Ultimate Beach Hopping Guide
This itinerary will hit many of the best beaches on the island. Starting from San Juan, you’ll traverse the entire north coast and the northen tip of the west coast. How long this itinerary will take you is up to you. You could spend a full day at many of these beaches. I enjoy spending 1-3 hours before hopping to the next location. So, about four beaches is the max I do. If you go at about the same pace, it will take you 5 days to complete this itinerary. However, beaches change depending on the season. Some aren’t even worth visiting when the waves get bigger, like Las Palmas Beach. If you want to see how I rank these beaches to help you prioritize, check them out on my Playas page where I list them in ranked order.
Puerto Salinas
La primera parada es Puerto Salinas, located right outside of San Juan, in Toa Baja. The beach makes up the left side of a peninsula vaguely shaped like a whale’s tale. The water is shallow and calm. Coconut trees offer shade and showers to rinse off. This is a perfect beach to relax in the water.
Next, drive 30 min to visit two small beaches in Vega Alta. First, Playa Tocones, accessed via a path between residential homes. Depending on conditions, the water visibility can be good. There is a good amount of live hard coral to see while snorkeling and you can even surf near the mouth of the bay. I have heard of cars being broken into here but I have never had an issue.
Second, Cerro Gordo Beach. The main part of this beach is surround by a paid parking lot ($4). A small key is visible off the coast. There are mountain biking trails nearby and apparently the snorkeling is decent. There are showers to rinse off.
If you are choosing between the two, Cerro Gordo is more accessible and popular. The water is more calm and shallow. Tocones is less crowded and feels more wild. It’s better for snorkeling or surfing, depending on conditions.
Playa Tocones
Cerro Gordo Beach
Playa Puerto Nuevo
Drive 20 min around a nature reserve to arrive at Playa Puerto Nuevo. The beach is a sandy point sticking out like a small peninsula which runs into a wall of rocks parallel to the coastline. Laying on the sand, you’ll find water on either side of you. One side is protected by the rock which creates a natural pool. There was a surprising amount of fish in and near the mouth of this pool when I last went so I had a good time snorkeling. This beach can get extremely crowded, go before noon on a weekday to beat the crowd.
Playa Los Tubos
The next stop is the municipality of Manatí. Manatí’s coastline is loaded with great beaches. There are at least five spots worth visiting all very near the other.
The first is Playa Los Tubos. This is an intermediate surf spot when there are waves. When it is calm, you can chill in the water or do some snorkeling. The snorkeling here is fun but can’t compare to other spots. This is a huge beach, but most people settle near the parking lot and boat ramp.
Mar Chiquita
A tan solo 6 minutos se encuentra la única Playa Mar Chiquita. When the surf is big, watch the waves smash on the rocks, when it’s calm you can do some decent snorkeling. At any time of the year, this is one of the coolest-looking beaches you can visit. The shore is rocky, but there’s a couple places that are sandy where you can enter.
Playa Las Palmas
If you are visiting in the summer and the waves aren’t too big, try Playa Las Palmas next. Drive 7 minutes to park aquí. Walk through the opening in the fence and down the farm road until you get to the beach. During much of the year, this beach is not worth visiting, but when conditions are right it totally transforms into the idyllic Caribbean paradise. If the surf is rough, skip this beach and head to the next spot.
Cueva de las Golondrinas
El camino a la Cueva de las Golondrinas is a nice, but very short hike in a nature reserve, it should take about 10 min each way. On the way you’ll see a sign detailing this and other nearby trails. Estacione aquí,, walk along the beach until you get to rocks, follow the stairs up and into a forested section. At any fork go right until you get there. You want to get to the rocky section you can see jutting out in the distance from the first beach. Or, walk behind the houses and follow that trail to get to the cave or Playa Boquillas.
Playa Boquillas
Lo más parecido a una piscina natural que he encontrado. Esta playa está protegida por rocas y tiene un fondo de arena en toda su extensión. El agua dulce de un manantial natural desemboca en la piscina en un río extremadamente poco profundo. Si miras a tu alrededor bajo el agua, las 6 pulgadas superiores aproximadamente están turbias debido a la mezcla de agua dulce y salada. Llegar a esta playa requiere una caminata de 10 min a través de un pequeño bosque, estaciona aquí. Puedes caminar delante o detrás de los edificios abandonados, hay un sendero a ambos lados. Esta playa atrae a nudistas por cualquier motivo, así que prepárate para ello. Aunque está aislada, esta playa todavía se llena los fines de semana.
