9 Ways to Enjoy a day at Culebrita, Puerto Rico
Want to create beautiful memories and fill your cell phone with the best photos? Just a day at Culebrita will offer that and more. Here is what not to miss.
We spent a few days soaking up the Culebrita sun, on our boat, while cruising the anchorages along the South Coast of Puerto Rico , on our way to the USVI.
We have seen quite a few beautiful places around the world, so believe me, when I tell you – Culebrita has a bit of something for everyone.
What to do on Culebrita
If visiting Culebrita, you must see visit the following sites, and take hikes:
- Relax at Tortuga Beach (Playa Tortuga).
- Scroll the shaded trails crossing the island.
- Swim at the shallow Baths.
- Climb the rocks around the shallow Baths
- Take a hike to the light house and check out Carol’s message.
- Add your art on the military tank.
- Find the herds of wild goats.
- Discover the variety of plants, birds and wildlife.
- Snorkel the west side of Culebrita.
Where is Culebrita?
Culebrita is a small island, off the East Coast of Puerto Rico.
It is uninhabited and a bit off by itself. Easy to miss, in the shadow of the larger island of Culebra. Many sailors and cruisers pass by both Culebra and Culebrita, while cruising between the main island of Puerto Rico, Spanish Virgin Islands and the Virgin Islands.
We were one of them, with our three kids, while living on a sailboat named SV Graceful.
While we enjoyed a couple of beautiful small anchorages along Culebra, we did not go ashore at the larger island and proceeded towards Culebrita.
9 Ways to Enjoy a day at Culebrita
1. Relax at Tortuga Beach (Playa Tortuga)
A beloved beach by locals coming for the day, or tourist looking for a hidden Paradise, Playa Tortuga will wash your feet with the softest of sand and prettiest of waters.
The well-protected anchorage is perfect for your boat, and the water is calm and shallow, making this a great spot to let the kids splash near-by, while you catch up on the summer read.
We loved the beach, before the party started, and since we lived on a boat, swimming at a beach was not high on our list. But we enjoyed watching the shore party from our boat.
Tip: The beach is not too large, so if visiting over the weekend, or a holiday, expect a busy place.
2. Scroll the shaded trails
You can spend a day at Culebrita walking it’s various trails. Most are pleasantly shaded and tiny crabs scurry away, beneath the dry leaves.
There are four, or five various trails to explore and all are well-marked. Visitors enjoy taking these trails, especially because shortcuts are hard amongst the thick cacti and bushes.
Trust me, stay on the trails, it is plenty pleasant. We veered off and ended up with bloody scratches from the prickly plants around – and there are many.
Tip: Bring plenty of water, and a hat. Some of those hikes are a bit steep, and there are enough of them to offer a couple of hours of walking.
3. Swim at the shallow Baths
We absolutely loved the Baths. They are a rock oasis within the island oasis.
The red rocks, dusty trails and flowering cacti around the Baths, make this place feel more like a desert, than an island. It is more different than the sandy Playa Tortuga.
So much more, that you cannot skip visiting. I have some of the best photos ever from that area. We climbed the rocks and snorkeled in the Baths’ shallow pools.
Tip: Some of the rocks are quite tall, so be careful, but climbing these is optional. Depending on the time of the day you visit, there may be no shade around.
4. Climb the rocks around the Baths
The Baths are surrounded by high rocks, not hard to climb. The kids did, I think it took them around 20min to get to the top.
There are also fun rocks to jump around right around the Baths, but the view from the top is worth it (I am told, Joe and the kids climbed, I took the photo).
Tip: It is an uninhabited island, so be careful with wet, slippery rocks. There is no help around.
5. Take a hike to the light house
Few of the lighthouse we have visited are well-maintained. Especially on smaller islands. Culebrita adds to that count for us (maybe it’s just out luck, who knows).
Even though the lighthouse is actually ruins of a light house, it is worth visiting. It sits at the top of the island. You guessed it – magnificent views of the island!
There is also the world-known fact painted in graffiti, which I have seen in more than one photos. Whoever loves Carol, better keep it that way, because the world is watching!
Tip: The hike to the lighthouse is pretty wide, but quite steep towards the top. It is doable, I believe it took us around 40 minutes to reach, from the bottom, it is worth it!
6. Add your art to the tank
There is an old military tank just chilling in the shrubbery, as you hike one of the longer trails. It obviously does not belong there.
Which is why you must find it. Then, add a little something to the art already displayed. Be kind, leave space for others.
The tank is more of a cool sight, for the sake of finding something – like a treasure hunt, but there is nothing too special about it.
We recognized art from a friend of ours, who had visited before us, so that made the trip that much more special. We did not draw on the tank, because we came unprepared.
