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I did this last year, after extensive searching for directions and maps all over Google-land, then learned the hard way. Now keep in mind that I have not been back to make this trip the right way yet and confirm the details of what I think I have learned, but I can tell you what seemed like the best way to drive the route & why, how badly that went going and returning both with our original plans, and more or less how to do it easily.
Before I go on tho, a few words about renting a car: It is important that you acquire Full Coverage Insurance/No Deductible or Liability for anything regardless of what you think you have on your credit card, etc - and! rent a larger car than you think you'll need with an automatic transmission. Some [-]fool[/-] nice member suggested that I get a little hatchback with a manual shift if I was comfortable shifting my own and I thought about the variety of column shifts, stick shifts, double clutches, split gears, and so on I'd driven since age 10 up to 25 ton multi-fuel semi-trucks with no problems, and took his advice. We got all of our dive gear stuffed in okay with enough room for my 6'5" dive bud to sorta fit - but that under powered piece of caca had a loud alert every time I had to shift up or down to and from high gear - which was very often with all the topes/spped bumps Mexico loves to install instead of patrol cards, and I could never, ever out guess it. It screamed at us all the way there and all the way back. Rent a car with auto transmission, power, room, and full coverage...!!
Then buy good maps! Now I read various reports on different Google sites about driving south to Tulum first, then to Coba and north thru the jungle to Chiguila for the very adventurous, or a secret, gravel road shortcut near the Cancun airport - rejected both of those and planned to take the easy route north to Cancun, then west. Good plan, with many pitfalls...!
Be sure to take your own maps too, as the rental car office will not supply much if any, and the advice you get from a rental clerk on how to drive there should be followed by the question "And when was the last time you drove this route?" Probably never, just heard about it. I had some photocopies map portions, a joke of a guide from the car agency, and bad advice from the agent when we headed north, thinking we could take the illustrated road from 307 to 180. Notice that I now have it marked with the NO! symbol....
Looked like a great idea, avoiding the city of Cancun...
...to pick up #180D west, and that's what happened - putting us onto a very nice toll road, no topes, no traffic, lovely driving - to the wrong place! We needed to be on old #180, but that had not been an option from this shortcut even if we had known this...!
So we missed both turns to San Pedro as you cannot get off there without a bulldozer...
There's a tool booth about halfway between Cancun and Villadoid, and the locals working there were very nice - altho not entirely sure how to get to Holbox, just that we couldn't get off there. We could go back to Cancun, or continue to Villadoid or even on to points beyond if wished. We bought some snacks from the vendor truck then continued west, then south, then got on the correct road back east, old #180 that goes thru every little Mayan village complete with all of the topes until we could turn north to San Pedro and continue north to Chiguila for the ferry to Holbox.
I will commend Google maps here as they have improved in this jungle area somewhat, now showing all of the road to Chiguila. Last year, they were less complete - stopping some 20 miles short, and Google Earth was not much help either, giving several different locations for Chiguila. We did stop at a few villages so my bud could try his Tex-Mex Spanish on the local Mayan natives, me wondering...
Before I continue with Chiguila and Holbox, let's look at the better choices for getting from #307 to #180. Google Maps suggests staying on #307/Calle de Tulum all the way north to #180/Calle de Jose Lopez Portrillo and that might be the best, altho it takes you thru the entire city...
The AAA Mexico map doesn't give much on Cacun, but the AAA Mexico Tour book has some major streets indicated...
And it really looks like Blvd Kabah is a nice shortcut? If you see it on #307, I'd take that. If you don't then go on into the city and take Ave Uxmal from the second circle over to #180 - or if you miss that, then stay on #307 until it intersects #180. We came back through the city, but hadn't planned to and did not have this map - so I don't know how we managed. We just kept trying to head southeast until we found a sign pointing to an airport.
I do suggest the Can-Do Mayan Adventure map, but it is not clear on some of the points, and does suggest staying with toll roads - but they won't work to Holbox as I have explained! It does show that the infamous shortcut to 180D or #180 cuota does not give an option to get onto the road you want: #180 libre.
This part of their Mayan Adventure does offer two ways from #180 libre to San Pedro...
. 
Since we'd survived our exploration at the west end of the freeway and found our way north, we didn't know if the road east from San Pedro was a good idea or not, so we took the road we knew west and south to get onto #180. Next time, we'll take the shorter route, both ways.
