Culebra
A small island twenty miles off Puerto Rico's east coast, a fifth of it a refuge for seabirds and turtles, with Flamenco Beach among its bays and no hotel larger than a boutique.
- Arrival
- Luis Muñoz Marín, San Juan · SJU
- To the island
- About 75 km east of SJU; short flights or the Ceiba ferry
- Private jets
- Land at SJU or Ceiba; small aircraft to Culebra
- Best time
- December to April
The city
Birds, reefs and one famous beach.
Culebra is an island of green hills, with most of its houses and guesthouses around the bay of Ensenada Honda. In 1909 Theodore Roosevelt set aside a wildlife refuge that now takes in all the outlying islands and long stretches of coast; some 50,000 birds spend part of the year there, and turtles feed in the seagrass between the reefs. Flamenco Beach, soft white sand below green hills, is the one most visitors come for.
The drier months run from December to April, with afternoons of 28 to 29 °C. There are no large hotels here: visitors rent a villa, take a room at the one boutique hotel, or come for the day by boat.
- Flamenco Beach A long curve of white sand backed by hills, with Tamarindo and Carlos Rosario beaches a walk away for snorkelling.
- Isla Culebrita An uninhabited islet a short water-taxi ride off, with an old lighthouse, six small beaches, turtles and manta rays.
- Culebra National Wildlife Refuge Coast, mangroves and outlying cays protected since 1909, one of the largest seabird nesting grounds in the Caribbean.
Arriving
A short runway, and jets on the main island.
Culebra's airport, a mile north of town, has a 2,600-foot runway and no fuel: it takes only small propeller aircraft. Jets land on the main island, at San Juan around the clock or at Ceiba, some 37 kilometres to the west.
- Punta Cana 45 min
- Antigua 50 min
- Cancún 3 h 15
- São Paulo 6 h 55 long-range jet
- Geneva 9 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
December to April.
December to April brings 45 to 84 mm of rain a month and afternoons of 28 to 29 °C, with the sea at 26 to 27 °C. From May the rain rises above 90 mm a month, and the storm risk peaks in September.
- 28° J 63 26°
- 28° F 52 26°
- 29° M 45 26°
- 29° A 51 27°
- 30° M 121 27°
- 31° J 102 28°
- 31° J 94 28°
- 31° A 122 28°
- 31° S 157 29°
- 31° O 141 29°
- 30° N 160 28°
- 29° D 84 27°
Where to dine
Dinner on the island.
Recognised by Discover Puerto Rico, the island's official tourism board.
- Caracoles Discover Puerto Rico Island cuisine Culebra
Elsewhere in Puerto Rico
More reasons to come.
Flying to Culebra?
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