HOLBOX

My first voyage to Holbox Island took place in the midst of a tempestuous winter "norte". The ferry's hazy time schedule, "once or twice a day," and then out of order status flung in from my book of options. So I took a turbulent ride in a panga (small, open fish boat) across the wave-rocked channel, huddled with my dogs and luggage.

Half a decade later, I returned to Holbox, on the only kind of vessel available, another velobed panga. With a calm sea and a radiant moon to guide us, we arrived to a joyous fishing village. 

Holbox is tranquility, with people strolling sandy streets or chatting at their doorsteps. Children run barefoot in a large playground in the center of town. I found myself returning to the Holbox I'd imagined five years earlier.

A three-hour drive from Cancun, the Reserve of Yum Balam (Lord of the Jungle in Mayan) includes the townships of Holbox, Chiquilá, San Angel, Solferino, and Kantunilkin. And alluring, wealthy land, its seascape brims with rare plants and endangered animal species.

Home a culturally diverse community, the residents of Yum Balam live off the fruits of Mother Earth. Savannas, mangroves, jungle and natural springs bless the region with a variety of ecosystems.

Manatees feed in the algae rich waters of the lagoon, crocodiles sun on the edges of the mangrove forest; schools of dolphins often surf boat wakes, and dozens of extraordinary birds, from pink flamingoes to white pelicans, return to roost on Isla de los Pájaros (Island of birds) every evening at sunset.

From the port of Chiquilá, one takes the boat to Holbox, other surrounding islands and hard to get to places. Always willing to bargain, the fishermen are expert guides, and contrary to my first impression, their pangas, an excellent source of transportation.

 Following Holbox's coastline, one arrives to Cabo Catoche, a series of deserted beaches on the eastern point; and on the side where the Gulf meets the Caribbean one can visit Punta Mosquito, where flocks of pink flamingoes gather at sunrise.

As for Isla de los Pájaros, it as miniature Eden that has nothing but a rustic observation tower ideal for watching birds and a breathtaking sunset.

Yalahau should be visited on the way back to the mainland. Often referred as to the Fountain of Youth, Yalahau is a natural spring in the midst of the jungle; legend as it that a Mayan dignitary used to bathe in its sacred waters.

Evidently, the people of Yum Balam value their heritage and folklore; and despite their diverse origins (Maya, Nahua, European), they are acutely award that the harmonious relationship between community members and their profound respect for nature are often what attracts strangers in the first place.

In Solferino, for example, three native trees believed to be over four centuries old continue to thrive. Solferino's elderly contribute to the town's economic and nutritional well-being by raising white-tailed deer in their backyards and practicing organic horticulture.

 Traditional homes, made with tropical woods from the nearby jungle, roofed with guano palm thatch, are surrounded by citrus, herbs, and coffee trees.Pigs and chickens can be seen roaming through the streets of every village.

Yum Balam's cultural and ecological wealth are reasons ecologists, anthropologists and travelers from all over the world have been coming here for years. It's a place where one can truly enjoy nature's unique grandeur, in a land full of ancient lore.