Highlights of Bacalar and Holbox 

Laguna de Bacalar 

Bacalar is actually a small town (a pueblo mágico) along the shore of an inland freshwater lake. The lake is often nicknamed the Laguna de 7 colores because of the variety of incredible colours of the water.

The most popular activities here focus on the lagoon, on boat tours, the cenotes and frolicking in the water. It’s the second biggest lake in Mexico and there are four cenotes you can check out here too. 

Isla Holbox

Holbox is a small island just off the north coast of Quintana Roo. It is famous for its calm, shallow waters and chilled vibe. Popular activities here include swimming with whale sharks, kite surfing, boat tours and chilling on the beach. 

Let’s look now at some specific differences between the two locations to help you figure out which is more suited to your style.

Beach style / access

Bacalar

As you will already know, Bacalar is not a beach destination.

Bacalar is an inland lake and there are no gorgeous sandy beaches here. If you are looking for sandy beaches, then I recommend Holbox or any of the other fabulous beach locations around the peninsula.

Your access to this incredible body of water comes via public balnearios (resorts) and jetties, hotels with lake front access and from boat trips on the water.

This fresh water lake is, for the most part, nice and shallow. Thanks to its limestone bottom, the almost endless sunny days, and how shallow it is, it has an amazing turquoise colour that’ll make you think you’re on the Caribbean coast despite the lack of sand.

Its nickname, the Lake of 7 Colours, comes from the startling variety of blues you’ll see across the water. 

🌴 Public balnearios are the most affordable option in town, and while they’re my personal favourite, the word utilitarian can definitely be applied to them. For a more luxurious experience you’ll need to pay for a day pass at a hotel or head slightly further out of town.

Holbox

Holbox is famous for its white sand beaches and shallow waters. The beaches here seemingly stretch on forever, you can wade out a surprisingly long way and remain in shallow water.

🌴 There are numerous beach clubs with loungers, restaurant service and often pools too. And of course, you can easily set yourself up on the beach for the day, perhaps finding a palm tree for shade. Here, I love Mantarraya Beach Club because it’s locally owned and has great food.

Personal experience: There’s no denying that lying on the beach is preferable to lying on a concrete or wooden jetty but if you’re on a lounger, does that really matter? I’m a big ‘lie directly in the sand kind of human, so I prefer the beach to human-made shore lines’.

Overall vibe

Bacalar

Bacalar, while it has undeniably grown since my first visit, definitely feels as if it has retained its charm and low-key cool vibe. Yes, there are more hotels, restaurants and tourist shops than previously, but it still remains chilled out and delightful. You can find the odd club with loud music and swanky facilities, but generally it feels much the same as it did in early 2017. 

🩴 You’ll want something on your feet most of the time once you’re away from the water’s edge. No one is wandering around Bacalar town without shoes.

Holbox

Since my first visit to Holbox, the island has grown from an extremely laid back spot into somewhat of a mini-Tulum. Around the town and the beach close to town, you’ll find swanky restaurants and clubs just like in Tulum. You’ll have to use my article about ethically visiting Holbox to find local restaurants. The beach gets quieter and less built up the further from the town you go.

Although the roads are sand and cars aren’t technically permitted, the enormous golf-carts, in my opinion take something away from the desert-island vibe you’re probably hoping for.

🩴 Because most of the roads are sand, you can walk around barefoot more here than in Bacalar, which I absolutely love because I’m a huge barefoot fan

Personal experience: I prefer the vibe in Bacalar, it’s more laid back and chilled out. The last time I was in Holbox, the atmosphere felt as if people were there to party, which isn’t my thing at all.

What is there to do in Bacalar and Holbox?

Both Holbox and Bacalar focus on water based activities and small boat tours.

Bacalar

The most popular activity is to take is one of multiple forms of boat tour that all visit the same spots in the laguna: the cenotes, Pirates’ Canal, Bird Island (generally lasts three hours).

You can also take sunrise kayak/paddle board tours and visit Los Rapidos to swim with the stromatolites. Many hotels offer free kayak and paddle boards, and of course, there are hammocks to relax in and even many spots with swings and hammocks in the water.

🏰 There’s also a small fort-museum in Bacalar that’s good to visit to learn about the region.

Holbox

The most common and popular tour to take in Holbox is the small boat tour around the island, stopping off at Bird Island, Passion Island and a cenote. It’s also possible to snorkel, kayak and kitesurf here. You’ll find a few beach clubs with hammocks in the water and swings on the beach in the sea.

Holbox obviously has the seasonal advantage of the whale shark migration July – Sept and the bioluminescence, which is visible at various times throughout the year but is most prolific over winter and at new moon. As you can see from the photo above, you’re also likely to see dolphins in Holbox.

It’s possible to learn to fish with local fishermen, ride horses on the beach and more.

➕ It’s possible to take day trips further afield to visit ruins, cenotes and more from both locations.

→ Use Viator and GetYourGuide to find great tours.

Personal experience: I’ve taken really great tours from both destinations, and have never felt bored in either location. My bioluminescence tour from Holbox was cancelled due to bad weather but the tour company was professional, empathetic to my misery and I got my money back immediately.

 

Ethics & sustainability of your visit

Both Holbox and Balacar are extremely special places that deserve to be maintained in a pristine state for the locals who live there. We, as visitors, have a responsibility to play our part here. So let’s take a look at this:

Bacalar

Bacalar is located within the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve, however articles I’ve read from 2025 suggest that Bacalar Laguna itself is not a protected body of water.

