We have investigated the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of HoMnO3 single crystal. HoMnO3 displays a series of complicated phase transitions due to the long range ordering of Mn3+ and Ho3+ moments. Field variation in magnetization generates a metamagnetic transition and produces an entropy change of 13.1 J/kg K at 7 T in the vicinity of antiferromagnetic ordering temperature of Ho3+. The values of adiabatic temperature change (∼6.5 K) and relative cooling power (∼320 J/kg) for a field change of 7 T are also appreciable to consider HoMnO3 as a magnetic refrigerant at low temperature. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.