Before I continue with approaching the Cancun airport to return a rental car, let's go back arriving at Chiguila and getting to Holbox. There is a gas station close to the ferry dock. Use it! Fill up your car before you park it. We didn't, only to find it closed when we returned on Sunday, an we had no idea where the next one would be! We lucked out and gassed up somewhere along the way, but it could have gone badly.
There are various parking options close to the dock, and the big one is probably okay as well as cheap, but we parked in a private lot just across from the dock - no worries about what might happed in the public lot, and I think that was a good idea. Now about the ferry...
When we arrived at the southside Holbox dock that first night, all we could see were dark buildings in the darkness and a few golf cart taxies. We missed out on all of those but they sent another one to haul us and our gear to our hotel - driving right by a dozen lively cafes still doing booming business. "Hooray! We Get To Eat!" Gawd I was relieved! We found our hotel, the room unlocked for us, tossed our bags, jumped back on the taxi cart and went to supper!! It was really a short walk, but we didn't want to try to learn the town in the dark so we bribed him well to come back after we'd dined and hit a convenience store to buy munchies for the morning.
Oh about returning your car to the Cancun airport. Make sure you have the Can-Do Cancun airport map with you. I never did find our agency, finally gave up, phoned them and insisted that they come get that sorry piece of Caca. Fortunately, they humored me.
It was a great adventure since we survived it without serious problems, and swimming with the Dominoes made it all worthwhile along with the other charms of Holbox - but I hope this discussion will make it easier on some to get there the first time...!!
[vimeo]3783470[/vimeo]
Before I go on tho, a few words about renting a car: It is important that you acquire Full Coverage Insurance/No Deductible or Liability for anything regardless of what you think you have on your credit card, etc - and! rent a larger car than you think you'll need with an automatic transmission. Some [-]fool[/-] nice member suggested that I get a little hatchback with a manual shift if I was comfortable shifting my own and I thought about the variety of column shifts, stick shifts, double clutches, split gears, and so on I'd driven since age 10 up to 25 ton multi-fuel semi-trucks with no problems, and took his advice. We got all of our dive gear stuffed in okay with enough room for my 6'5" dive bud to sorta fit - but that under powered piece of caca had a loud alert every time I had to shift up or down to and from high gear - which was very often with all the topes/spped bumps Mexico loves to install instead of patrol cards, and I could never, ever out guess it. It screamed at us all the way there and all the way back. Rent a car with auto transmission, power, room, and full coverage...!!
Then buy good maps! Now I read various reports on different Google sites about driving south to Tulum first, then to Coba and north thru the jungle to Chiguila for the very adventurous, or a secret, gravel road shortcut near the Cancun airport - rejected both of those and planned to take the easy route north to Cancun, then west. Good plan, with many pitfalls...!
BTW, I suggest that you Right-click the thrums and select "Open in new tab"
so you won't lose your place coming back to the thread...
so you won't lose your place coming back to the thread...
Be sure to take your own maps too, as the rental car office will not supply much if any, and the advice you get from a rental clerk on how to drive there should be followed by the question "And when was the last time you drove this route?" Probably never, just heard about it. I had some photocopies map portions, a joke of a guide from the car agency, and bad advice from the agent when we headed north, thinking we could take the illustrated road from 307 to 180. Notice that I now have it marked with the NO! symbol....
Looked like a great idea, avoiding the city of Cancun...
...to pick up #180D west, and that's what happened - putting us onto a very nice toll road, no topes, no traffic, lovely driving - to the wrong place! We needed to be on old #180, but that had not been an option from this shortcut even if we had known this...!
So we missed both turns to San Pedro as you cannot get off there without a bulldozer...
There's a tool booth about halfway between Cancun and Villadoid, and the locals working there were very nice - altho not entirely sure how to get to Holbox, just that we couldn't get off there. We could go back to Cancun, or continue to Villadoid or even on to points beyond if wished. We bought some snacks from the vendor truck then continued west, then south, then got on the correct road back east, old #180 that goes thru every little Mayan village complete with all of the topes until we could turn north to San Pedro and continue north to Chiguila for the ferry to Holbox.
I will commend Google maps here as they have improved in this jungle area somewhat, now showing all of the road to Chiguila. Last year, they were less complete - stopping some 20 miles short, and Google Earth was not much help either, giving several different locations for Chiguila. We did stop at a few villages so my bud could try his Tex-Mex Spanish on the local Mayan natives, me wondering...
