Playa culebra: Spend the Day at Flamenco Beach on Culebra
Culebra’s Beaches: Diving, Snorkeling, and Kayaking
Once you see Culebra’s craggy coastline of hidden coves, private beaches, coral outcroppings, and cays, it’s easy to imagine why pirates liked to hide out here. Playa Flamenco is the island’s most celebrated beach, and rightly so. But there are many less populated and more remote beaches to be found for those willing to hike in.
If Playa Flamenco is too crowded, take a 20-minute hike over the ridge and bypass the first small beach you encounter to reach the more private Playa Carlos Rosario, a pleasant, narrow beach flanked by coral reef and boulders. It offers excellent snorkeling around the long, vibrant stretch of coral reef not too far offshore. Other great snorkeling and diving beaches are Punta Soldado (south of Dewey, at the end of Calle Fulladoza), which also has beautiful coral reefs; Playa Melones, a rocky beach and subtropical forest within walking distance of Dewey; and Playa Tamarindo, where you’ll find a diversity of soft corals and sea anemones.
Excellent deserted beaches can also be found on two of Culebra’s cays—Cayo Luis Peña and Culebrita, which is distinguished by a lovely but crumbling abandoned lighthouse and several tidal pools. To gain access, it is necessary to either rent a boat or arrange a water taxi. And be sure to bring water, sunscreen, and other provisions; there are no facilities or services on the islands.
Playa Zoni in Culebra. Photo © Suzanne Van Atten.
At the far eastern side of the island at the end of Carretera 250 is Playa Zoni, which features a frequently deserted sandy beach and great views of Culebrita, Cayo Norte, and St. Thomas.
Playa Brava has the biggest surf on the island, but it requires a bit of a hike to get there. To reach the trailhead, travel east on Carretera 250 and turn left after the cemetery, and then hike downhill and fork to the left. Note that Playa Brava is a turtle-nesting site, so it may be off-limits during nesting season from April to June.
Like Playa Brava, Playa Resaca is an important nesting site for sea turtles, but it is ill-suited for swimming because of the coral reef along the beach. The hike to Playa Resaca is fairly arduous, but it traverses a fascinating topography through a mangrove and boulder forest. To get there, turn on the road just east of the airport off Carretera 250, drive to the end, and hike the rest of the way in.
Playa Flamenco
Playa Flamenco in Culebra. Photo © Suzanne Van Atten.
Named one of “America’s Best Beaches” by the Travel Channel, Playa Flamenco (north on Carr. 251 at dead-end) is one of the main reasons people come to Culebra. It’s a wide, mile-long, horseshoe-shaped beach with calm, shallow waters and fine white sand. The island’s only publicly maintained beach, it has bathroom facilities, picnic tables, lounge-chair and umbrella rentals, and a camping area. You can buy sandwiches and alcoholic beverages at Coconuts Beach Grill in front of Culebra Beach Villa, as well as from vendors who set up grills and blenders in the ample parking lot.
An abandoned, graffiti-covered tank remains as a reminder of the Navy’s presence. It can get crowded on summer weekends and holidays—especially Easter and Christmas.
Diving
Culebra more than makes up for its dearth of entertainment options with a wealth of diving opportunities. There are reportedly 50 dive sites surrounding the island. They’re mostly along the island’s fringe reefs and around the cays. In addition to huge diverse coral formations, divers commonly spot sea turtles, stingrays, puffer fish, angel fish, nurse sharks, and more.
Among the most popular dive sites are Carlos Rosario (Impact), which features a long, healthy coral reef teeming with sea life, including huge sea fans, and Shipwreck, the site of The Wit Power, a tugboat sunk in 1984. Here you can play out your Titanic fantasies and witness how the sea has claimed the boat for its habitat.
Dendrogira coral is one type that can be found in the waters of Culebra.
Photo © Ricardo Colaan/123rf.