In Bacalar, locals have taken matters into their own hands and they try to protect their treasure by requesting that no one wears suntan lotion in the water and that Wednesdays are human free days, to give the lake a chance to breathe and recover from human activity. You’ll see signs asking you to comply with these moves as you explore. 

Holbox

Holbox island is located within the Yum Balam flora and fauna protected area.

Visiting Holbox means staying within a biosphere or natural reserve where the land should be protected. Except it doesn’t totally feel that way. Once you move away from the main tourist sites, you’ll notice there’s trash everywhere. Garbage just isn’t dealt with well on the island, which is gross for everyone – at the end of 2024 there was over 40,000 tons of garbage sitting on the island, posing a risk to the island’s water table supply.

One of the very first things I noticed on my most recent visit was that while Holbox still claims to be a car-free island, the golf-carts these days might as well be cars they’re so big. They have grown enormously since I first visited in 2016. They’re not really golf-carts anymore, they feel more like giant ATVs. For me, this is pretty much a metaphor for the island as a whole: still fun but not quite what it was or what people think it is. There’s really no need to hire one if you’re at all concerned about the environment. You can walk to most places and if you can’t, there are golf-buggy taxis you can use. 

So please, if you choose to visit Holbox, choose to support local businesses. There is one remaining locally owned beach club (Mantarraya), there are locally owned restaurants, and you can buy snacks and drinks from the beach vendors – this is ethical visiting.  

Personal experience: In Holbox, locals are struggling to keep up with the influx of outside investment and last time I was on the island I spoke to locals who told me how they are being ‘encouraged’ to move their small businesses away from the beach areas. In Bacalar it feels as if the locals have a better grip on this but we’re all going to have to play our part if it’s going to remain special.

Where to stay

Both Bacalar and Holbox offer a good array of accommodations for all needs and budgets. I’ve been perfectly happy with my options in both locations. 

Eating & drinking

Bacalar

Bacalar, as a small town (population 12,000) has a great array of restaurants suiting all budgets. You can eat street food on the plaza, or tacos if you’re on a budget, or splurge on expensive meals, or find plenty of in between options too.

Holbox

If you have money to spend, then yes, the food options here are incredible. Finding cheaper options here is harder but they do exist for sure. Holbox (population 2,000) has fewer options overall and getting away from the ‘swank’ isn’t always easy.

Personal experience: it’s easier to find more affordable options in Bacalar than in Holbox.

Visiting with kids

Both locations are great for kids as both have amazing shallow water (of course, Holbox is salt water as it’s an island on the Gulf of Mexico, while Bacalar is a fresh water lake). 

Bacalar – kids will love the swings in the water, waterslides, playing in the shallow waters, seeing the stromatolites, kayaking and night markets and playgrounds on the plaza.

→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to visiting Bacalar with kids

Holbox – kids will love the beach vibe, playing in the shallow water, night bioluminescence tours, kayaks, riding golf cart taxis, playing on the plaza at night

→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to visiting Holbox with kids

Personal experience: I’ve visited both locations with my kids and both have their pros and cons. Obviously, with smaller kids, playing on the beach in Holbox is incredible. The water is calm and shallow, making it an ideal beach vacation location. With slightly older kids, Bacalar, for me, wins because my kids love a good water based adventure and fun day.

Getting there and away

From Cancun/Playa del Carmen, Holbox is to the north and Bacalar to the south. Holbox is an island off the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, Bacalar is an inland destination almost on the border with Belize. Both are located within the state of Quintana Roo.

→ Read the MexicoCassie guide to driving in Yucatán

→ Read the MexicoCassie guide to taking the Maya Train around the Peninsula

Getting to Bacalar

Bacalar is around 350km from both Cancun and Mérida.

🚘 The roads in and out of Bacalar are decent – you can rent a car and drive yourself around the peninsula with no worries.

🚌 ADO buses serve Bacalar. These long distance buses are comfortable, modern and safe. You can either book direct on the ADO website, or on Busbud in English. (I no longer book direct as ADO once cancelled my tickets without telling me. This has never happened via Busbud)

🚆 The Maya train station is ten minutes outside of the city and the service is comfortable, safe and reliable.

✈ There is no airport in Bacalar. The nearest is in Chetumal. Most people arriving into the Peninsula fly to Cancun or Mérida.

Getting to Holbox

Chiquilá (where you pick up the ferry to Holbox) is 300km from Mérida and 150 km from Cancun.

🚘 The road to Chiquilá is one of my least favourite roads on the peninsula because of the sheer number of potholes and topes (speed bumps). I hope that by now it’s smoother than it was last time I drove it but I can’t promise 😉. That said, it’s still ok to drive and it’s certainly safe, you just need to watch out for potholes.

You can take your car and leave it in a carpark there (it’s well set up for this)

🚌 ADO buses serve Chiquilá, as do many combi-van options. You can either book direct on the ADO website, or on Busbud in English. (I no longer book direct as ADO once cancelled my tickets without telling me. This has never happened via Busbud). From Cancun airport you can take a minibus direct to Chiquilá

🛳️ There are two companies (9 Hermanos & Holbox Express) that run ferries between Chiquilá and Holbox, and they’re basically identical. They depart alternately every half hour and the journey takes around 25 minutes.

MexicoCassie’s final thoughts on choosing between Bacalar & Holbox

I hope that by now you’ve got a clearer picture of which of these beautiful locations is more in keeping with your personal travel preferences and styles. My final personal choice is for Bacalar because I’m all about super chilled locations, and good, local food but I definitely wouldn’t turn down a trip to Holbox either 😍.