A Puerto Rican Getaway – The Island of Culebra

This sleepy village of Culebra is a pleasing getaway destination of Puerto Rico and also worth a visit by tourists from across the world – deriving its charms from its beautiful beaches, diving and snorkeling sites and small eating joints.

Location

The Spanish Virgin Island of Culebra or the Snake Island is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico. Approximately, it is at about 17 miles to the east of Puerto Rico, at the end of Virgin Islands archipelago.

When to visit

Anytime is good to make a trip to this Island, which experiences a tropical climate. However, the high tourist season here is in the months from December to July.

How to reach

You can easily reach this Island by a flight or by a ferry from Puerto Rico, in a very short period of time.

Attractions of Culebra Island

The Culebra archipelago with 23 offshore Islets is a favourite getaway destination of the Puerto Ricans. Surrounded by the coral reefs, the clear waters of this 25 square mile archipelago are not less than inviting for snorkelers and divers.  The beaches are of course, the popular sites for tourists wanting to relax here. The Flamenco Beach or the Playa Flamenco is a spectacular beach here, protected as a part of the Marine Wildlife Reserve. You can also camp here. Other than this, there are the Bioluminescent Bay, Brava beach, Las Vacas Beach, Larga Beach, Resaca Beach, Tamarindo Beach, Punta Soldado Beach and Tortuga Beach among the other exotic beaches of Culebra.

Diving and snorkeling, as mentioned above are popular attractions here. Some of the good snorkeling points are off Melones, Carlos Rosario and the Mosquito Beach.

Worth watching are the beaches here such as the Brava Beach and other beaches in the months from April to June, when the leatherback turtles come here for nesting.

The Culebra Island, since 1909, along with its all 23 islets are designated as a nature preserve. There is also a bird refuge here. This Island is one of the only two sites in the United States that are a nesting habitat for giant sea turtles.

It can be fun to plan your itinerary around the various events and festivities held here. Some of these events include the Windsurfing Competition in February, the Fishing Tournament in March, the Patron Festivities in June and the Craft Festivities in November.

A short sweet trip to Culebrita will only add to your memorable experiences here. Attractions here include the Culebrita lighthouse, the West Beach which is an excellent snorkeling site and so is the Culebrita Reef, locally known as the Los Corchos, another good snorkeling and diving site.

While here, you must take out time to have a meal at Mamacita’s and Juanita Banana’s. The former is a good bar as well.

The best way to explore this Island would be on foot, and considering the Island is not huge, it might be a good idea to do so if you have the time.

Culebra is definitely a nice ending to the Virgin Islands Archipelago.