Holbox. Pink Flamingos. Pristine beach. Shell collecting.

Your journey begins with the 180 west to Nuevo XCan . Then take the turn off to Chiquila. Then the ferry to the island.

Had a neighbor in St Calixte who had a pink flamingo on his front lawn and an Elvis photo on his wall.

Holbox offers awesome sunsets that can be seen from the most gorgeous beaches; it is an exotic place full of ecological attractions.

Here you can get connected being in direct contact with nature or, if you prefer, simply relax.

On this island, you will find plenty of romantic and charming bungalows that will offer you all the delightful pleasures of the typical Caribbean lifestyle.
Faro Viejo lodgings shown at right. Link below.
Hundreds of flamingos can be seen flying over this wonderful island at certain times of the day or while they are eating fish and seaweed or oat bran in the lagoon.

The island of Holbox features a modest population comprised mainly of fishermen, incomparable white beaches, and exotic wildlife.

This remote place, away from massive tourism, belongs to the natural reserve and protected area of Yum Balam. In Mayan Yum Balam means Mr Jaguar. In any language CancunSteve means vacation value.
Sample the pleasures of this unequalled island.Its simple tourist infrastructure and relaxed lifestyle offer you an unforgettable Holbox vacation.

In addition to pink flamingos find egrets, herons, cormorants, white and brown pelicans, and terns. Remember to bring plenty of windshield washer fluid for the Jeep.


Holbox Island a special place for the naturalist. Enjoy bird watching, cleaning your windshield, fishing, and nature at its best on Holbox Island, Quintana Roo, where you can have a quiet vacation away from it all. Holbox Island is a unique Mexican destination, unspoiled by mass tourism. It is a quiet place to enjoy nature and relax. Located northwest of Cancun off the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, Holbox touches both the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

People say Holbox Island is the best kept secret in Mexico. It is wild and primitive and undeveloped. A world of seabirds, ocean breezes and dazzling white sand. A world where birding, diving and fishing are enjoyed in near perfect harmony.

Some history:
Holbox in Mayan means black hole. The name's origin has several explanations. Some believe that the name was given due to a small inland lagoon on the south side of the Island.
The soil of the lagoon is very dark, giving the impression it is black. By the end of the ninth century, the Mayas of the Classic period had acheived an advanced level of artistic, cultural and scientific development. Yet, very suddenly, this progress came to and abrupt halt and the Mayas disappeared. Some say they began smoking loco-weed. It was untill 1876 that Isla Holbox could receive it new habitants. Spaniards on their search for palo de tinto (a widely used colouring material in Europe in those days) were so appealed by the beauties off the island and its rich fishing grounds, that the Spaniards decided to make Isla Holbox their home, and settled down on the Island.
Another explanation centers around a negative dense cosmic mass in the universe also known as a black hole created by colapsing suns. The Mayans were advanced in astronomy.
They were also advanced in mathematics being the first people in the world to develop the concept of the zero. At that time Europe had Roman numerals. You can't go 1 minus 1 equals zero in Roman numerals. Think about it.


Although the Mayans were so developed centuries ago the old Holbox fisherman shown above is only advanced at fixing his net and casting his line.
He can tell you so many stories about the fish and seas of Holbox but no one asks him anything so he just sits around mending his fishing nets.
Faro Viejo beach hotel with a/c kitchenettes in Holbox
Xaloc Resort cabins in ecotourist setting on beach in Holbox

© 2007 thru 2008 by CancunSteve