Many of the best dive sites are around Culebra’s many cays. Cayo Agua Rock is a single, 45-foot-tall rock surrounded by sand and has been known to attract barracudas, nurse sharks, and sea turtles. Cayo Ballena provides a 120-foot wall dive with spectacular coral. Cayo Raton is said to attract an inordinate number and variety of fish. And Cayo Yerba features an underwater arch covered in yellow cup coral, best seen at night when they “bloom,” and a good chance to see stingrays.
The island’s sole diving and snorkeling source, Culebra Divers (across from the ferry terminal in Dewey, 787/742-0803), offers daily snorkeling trips for $60. One-tank dives are $85, and two-tank dives are $125, including tanks and weights. Snorkeling and dive gear is available for rent. It’s also a good place to go for advice on snorkeling from the beach.
Kayaking and Snorkeling
Aquafari Culebra (787/245-4545) offers a kayaking and snorkeling tour of Culebra for $55-75 per person, including ferry fare from Fajardo.
Culebra Island Adventures (Wed.-Sun.) leads kayak and snorkel tours of Culebra for $75 per person. Ferry and air packages from Fajardo, Ceiba, and San Juan’s Isla Grande airport are available. Turtles tours are $29.
Seabreeze Culebra Water Sports (Carr. 250, km 1.8, 855/285-3272) rents kayaks ($25-35 an hour), stand-up paddleboards ($25), a Sunfish sailboat ($65 an hour), and an inflatable mini powerboat ($125 an hour). Daylong sailing, snorkeling, and hiking tours run $125 per person.
Day & Night Boat Tours (787/435-4498) offers daylong snorkeling trips to Culebrita for $75 per person, including drinks, snacks, and gear. Custom fishing, snorkeling, and sightseeing tours can be arranged.
Culebra Bike Shop & Kayak Culebra (Hotel Kokomo on the Ferry Dock, 787/742-0589, daily 9am-6pm) rents kayaks for $50 a day.
Related Travel Guide
iOverlander | Paracas NP — Playa Culebra
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83192, -76.36998
- Altitude:
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CarpeViam
83192, -76.36998
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- Big Rig Friendly:
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- Tent Friendly:
- Yes
- Pet Friendly:
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Description
S11/pp to enter the park, good for a week. Beach sits at the north end of the the western most valley. Camped on the bluff above the beach.
During our stay large family of sea lions playing in the shallows, wind died down after dark and an incredible phosphorescence show in the waters. To get here — take the road North to Intimar restaurante but turn off left on a dirt track, then start exploring! Stay on main obvious dirt tracks and you’ll get here eventually.
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El Carrito Azul
This place is permanently closed.
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fierydruid
Soooo windy but it’s more beautiful that the lagunilla place as it’s remote and rugged.
Plenty of flat area here. Hike 10 min up to see the sunset
Well since it’s windy there’s no flies xD yea it’s blowing all night…clamshell rooftop tent can pop np but idk about the normal ones
Keep everything secure else goodbyeee as it goes into the sea
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jasperpauls98
Really nice spot, but windy though. We enjoyed it a lot and the sunset is incredible.
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Monkeys on the Road
Great road with wild landscape views to get here. Drive up the paved road to Atenas (Inti Mar restaurante) but before you get to the top you must turn off on a dirt road. You don’t need to do any sketchy driving to get here! Stay on the main dirt track. (Or can come up from Mirador Lobos instead — we went out that way, making a full loop of the peninsula). Beautiful ocean view and sunset, but VERY windy so we went back to sleep on the beach Yumaque where there’s very little wind.
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Ursu29
I was one day in this place.and i want to know if you Will swim in this beach or you Will stay in they sand.
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wu-tour.de
lovely spot. we are lucky: hardly any wind. no problem with our 2×4 sprinter camper van to cross the peninsula on the tracks. no sea lions here, but lots of birds. this beach is called playa viejo on some maps. no internet reception here (movistar).
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ntoverland.wordpress.com
Very scenic place to camp. We stayed for 3 days and only saw some fisher man during the day. At night it’s just the stars and you. 😉
The wind is really strong as mentioned. the road here is accessible with all kinds of vehicles, since the sand of the desert is quiet hard.