Does he really know what he's saying, can they understand him, and does he understand them?
Do these nice villagers really know what's beyond the next village?
But what other choice do we have?
So we continued along the road north, zigzagging more or less like I thought our inaccurate maps indicated, dodging countless potholes, some huge, wondering why they had potholes since it never freezes there, and slowing down for every topes and village along the way. We hadn't really eaten that day and it was looking doubtful that we could make the last ferry - but I didn't know if we wanted to expose ourselves to locally offered foods not designed for tourists, so we pushed on. I lied to my anxious bud assuring him that I knew we'd find food in Holbox; we just had to get there - but I was worried. We did need to eat, and we had to eat before we got on the 7am boat the next day; I hoped we'd find something open there...?!Do these nice villagers really know what's beyond the next village?
But what other choice do we have?
Before I continue with Chiguila and Holbox, let's look at the better choices for getting from #307 to #180. Google Maps suggests staying on #307/Calle de Tulum all the way north to #180/Calle de Jose Lopez Portrillo and that might be the best, altho it takes you thru the entire city...
The AAA Mexico map doesn't give much on Cacun, but the AAA Mexico Tour book has some major streets indicated...
And it really looks like Blvd Kabah is a nice shortcut? If you see it on #307, I'd take that. If you don't then go on into the city and take Ave Uxmal from the second circle over to #180 - or if you miss that, then stay on #307 until it intersects #180. We came back through the city, but hadn't planned to and did not have this map - so I don't know how we managed. We just kept trying to head southeast until we found a sign pointing to an airport.
I do suggest the Can-Do Mayan Adventure map, but it is not clear on some of the points, and does suggest staying with toll roads - but they won't work to Holbox as I have explained! It does show that the infamous shortcut to 180D or #180 cuota does not give an option to get onto the road you want: #180 libre.
This part of their Mayan Adventure does offer two ways from #180 libre to San Pedro...
. Since we'd survived our exploration at the west end of the freeway and found our way north, we didn't know if the road east from San Pedro was a good idea or not, so we took the road we knew west and south to get onto #180. Next time, we'll take the shorter route, both ways.
Before I continue with approaching the Cancun airport to return a rental car, let's go back arriving at Chiguila and getting to Holbox. There is a gas station close to the ferry dock. Use it! Fill up your car before you park it. We didn't, only to find it closed when we returned on Sunday, an we had no idea where the next one would be! We lucked out and gassed up somewhere along the way, but it could have gone badly.
There are various parking options close to the dock, and the big one is probably okay as well as cheap, but we parked in a private lot just across from the dock - no worries about what might happed in the public lot, and I think that was a good idea. Now about the ferry...
Arrive well before the next or last ferry;
But don't take it! Ugg! We got a look at it on our return and came up with a better plan.
Since we arrived after the last ferry, we took the next private boat possible - paying in full for a private crossing but sharing the boat with others who paid in full. We didn't mind sharing, but we would have preferred to share the expense too?! That time of night, hungry, you do the best you can. On the return Sunday, we played it better - arriving at the dock well before the first ferry, then talking to a private boat charter. We played good cop bad cop with one of us interested in taking his boat and the other asking how long before the cheap ferry left - and the price dropped well. It worked out.But don't take it! Ugg! We got a look at it on our return and came up with a better plan.
When we arrived at the southside Holbox dock that first night, all we could see were dark buildings in the darkness and a few golf cart taxies. We missed out on all of those but they sent another one to haul us and our gear to our hotel - driving right by a dozen lively cafes still doing booming business. "Hooray! We Get To Eat!" Gawd I was relieved! We found our hotel, the room unlocked for us, tossed our bags, jumped back on the taxi cart and went to supper!! It was really a short walk, but we didn't want to try to learn the town in the dark so we bribed him well to come back after we'd dined and hit a convenience store to buy munchies for the morning.
Oh about returning your car to the Cancun airport. Make sure you have the Can-Do Cancun airport map with you. I never did find our agency, finally gave up, phoned them and insisted that they come get that sorry piece of Caca. Fortunately, they humored me.
It was a great adventure since we survived it without serious problems, and swimming with the Dominoes made it all worthwhile along with the other charms of Holbox - but I hope this discussion will make it easier on some to get there the first time...!!
[vimeo]3783470[/vimeo]
