩 Flamingoes: $201.70 CAD
Tips: - Bring Cash!!! I brought $500 CAD in pesos
- Bring bug spray
- Protect yourself from the sun
- Pre-book things online (especially your airport rides)
yourmatiekatie 