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nonurbia.com
Nice spot on top of a cliff. No sea lions when we were there but lots of wind which only stopped in the morning. Stunning landscape.
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melcahill
Park entrance including camping for three days was S./20 per person. We stayed for three nights. Camped on this bluff all slide except a few scallop fishermen showed up one morning. Amazing view of fishing sea lions and sunset. Very windy from 2:00 pm to 2 am. But calm in the morning. We hung out at La Mina beach and spent a couple of days driving to park sites.
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Song of the Road
Not an official camp site in Paracas NP, but a beautiful place to wild camp. Great views off the cliffs and lots of sea lions and birds below to watch.
We did not have much wind at all and it was sunny. Only noise at night was sea lions barking.
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CarpeViam
S10/pp to enter the park, good for a week. Beach sits at the north end of the the western most valley. Camped on the bluff above the beach. During our stay large family of sea lions playing in the shallows, wind died down after dark and an incredible phosphorescence show in the waters.
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Fajardo → Playa Flamenco: 2 ways to get there from €16
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There are 2 ways to get from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco by car ferry or plane
Choose one of the options to see detailed instructions and compare ticket prices and duration in the Rome2rio trip planner. nine0005
Ferry for cars
• 1h 57min
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Take the car ferry from Ceiba to Culebra
Ceiba
Airplane
• 37 min.
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Flight from Roosevelt Roads (NRR) to Culebra (CPX)
NRR-CPX
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For travel planning advice, please see our Rome2rio Coronavirus Information page.
For the latest travel status, we recommend checking the official page for Puerto Rico.
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At this time, we are unable to provide information regarding international travel restrictions in Puerto Rico. For the latest COVID-19 travel status in Puerto Rico, please refer to government guidance.
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At this time, we are unable to provide information regarding domestic travel restrictions in Puerto Rico.
For up-to-date COVID-19 travel statusin Puerto Rico, please see government guidelines.
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Last update: Dec 28 | Data sources: ACAPS, OXFORD
Questions and answers
What is the cheapest way to get from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco?
The cheapest way to get from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco is the car ferry, which costs €4 — €22 and takes 1h 57min. nine0005
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What is the fastest way to get from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco?
The fastest way to get from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco is by plane for €35 — €230 and takes 37 minutes.
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How far is it from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco?
The distance between Fajardo and Playa Flamenco is 36 km.
How long does it take to get from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco?
It will take approximately 1 hour 57 minutes to get from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco including transfers.
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How long does it take to fly from Fajardo to Playa Flamenco?
The fastest flight from Roosevelt Roads Airport to Culebra Airport is a direct flight that takes 15 minutes..
Flight Search
Which airlines fly from Roosevelt Roads to Culebra?
nine0005
Vieques Air Link and Air Flamenco offer flights from Roosevelt Roads Airport to Culebra Airport.
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Where can I stay near Playa Flamenco?
30+ hotels available in Playa Flamenco. Prices start at €87 per night.
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How do I get to Roosevelt Roads Airport (NRR) from Fajardo?
The best way to get from Fajardo to Roosevelt Roads airport is by taxi, it takes 14 minutes. and will cost €20 — €24.
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Which companies offer trips from Fajardo, Puerto Rico to Playa Flamenco, Puerto Rico? nine0015
Air Flamenco
- Website
- flyairflamenco.com
- Medium travel time
- 15 min.
- When
- Daily
- Estimated price
- €1 — €180
Vieques Air Link
- Website
- viequesairlink.com
- Medium travel time
- 15 min.
- When
- Daily
- Estimated price
- €1 — €180
Puerto Rico Ferry
nine0005
- Avg. travel time
- 1h 30m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- €2 — €18
- Schedule
- puertoricoferry. com
- puertoricoferry.com
com nine0135 Buy tickets for
- Adult
- €3
- Vehicle
- €14 — €18
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