At the northernmost tip of the Yucatan peninsula, lies Isla Holbox (Holbox Island). This is an amazing out-of-the-way place where nature lovers can find paradise. This island is in the middle of the Mexican Whale shark migration route.
We hired a company specializing in Whale shark tours. We went on a small boat with 8 passengers and scoured the waters surrounding the island until the crew spotted a very large one. Mexico prohibits scuba diving with Whale sharks, so only snorkeling is allowed, with only two people in the water at a time. The boat pulls way ahead of the shark to lessen distress to the animal and allow the snorkelers to enter the water. It's necessary to start swimming immediately, because this giant fish will close ground very quickly. Even though they appear to move slowly, one flip of their tail will propel them a long distance. We spent a long time snorkeling, each pair taking their turn, returning to the boat, and the next pair entering the water. Each duo was able to snorkel several times before leaving the shark to continue its migration. On the return trip, we spotted a breaching Manta ray and a huge school of Mobula rays.
The next day, we hired a ponga for just 3 of us to do a full day nature tour. We started by going to a shallow bay where we found a flock of hundreds of flamingos. We approached as slowly and quietly as possible and the captain then gunned the engine causing the flamboyance (the name for a flock of flamingos) to take to the air. What a glorious sight!
Next, we headed for Bird Island, a nesting sanctuary for several species of birds, depending on the season. A dock has been built for boats to tie up and observation towers for watching the birds. We observed the ongoing struggle of the birds trying to protect their eggs and chicks from being eaten by the iguanas also living on the island. Be sure to bring binoculars! By this time, it was approaching midday and the temperature was climbing.
We reboarded the boat and headed for another island covered with vegetation and went ashore. After a short walk through the jungle, we came to a spring-fed oasis with a large, fresh water pool. We stayed and swam for over two hours and had lunch.
Our next stop was a deserted sandy island on which we were able to beachcomb and search for interesting shells and other flotsam and jetsam. It was a very special day in a very special place!
We stayed at one of several small boutique hotels on the island which was very lovely and had a lot of personality. There are also several international style restaurants in town. All of our meals were very good. The only transportation on the island is by golf cart or ATV.
Isla Holbox should be visited before this natural treasure dissappears!

We elected to stay here because of the location at the marina. The dive shop I was using is also located here. Our room was very spacious, modern, and clean. The complex was quiet at night, even though it's only a short walking distance to restaurants, bars, and clubs. Tesoro Los Cabos has a large pool with two hot tubs and a swim up bar overlooking the marina. There are several restaurants on the property, although a couple were temporarily closed. We ate lunch in the Vista Roof restaurant and the food was top notch. There's a gym with a nice workout area that will accommodate a lot of people and there was no waiting to use any of the equipment. TLC also has a full service spa if you need a massage after a few days of diving. The “downtown” area is a short walk where you can find more restaurants, clubs, liquor stores, grocery stores, etc. We rated everything at this resort as excellent. We recommend Tesoro Los Cabos Hotel and will return again.

After diving in the Cabo San Lucas area, we made our way to Cabo Pulmo to stay and dive with the Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort. We had a rental car and the drive was very pleasant . The last six miles is on a somewhat rough dirt road. The resort is located right on the beach with bungalows and casitas scattered aground the property. Our casita was a very large (about 600 square feet) “studio” type accommodation with a full kitchen, living area, dining area, queen bed, indoor bathroom, and a great outdoor shower. It also has an upstairs covered deck with a table and chairs. There is a partial ocean view. We elected to take advantage of the “Eat, Sleep, Dive” plan which is all inclusive. Cabo Pulmo is very small (population 114) and there are a few other restaurants in town, but eating at the resort for all of our meals was very convenient. The resort restaurant serves an international menu with large portions and we thought the food and service were excellent. There is a swimming pool on the property used for scuba training but guests are free to use it throughout the day.
The on-site dive shop is operated by a very experienced staff and runs like a well oiled machine. Boats can't moor in the marine reserve, so the crews must launch the dive boats from the beach. It's an awe inspiring operation. Diving is very easy, mostly shallow reefs or wrecks covered with massive schools of fish, large grouper, and bull sharks, to name a few of the things to see. The dive guides from CPBR are very professional and act as unofficial guardians of the marine Park. The dive shop has a well-stocked gift shop for t-shirts, hats, and other apparel.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at CPBR and can’t wait to return.