Once the sun goes down, skip the entertainment and take the Bioluminescent Holbox Tour to see the ocean glow insanely blue. This is one of the most unique things to do in Holbox and something you can't experience anywhere else in the world.
Dive into the darkness of the night and watch in awe as the water brightens with tiny organisms emitting vibrant blue light. Here's everything you need to know about seeing the Bioluminescent in Holbox and the best tours.
Best bioluminescence holebox tour
You can find businesses selling tours throughout Holbox. We took this tour and highly recommend it. Skip the hours of shopping around and negotiating prices for your tour.
![Close-up photo of Florida bioluminescence](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Bioluminescence-in-Florida-800x450.jpg)
![Close-up photo of Florida bioluminescence](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Bioluminescence-in-Florida-800x450.jpg)
![Close-up photo of Florida bioluminescence](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Bioluminescence-in-Florida-800x450.jpg)
![Close-up photo of Florida bioluminescence](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Bioluminescence-in-Florida-800x450.jpg)
What is bioluminescence?
Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring phenomenon in which some specific types of plankton in water glow when exposed to oxygen.
On Isla Holbox, you can see the bioluminescence effect by walking on the water or agitating the water by splashing with your hands.
At certain times of the year, primarily summer, there may be enough bioluminescent plankton in the water that wave action can introduce enough oxygen to produce a bioluminescent effect.
Best time to see bioluminescence in Holbox
There are two main components to seeing bioluminescence on Isla Holbox.
1. Time of year – Bioluminescent plankton exists on Isla Holbox all year round, but summer is the best time to see bioluminescence because there is a much larger amount of plankton in the water. The greater the amount of plankton in the water, the easier it is to see bioluminescence.
2. Quantity of light – Light pollution can actually interfere with your ability to see bioluminescence. Therefore, it is important to time your tour when it is dark enough, but before the moon rises.
Your location on the island is also important. Plankton exists around Isla Holbox, but the bioluminescence effect is not visible everywhere due to light pollution.
Most bioluminescence tours take you to Punta Coco for land tours or to Punto Mosquito for bioluminescence kayak tours. Both are remote areas of the island, so light pollution is minimal.
![People watching bioluminescence during Holbox tour at night](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/people-standing-the-water-experiencing-the-bioluminescence-at-Punta-Cocos-Isla-Holbox_-800x450.jpg)
![People watching bioluminescence during Holbox tour at night](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/people-standing-the-water-experiencing-the-bioluminescence-at-Punta-Cocos-Isla-Holbox_-800x450.jpg)
![People watching bioluminescence during Holbox tour at night](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/people-standing-the-water-experiencing-the-bioluminescence-at-Punta-Cocos-Isla-Holbox_-800x450.jpg)
![People watching bioluminescence during Holbox tour at night](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/people-standing-the-water-experiencing-the-bioluminescence-at-Punta-Cocos-Isla-Holbox_-800x450.jpg)
Best bioluminescence tour in Holbox
During our multiple visits to Isla Holbox, we have taken part in a few different types of Holbox bioluminescence tours, some better than others. We've narrowed down our selection of the best tours.
Most Popular/Best Value: Bioluminescence Experience at Holbox – A small group tour to see the amazing natural phenomenon of bioluminescent plankton. On this tour, you can swim and snorkel among glowing plankton. All equipment is included in the price. Find out more here.
A fun kayak tour experience: A magical night of stargazing and bioluminescence – a memorable night kayaking and swimming among bioluminescent waves on Isla Holbox. Learn more about this tour
best budget tour: Punta Cocos Bioluminescence Tour – Take a golf cart trip to Punta Cocos to see the amazing bioluminescence. Professional guide and hotel pickup are included. This tour is the cheapest tour of its kind. If you are on a tight budget, choose this tour! Read more here
What to pack for the Holbox bioluminescence tour
Red light – Packing a small headlamp with a red light function is a great idea for a bioluminescence tour. Red light has a much lower impact on the eyes after they have already adapted to the darkness of the night.
This means the red light will hurt your eyes less and you won't have to call back after using the light. You may need light when walking on the beach or the paths around the beach. A red light is also helpful when taking pictures to adjust camera settings.
