About

Discover Culebra

Culebra is a small Caribbean island, mostly covered in nature preserve that lies about 20 miles (32 km) east of Puerto Rico and 12 miles (19 km) west of Saint Thomas. Culebra is administered as a municipality of Puerto Rico. Culebra is 5 miles by 7 miles, without streams. It may have been populated by Caribs before the Spanish conquest, but was then empty until the end of the 19th century. It was used as a practice bombing range by the US Navy for much of the 20th century. Development has been recent and slow, and the island is still mostly woodlands. This makes it a spectacular backcountry destination, away from the crowds and the mega-resorts.

Explore

What to Experience in Culebra

a beach with people and trees

Rent a jeep and visit the beaches. Carlos Jeep Rental has a wide variety of cars and jeeps.

Flamenco beach in Culebra, Puerto Rico. please credit me on Instagram: ray.mesh

Afternoon Playa Punta Soldado Beach. Culebra, Puerto Rico

Camp on Flamenco Beach and just relax. Call (787) 742

The beautiful coast of Culebra Puerto Rico

Dinghy Dock. Has a wonderful atmosphere and a good ment with a regular crowd of ex

a turtle on a table

a rocky outcropping in the middle of the ocean

Mamacita's Guesthouse, 64 Castelar Street (Culebra island), ☏ +1 787 742

a duck swimming in a body of water

low-angle photography of rocks and body of water

Vieques is the other "Spanish Virgin Island", a few miles from Culebra

beige snake

people on beach during daytime

Cuisine

Taste of Culebra...

There are several small restaurants on the island and small hotels which have restaurants. Reservations are recommended if you plan on going to a hotel restaurant. Several food vendors hawk their wares daily at the entrance to Flamenco Beach. The grilled meat-on-a-stick is both delicious and cheap. Lots of bottled water and other cold drinks from vendors with ice chests. Mamacita's bar and restaurant, in the heart of the town, is popular but relatively pricey; the bar area is right by the water. Dinghy Dock also has a waterfront bar. There are half a dozen or so guest houses, including the Palmetto Guesthouse, and small hotels on Culebra. The term "resort" is a bit misleading as the average facility will be 2-3 stars at best. This is a small island after all! Some of the older hotels are barely a one star. Service is typical laid back (i.e., slow) island style. There are also plenty of houses and villas for rent on the island. Camping is permitted for up to four months at a time on the beautiful government-run Flamenco Beach, just a few miles outside of the main town. Many private apartments are also available on the island, most can be book through Culebra Vacation Planners.

Plan Your Trip

Essential Information

Getting There

Multiple Options

You can reach Culebra via daily ferry from Fajardo or on week days from Vieques. Maritime Transport Authority website for schedule and price information. Price is $2.25/adult and $1/child for the ferry ride and it takes 1-1½ hours from Fajardo. However, reaching Fajardo from San Juan by taxi costs $80–100. If you are two people or more traveling the taxi from San Juan to Fajardo might be the better option over flying. For a budget traveler, you may also want to consider taking one of the local buses from San Juan to Fajardo. Prices may be negotiated if you speak Spanish, and $10–20 per person should cover the two to three-hour ride. This highway tends to get busy. Check what time the last ferry leaves Fajardo. The buses are vans that depart sporadically, do not have air conditioning, and primarily serve locals. Tourists may have difficulty persuading taxi drivers that they want to go to the bus station....

Travel Tips

Getting Around & Staying

Getting Around

There is only one town on the island: Culebra Pueblo, also called Dewey. The sights are several miles away, so walking is not a practical option. There are 3 primary modes of transportation on Culebra: publicos, rental cars or golf carts, and bicycles. Publicos are shared taxis/shuttles that offer transportation to and from anywhere on the island including the airport, Flamenco Beach and the ferry terminal. The cost for most rides is $3 one-way or $5 roundtrip. There are several businesses on the island that rent scooters, road-legal golf carts, and cars at the airport. You can rent a jeep for $60 a day, or a golf cart for $35 a day. If you arrive with the ferry, you can take a shuttle to the airport. If you want to see the many beaches on all sides of the island you can rent a car for 1–2 days and pretty much cover the entire island.

Where to Stay

There are half a dozen or so guest houses, including the Palmetto Guesthouse, and small hotels on Culebra. The term "resort" is a bit misleading as the average facility will be 2-3 stars at best. This is a small island after all! Some of the older hotels are barely a one star. Service is typical laid back (i.e., slow) island style. There are also plenty of houses and villas for rent on the island. Camping is permitted for up to four months at a time on the beautiful government-run Flamenco Beach, just a few miles outside of the main town. Many private apartments are also available on the island, most can be book through Culebra Vacation Planners.

Money & Budget

There are several small restaurants on the island and small hotels which have restaurants. Reservations are recommended if you plan on going to a hotel restaurant. Several food vendors hawk their wares daily at the entrance to Flamenco Beach. The grilled meat-on-a-stick is both delicious and cheap. Lots of bottled water and other cold drinks from vendors with ice chests. Mamacita's bar and restaurant, in the heart of the town, is popular but relatively pricey; the bar area is right by the water. Dinghy Dock also has a waterfront bar. There are half a dozen or so guest houses, including the Palmetto Guesthouse, and small hotels on Culebra. The term "resort" is a bit misleading as the average facility will be 2-3 stars at best.

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