Si tienes hambre y buscas un lugar para comer, dirígete a Veronica’s Bakery en Manatí. Este lugar tiene un exterior sin pretensiones, pero me gusta todo lo que he probado aquí. La empanada de carne fue la estrella del espectáculo para nosotros, pero no te puedes equivocar aquí para el desayuno o el almuerzo.
Christopher Colombus Statue
Leaving Manatí, you’ll need to drive 30-40 min to Arecivo. Driving along the coast, seemingly in a random location, you’ll suddenly see a massive statue. Bigger than the statue of liberty, the Estatua de Colón es una vista impresionante. La puerta para acercarse a ella siempre está cerrada, aún así hay lugares en los que puede detenerse para ver bien.
Cueva del Indio
Not far down the road is probably the most significant indigenous site on the island, the Cueva del Indio Nature Reserve. Los indígenas que poblaron la isla antes de que los españoles la encontraran tallaron cientos de marcas por todo el interior de una cala rocosa. Verlos cara a cara no es para los débiles de corazón. Escabúllete a través de una pequeña hendidura en la roca, camina como un hombre araña por las dos paredes y salta a una roca esquivando una fuerte caída. Si eso no es para ti, aún puedes ver marcas mirando hacia la cueva, pero no tantas como cuando estás allí. Creo que solía haber algún tipo de escalera, pero ya no está y no se puede reemplazar debido a las leyes que protegen el sitio. La tarifa de entrada es elevada a $ 10.00 por persona porque debe estacionarse y cruzar terrenos privados. Hay una playa al lado con buen surf cuando las condiciones son adecuadas.
La Poza del Obispo
Conduzca 10 minutos hacia el oeste hasta La Poza del Obispo . This is a special beach but because it is so small it can get very crowded. It’s best to go early or late in the day. It’s basically a natural swimming pool where rocks enclose a sandy pool of clear water. When big waves break on those rocks, it blasts water high into the air to rain on those that stand close to the rocky perimeter. This also creates a kind of wave pool that is fun to play in, though currents can get strong. This beach easily could have come higher in the list for me. It gets really windy often, so umbrellas won’t work. Also, it is a very small area and can get very crowded. On the upside there is a shower to rinse off (rare in PR) and an ice cream man. You need to see this one
Playa Puerto Hermina
Leave Arecibo and drive to Playa Puerto Hermina in Hatillo. It’s another small beach 40 minutes to the west. You’ll drive down a steep road to get to sea level, and the view of the vast Atlantic Ocean from the top of the hill is stunning. At sea level, along the road, there are several pavilions with picnic tables, making this a great place to eat a packed lunch. The beach itself is very small, and not one to stay at for more than an hour or so, but it’s a very scenic location and worth the stop. When I was there, there were people snorkeling pretty far off shore but I have not done it myself, yet.
Guajataca Tunnel
Next, drive 15 min west to the municipality of Isabela to check out a historic tunnel near the ocean. Túnel de Guajataca is a relic of the spanish colonial railroad project. In 1924, most of the major cities were all connected by rail. Once car’s became common, the train was used less and less until it was abandoned in the 1950’s. Now we all get to sit in traffic everywhere, nice. The tunnel of Guajataca is a nice walk if you want to take a break from the ocean. You can stop at the Mirador de Guajataca en el camino para disfrutar de una vista impresionante de la costa de Isabela.
Playa Pastillo
An 8 min drive west take you to Playa Pastillo – a pretty, really long, and mostly empty beach. There’s a small parking lot down a road perpendicular to the shore. From there, you can walk left for a long way until you reach a rocky cliff. We walked all the way there and found tons of sea glass along the way. Once we reached the cliff, we found some coconuts I broke open on the rock like a savage. Worth it. I believe that when you visit on low tide you can access a large cueva en el lado del acantilado.
Isabela Boardwalk
Yo diría que el Isabela Boardwalk is one of the best walks on the island. It’s a wooden boardwalk suspended about 15 feet off the sand. It’s one everyone will enjoy. One side of the boardwalk ends at the beautiful Playa Jobos where you can get some food at the many restaurants that surround it.
Playa Jobos
Jobos Beach has something for everyone. It has surfing for all skill levels, with sea turtles that graze on seaweed around the beginner surf area. Near the rocky area you can do some snorkeling. Close to shore the water is calm and the bottom is sandy so you can relax in the shallows. On the shore there are many palm trees where you can set up your spot in the shade. Parking on the road can be tough.