Water shoes – Good, sturdy water shoes like these are a great idea for the bioluminescence tour of Isla Holbox. This is because it is very dark and you are walking on uneven surfaces in and out of the water. Flip flops are not suitable for this tour, you can save yourself some pain by wearing water shoes instead.
How to Photograph Bioluminescence
If you want to take a bioluminescence photo for your Instagram account, put your phone in your pocket and enjoy the moment. Taking pictures of bioluminescence is very difficult.
The amount of light produced by bioluminescence is very small. It's almost impossible to capture with a cell phone. Even with expensive photography equipment, seeing bioluminescence in photographs requires some skill.
If you're serious about getting shots, you'll need a few things: You need a camera with manual settings. The settings you want to focus on are shutter speed, ISO, and aperture. You'll also need a tripod for this to work.
Aperture – The first is the easiest setting: aperture. We recommend setting this setting to the lowest number possible for your camera/lens. A typical setting is f/2.8. The lower the better. This causes the lens to “dilate” like an eye at night. The more light that enters the camera, the more likely you are to see faint bioluminescence.
Shutter speed – It's a good idea to set your shutter speed so that you can capture the bioluminescence for as long as possible without blurring the rest of the photo. When people are in a photo, it will be difficult to stay still for more than 2-4 seconds. It can go longer if no one is in the picture, but someone will have to disturb the water for the bioluminescence to glow.
ISO – This is a number that relates to how much the camera amplifies the light it sees. The higher the number, the more content is visible in the image. However, the downside of having an ISO setting that is too high is that your photos will be grainy and poor quality. You need to know how much ISO you can have on a particular camera before you lose too much quality. DSLR and mirrorless cameras can usually use 3200-6400 ISO and still get decent quality. Less expensive cameras will be cheaper.
To get the settings right, you may need to take a few pictures and try different settings. A good starting point is f/2.8 or smaller, ISO 6400, and a shutter speed of 4 seconds.
Don't panic if the picture doesn't come out. On my last tour, I brought a tripod and an expensive camera, so I wasn't able to fully capture what I was seeing. Unless you're a photography bug, you'll probably leave your camera at home for the bioluminescence tour of Holbox.
![Stargazing in the dark night sky during a bioluminescence tour of Isla Holbox](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/View-of-the-stars-during-a-Bioluminescence-tour-in-Holbox-mexico_-800x450.jpg)
![Stargazing in the dark night sky during a bioluminescence tour of Isla Holbox](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/View-of-the-stars-during-a-Bioluminescence-tour-in-Holbox-mexico_-800x450.jpg)
![Stargazing in the dark night sky during a bioluminescence tour of Isla Holbox](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/View-of-the-stars-during-a-Bioluminescence-tour-in-Holbox-mexico_-800x450.jpg)
![Stargazing in the dark night sky during a bioluminescence tour of Isla Holbox](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/View-of-the-stars-during-a-Bioluminescence-tour-in-Holbox-mexico_-800x450.jpg)
Stargazing during a bioluminescent holebox tour
An added bonus of the Holbox Bioluminescence Tour is the stars! As cool as bioluminescence is, Holbox's star-filled night sky was truly impressive.
I can only remember a few times when I saw more stars than I did from Holbox. Most of that time was spent sleeping in a tent in a remote part of Africa.
Holbox Mexico is quite remote and doesn't have much light pollution outside of the cities, making it a perfect place for stargazing.
![Woman standing on a sandbank on Isla Holbox Mexico - Places to visit](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Isla-Holbox-Mexico-Best-places-to-visit-800x450.jpg)
![Woman standing on a sandbank on Isla Holbox Mexico - Places to visit](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Isla-Holbox-Mexico-Best-places-to-visit-800x450.jpg)
![Woman standing on a sandbank on Isla Holbox Mexico - Places to visit](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Isla-Holbox-Mexico-Best-places-to-visit-800x450.jpg)
![Woman standing on a sandbank on Isla Holbox Mexico - Places to visit](https://www.gettingstamped.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Isla-Holbox-Mexico-Best-places-to-visit-800x450.jpg)