Tip: Bring art supplies, if you plan to paint on the tank.
7. Find the wild goats
Culebrita has many goats – its largest land dwellers. They like to keep to themselves. We wanted to find them.
The trail down from the lighthouse (the one that looks like a zig-zag on the Google maps) is covered in goat poop, so we knew we could find them!
Kind of like finding the tank, finding the goats will require some luck, some extra walking, and probably veering a bit off the trails. It can be one of the highlights of a day at Culebrita.
But it is like finding a lion’s den in Africa, when you see those goats with their majestic curved horns. Makes you want to admire them for a safe distance.
Tip: As with all wildlife, try to be quiet and only observe. Do not chase, feed, or harass the goats.
8. Observe plants, birds and wildlife
A day at Culebrita does not have to be action-packed at all.
If you enjoy watching birds, finding different flowers and observing wildlife quietly, there is plenty of that on the island. And even though we though the goats were super cool, you do not have to get covered in prickly needles just to find them.
Tip: Bring a pair of small binoculars on every hike you take. You never know what might lie ahead, or above. We love our bird-watching binoculars for that.
9. Snorkel the clear waters by the rocky beach.
As you descend down the zig-zag wide path down from the lighthouse, you will end up at the beach with that turquoise water from the photo.
You don’t want to anchor at this side of the island (the anchorage is just to the north in the photo above, one bay over). Even though it can be a well-protected anchorage, the bottom is covered in rocks.
That is what makes it an ideal spot for snorkeling. Better than Turtle Beach. Although you can find some treasures left after partying crowds at Turtle Beach (we found a pair of sunglasses).
Also, as the closest shore to Culebra, that was the only spot on the entire island, where we were able to get internet signal.
Tip: Wear your water shows, if exploring that area. The beach is not very wide, but it is quieter than Turtle Beach.
How to get to Culebrita?
Culebrita is only accessible by boat.
The easiest way would be to just motor, or sail there, on a boat. It is only 5-6 miles away from Culebra.
The distance is short enough that you can leave an anchorage at Culebra and have a pleasant brief, day sail to Culebrita. Going by a motorboat takes minutes.
There are private tours offered from Culebra, which run around $300 and usually include snorkeling and a hike to the light house. The ride to Culebrita can be a little bumpy, but it is not long.
We did not see any private tours, while anchored there, but it was still at the tail end of Covid, so things have been returning to normal everywhere we have traveled since.
Where to anchor?
Playa Tortuga is the ideal anchoring spot for sailboats. It is well protected, with good sand on the bottom and you can be fairly close to the beach.
With out catamaran, drawing around 4ft, we were able to get to the shallow areas, for an easy swim to the beach.
If arriving by motor boat, you can also anchor on the west side, closer to Culebra and explore there. It is a much rockier coast, great for snorkeling. Bring water shoes, if walking around that beach.
Tip: Try to arrive early during the day, or during the week. The place becomes very busy on weeeknds.
Best time to visit Culebrita
Avoid the weekend and holidays. Trust me on that one.
Culebrita is a rather small island and it is perfectly doable to only go there for the day. This attracts a large crowd of mostly motorboats. It is a party zone and there is no escaping!
We arrived early on Saturday and thought we would have the island to ourselves…we could not be further from the truth. By Saturday night, there were over a hundred boats in that anchorage.
Culebrita is a loud party island on the weekends – very loud and very much a party!
Tip: Unless you anchor away a bit, there will be someone over your anchor chain, so consider yourself a prisoner for the weekend party.
Is Culebrita safe for tourists?
I think it is a safe place to visit. No one lives on the island, so if visiting during the week, you can have a perfectly peaceful day, surrounded by nothing but nature.
If you happen to visit on a weekend, there will be many visitors partying for the day, and overnight. Keep that in mind – motor boats big and small will be coming in and out, some with very questionable driving skills.
We were all out of the water, on a watch, as people were leaving, and did hold out breath a couple of times, mostly due to boats coming a bit too close, right over our anchor chain.
Is there internet at Culebrita?
Nope, except at one spot. The rocky beach, from point 9 above – the west side of the island (the closest to Culebra).
I have no idea, if this question has even been asked before, so I am not even keeping SEO in mind. I just thought you should know.
Note: Starlink was not yet an option when we sailed in Puerto Rico, so there might be internet there now, via Starlink.
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In Conclusion
You do not want to miss Culebrita, Puerto Rico. With a relatively small territory, a nice variety of landmarks to visit, and well-marked trails, it will make for an unforgettable day (or more).
We spent three days there and did not mind the loud parties much, so if you feel like music and dancing – that might just be your place as well!
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