Wander Puerto Rico14 Best Things to Do in Culebra, Puerto Rico
Culebra is a 7-by-3-mile island 17 miles east of the Puerto Rico mainland and 12 miles west of St. Thomas. About 1,800 people live here. There is no resort, no stoplight, and one town (Dewey). What there is: Flamenco Beach, routinely ranked among the best in the world, a ring of reefs you can snorkel from shore, and a wildlife refuge that covers a quarter of the island.
You get here by the Ceiba ferry (about 45 minutes, a few dollars, sells out) or on a day tour by boat from Fajardo or Ceiba. The day tours below include the boat, snorkel gear and usually lunch, and every Check Availability button opens the operator's own calendar. Staying overnight? Start with the Culebra tours page.
Book it: tours in Culebra
The three easiest ways to do Culebra in a day: a catamaran snorkel run that includes the ferry tickets, an all-inclusive power-boat day with lunch, and the public boat that stops at two beaches.
Culebra Island Aquafari (with Ferry Tickets) (Kayaking Puerto Rico)
Company: Kayaking Puerto Rico · Location: Ceiba · From: $109
Check Availability →All Inclusive Culebra Snorkeling Excursion (Sea Ventures Pro Dive Center)
Company: Sea Ventures Pro Dive Center · Location: Fajardo · From: $145 (Adult Snorkeler)
Check Availability →Public Culebra Power Boat Snorkeling & Beach Tour (Sail Getaways)
Company: Sail Getaways · Location: Fajardo · From: $165
Check Availability →Beaches
1. Flamenco Beach
A mile-long horseshoe of white sand and calm water on the island's north side, 2 miles from the ferry dock by públicos (shared vans, a few dollars). Kiosks sell fried food and drinks, there are showers and lifeguards, and camping is allowed with a permit. The water is clear enough that you will see fish from the sand. Weekends in summer fill up by 11am.
2. The Flamenco tanks
Two rusting M4 Sherman tanks sit at the west end of Flamenco, left from the decades when the US Navy used Culebra for target practice (until 1975). They are painted over every few years by visitors and have become the island's photo spot. Walk left along the sand from the main entrance.
3. Zoni Beach
On the east end, a wide, usually empty beach facing Culebrita and St. Thomas, with bigger waves than Flamenco and no facilities. Sea turtles nest here April through August, so parts are roped off in season. A 15-minute drive from Dewey; you need a golf cart or a jeep.
4. Melones and Tamarindo beaches
The west-coast beaches, 10 minutes from town. Melones has a reef in 5–10 ft of water a short swim out; Tamarindo is the place to snorkel with green turtles grazing the seagrass in waist-deep water. Bring your own gear or rent in Dewey for about $15 a day.
On the water
5. Snorkel Carlos Rosario
A 20-minute trail from the Flamenco parking lot leads over the hill to Carlos Rosario, a protected cove with the best shore snorkeling on the island: a shallow reef with sea fans, parrotfish and the occasional reef shark along the wall. Most boat tours stop here too. Go early; the afternoon chop reduces visibility.
Culebra Island Aquafari (with Ferry Tickets) (Kayaking Puerto Rico)
Company: Kayaking Puerto Rico · Location: Ceiba · From: $109
Check Availability →6. Day trip to Culebrita
A mile-long uninhabited island off the east end with a ruined 1886 lighthouse (a 20-minute climb for the view), tidal pools on the north shore called the Jacuzzis, and a crescent beach with nobody on it. Water taxis run from Dewey; private charters from Fajardo include it on request.
Culebra Blue Paradise Experience (East Island Excursions)
Company: East Island Excursions · Location: Fajardo · From: $170
Check Availability →7. Scuba dive the reefs
Culebra's reefs sit in 30–80 ft with wall sections, canyons and a healthy fish population because the island has never had the boat traffic the mainland does. The local shop runs two-tank boat dives daily and Discover Scuba for first-timers.
2 Tank Boat Dive (Culebra Snorkel with Locals)
Company: Culebra Snorkel with Locals · Location: Culebra · From: $225
Check Availability →8. Full-day boat tour from Fajardo
The alternative to the ferry: a catamaran or power boat from Fajardo that crosses to Culebra, snorkels two sites, anchors off Flamenco for the afternoon and feeds you. Prices include gear, lunch and drinks. It is the only way to see Culebra in a day without ferry-ticket anxiety.
Snorkel & Beach Culebra Full Day Tour (Pure Adventure)
Company: Pure Adventure · Location: Puerto Rico · From: $150 (Adult - Snorkeler)
Check Availability →9. Kayak Fulladoza Bay
The sheltered bay south of Dewey is flat, mangrove-lined and full of juvenile fish and rays. Rent a kayak or paddleboard in town and paddle to the mangrove islets; two hours is plenty. The Fajardo tours with 'Aquafari' in the name add a guided kayak leg.
Town and nature
10. Dewey (the town)
The one settlement, straddling the canal between Ensenada Honda and the ferry harbor. A grocery, a bakery, dive shop, golf-cart rentals, and a handful of bars and restaurants. Dinghy Dock for fish and tarpon under the dock, Zaco's Tacos for lunch, the Heather's pizza counter for late. Everything closes early.
11. Culebra National Wildlife Refuge
Established in 1909 by Theodore Roosevelt, the refuge covers 1,500 acres of the island and all its offshore cays. Brown boobies, sooty terns and frigatebirds nest on the cays in spring; the mangrove trails at Playa Larga and the beach at Brava (a 30-minute walk, no swimming) are the accessible parts. Turtles nest on Brava and Resaca.
12. Culebra Museum
A small museum in a former Navy magazine on the road to Flamenco covering the Taíno, the Navy years and the 1970s protests that ended the bombing. Opening hours are irregular; check the door or ask in town.
13. Rent a golf cart
There are no taxis beyond the públicos. A golf cart is how you reach Zoni, Tamarindo and the east-end lookouts; jeeps are available for the rougher roads. Book ahead for ferry-day arrivals, they sell out.
14. Sunset at the Culebra Beach Villas side of Flamenco
Flamenco faces north, so the sun sets to the left over the Flamenco Point headland. The west end of the beach near the tanks is the spot; bring a drink from the kiosks. On the other side of the island, the ferry dock bar in Dewey gets the same sunset over Vieques Sound.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get to Culebra?
By ferry from Ceiba (about 45 minutes; tickets are cheap but sell out days ahead in season), by small plane from San Juan or Ceiba (about 30 minutes), or on a full-day boat tour from Fajardo or Ceiba that includes snorkeling and lunch for $109–$170 per adult.
Is one day enough for Culebra?
For Flamenco Beach and a snorkel stop, yes, and the Fajardo day tours do exactly that. For Culebrita, Zoni and the turtles at Tamarindo you want two nights, because the ferry and tour schedules leave only five or six hours on the island.
Where is the best snorkeling in Culebra?
Carlos Rosario (reef and wall, reached by a 20-minute trail from Flamenco or by boat), Tamarindo (turtles in shallow seagrass) and Melones (reef close to shore). All three are free from shore; boat tours stop at Carlos Rosario and the cays.
Can you see Flamenco Beach without the ferry?
Yes. Day tours from Fajardo and Ceiba anchor off Flamenco or dock in Dewey and transfer you to the beach, with snorkeling and lunch included, for $109–$170 per adult. No ferry tickets needed.