What a place. This Island is stunning, unique and a paradise for those who don’t like crowds or big hotels. Located 17 miles east of Puerto Rico, Culebra is an island with more world-class beaches per square mile then most places in the Caribbean. In fact, for each one of the 11 square miles of the island, there is at least one gorgeous sandy Beach where you can unwind and enjoy spectacular views onto turquoise waters.
What makes visiting Culebra especially appealing for travellers who are budget conscious is the outdoor camping option, which gives beach living its true meaning. Not only can you spend your vacation under open skies, you can do so right next to one of the most beautiful beaches in the World!
Isla Chiquita
Culebra, sometimes called “Little Island” (Isla Chiquita), is the least populous of Puerto Rico’s municipalities with less than two thousand permanent residents living on the island. It is part of the Spanish Virgin Islands made up of Vieques, Culebra and tens of smaller islands surrounding the two bigger ones. Indeed, as many as 22 islands, most of them un-inhabited encircle Isla Chiquita. Quite a few of them are part of the National Wildlife refugee of Puerto Rico and remain off limits for development and construction. The three biggest ones are Cayo Luis Pena, Cayo Norte and Culebrita. The last one is home to an incredibly beautiful bay beach accessible by boat and completely detached from any signs of civilization.
Most of Culebra itself is made up of National Wildlife Refuge, which was designated by Theodore Roosevelt all the way back in 1909. Although this prevented any development within the refuge, it did not stopthe US navy from using many of the islands for military practise. The navy eventually left in 1976 and today a quarter of landmass of Culebra and surrounding islands is part of NWR. This means the island is rich in nature’s beauty and remains much less touristy than other places in the Caribbean. In fact, there are very few hotels on the island and the ones available are small and get booked way in advance. That’s why if you love nature and camping you are in luck – Culebra is the place to go in the Caribbean for adventurers of outdoor sleeping!
Getting there in the midst of COVID-19
As of January 17th 2021, Puerto Rico is open to visitors who take a COVID test at least 72 hours before arriving and show negative results. This together with filling a travel form will insure you do not have to quarantine in PR once you land. Keep in mind however, that both on mainland Puerto Rico as well as on Culebra, there are some important rules in effect, which you will have to stick to keep yourself and others safe. There is a night curfew from 11pm to 5am, masks are required in most indoor spaces and you cannot gather in groups other than your family members.
Still, flights from the US and from Europe continue to operate regularly to San Juan, from where you can switch to a local flight to Culebra (to Aeropuerto Benjamín Rivera Noriega) via Air Flamenco or you can drive/get a ride to Ceiba from where you can take a ferry to Culebra. The ferry travels three times per day and tickets can only be purchased online and in advance. A one way ticket costs $2.50 while kids and seniors pay $1. Note, ferries to Vieques are currently only accessible to locals and travel there for tourists is restricted. If you want to buy tickets, you can do it here. Finally, once you get to the island, you will find plenty of local drivers (usually driving large vans) waiting right outside the ferry terminal who will take you to several key spots on the island at pretty low costs.
Camping grounds on Flamenco Beach
The place where you will want to go to camp with a beachfront view is Sitio de Acampada Área De Playa Flamenco, a camping ground right on the edge of Flamenco Beach and about a 10 minute drive from where the ferry docks. Once you get to the camping area, you will find an office where you can register and rent a spot to set up your tent. The costs are $30 per night for a tent with a max of 6 people in it. What you also get for that price is access to restrooms, showers and BBQ pits where you can make your own food (gas stoves are not included). Normally, the grounds can host up to 400 tents, but with COVID these numbers have been decreased. Therefore, before booking your trip and buying a ticket for a ferry, you will be well served to call ahead to the campground office to inquire about current status and whether camp spots are available. The number to try is 787-742-0700.
The best part about camping by Flamenco Beach is the fact that you will literally be feet away from crystal clear waters of a fantastic beach and some of the best snorkelling spots in Puerto Rico. You will also be able to hike in the nature preserve that surrounds the beach and that leads into other amazing beaches. Note hovewer, that like with any camping, you want to come prepared. Mosquitoes in the Caribbean can be very aggressive so you do want to bring many different bug sprays and/or devices to keep these flying insects at bay. You also want to bring lots of tanning creams and sprays as well as snacks that do not have to be refrigerated and are well packed to keep ants away. Finally, don’t forget your snorkelling gear as you will definitely enjoy it here!
Other Culebra beaches to explore
As mentioned above you can easily trek from Flamenco Beach to other beaches on the island. It will take you about 25 minutes to get to Tamarindo Grande, a rocky beach with a view on Cayo Luis Pena as well as to the neighbouring Playa Carlos Rosario, a small sandy beach that rarely gets any visitors. If you head the other way from the camping ground, it will also take you about 25 minutes walking to get to Resaca and Brava beaches, which are long stretches of sand nestled in bays not too different from Flamenco Beach itself.
In order to get to other beaches on the island, you will need to get a ride or cycle to them (by the way, there are several spots on the island that offer cycle rentals – best to ask about them in the Culebra ferry docks or local drivers). Still, some like Zoni Beach are definitely worth the effort to get there. Zoni is a wide and open beach with superb views on Cayo Norte. It is a very quiet beach and one where you will often see undisturbed nesting turtles and resting sea birds. One more beach worth mentioning is Playa de Cascajo located just a 5 minute drive from the ferry terminal. It is a narrow and long beach with many good snorkelling spots and very few other people to see.
Food, drinks and more
If you decide to spend more than several days on the campground, you will very likely crave to get different types of food and drinks than what is offered at the small kiosks at the camp (there is usually several of them opened with grocery basics and some prepared foods). Pretty much all of the local shops, restaurants and bars are located within a 10 minute walk from the ferry terminal. The best stocked grocery store is probably Colmado Costa del Sol, which is located just a minute away from the airport and a 5 minute drive from Flamenco Beach.
One of the closest restaurants to the campground is Sunset Grill – a place with an amazing view of the ocean and surrounding islands. The food itself and drinks are also great. And, if you want to get the true Caribbean food experience, check out La Pista, where you will find many of the locals dining. Finally, for a little fun and music, visit La Lobina, which is an odd mix of a sports bar, pool gaming room and a night club.
No matter how long you decide to spend on Culebra, don’t count on working remotely on your laptop from here. A camping vacation is fully about unwinding and plus, the internet connection is pretty poor here. That’s a good thing!
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