Playa Shacks
A 5 minutos por la carretera se encuentra el mejor lugar para bucear en la isla principal: Playa Shacks. Hay una buena cantidad de coral vivo, una buena diversidad de peces, y estas cuevas realmente geniales en las que puedes nadar alrededor, dentro e incluso a través de ellas. Este es un lugar para nadadores confiados, tenga cuidado al nadar en las cuevas y tenga cuidado con la corriente y el arrecife. El arrecife se vuelve extremadamente poco profundo y la corriente puede ser fuerte. Hay muchos erizos de mar en todas las grietas de las rocas, ¡cuidado! Practique snorkel con un amigo, tómelo con calma, tenga cuidado, lo pasará genial.
Our next stop is Aguadilla. At this point, we have arrived at the west coast. Hay más de un par de buenos restaurantes en esta área, pero dos de mis favoritos son Senpai Ramen y Khalan Thai. Both are just a few minutes away from Shacks. Khalan Thai can have long wait times and is a little hit or miss in terms of food quality. If you like thai food, it’s worth rolling the dice because when it’s good, it’s really good. At Senpai Ramen try the double pork ramen, it’s amazing.
Playa Punta Borinquen
After some grub, the next beach to visit is Playa Punta Borinquen. A wild-looking beach in the unofficial Playuela Nature Reserve (home to many beautiful beaches like Peña Blanca and Wilderness Beach). A steep cliff face borders one side of the beach – an unusual feature in Puerto Rico. The shore break can be a little rough here. A palm grove offers a lot of shade to relax, there are a couple picnic tables set close to the entrance. The shore break can get rough, but it’s worth checking to visit this beautiful beach.
Lighthosue Ruins
Just down the dirt road is the ruins of an old lighthouse. What’s left of the old structure is still impressive, they don’t make them like they used to. This is a fun 15 min stop before heading to the next beach. Just outside the entrance is a sign of the nearby roads/trails. If you have a car that can handle some subpar dirt roads, you can reach the next two beaches on the dirt roads that wind along the coast in the Playuela Nature Reserve.
Really the only reason to stop at this beach is if you are into surfing. I have heard that camping in this area is popular. When I arrived, a couple was sitting on a bench looking out to sea. To get to it, you’ll need to drive down the dirt road until you get to a small parking lot with a bench near the water. While not ideal for lounging or getting in the water due to the rough surf, this beach’s secluded location gives it a certain charm.
Playa Peña Blanca
Continue down the dirt road if you are up for the adventure and have a jeep or something like it. Otherwise, backtrack to the highway to get to Playa Peña Blanca. It’s a great beach for snorkeling, laying in the sand, or even whale watching! There is decent snorkeling here close to shore. I have seen fish, eels, and turtles. Whales pass between the shore and the distant Desecheo Island in the winter. The water is almost as clear as the nearby Crash Boat Beach. We got a $100 ticket for parking close to the beach. It turns out that a man owns a dirt lot near the beach and charges everyone $10.00 to park on his dirt. If you park at the beach entrance (where there are no “no parking” signs), he calls the cops who promptly come to hand out tickets. High tide makes this beach disappear so time your visit with the tidal chart.
Playa Crash Boat
Conduce 12 minutos hacia el sur hasta Playa Crash Boat, una de las playas más populares de toda la isla, siempre está llena. Todos se han congregado en esta playa del oeste de Aguadilla por una razón. La visibilidad del agua aquí es quizás la mejor del continente. Puede bucear alrededor de la punta del muelle y ver vida marina como peces, serpientes marinas y calamares. Este es un lugar popular para bucear desde la costa por estas razones. Me gusta nadar hasta la boya de buceo y bucear allí con aletas de apnea. Es donde se encuentran la mayoría de los peces. Solo esté atento cuando esté en la superficie, la gente siempre está dando vueltas por esta área en alquiler de motos acuáticas. Puedes caminar hasta el final del muelle y saltar en cualquier dirección, luego trepar por una cuerda atada al final del muelle para hacerlo de nuevo.
This concludes the Ultimate Beach Hopping Itinerary. There is certainly a lot more to do along the north and west coasts of the island, but if you follow this itinerary, you’ll see many of the best beaches on the island. If you want to keep the party going, check out my Rincón Travel Itinerary. Rincón is about a 45 minute drive from Crash Boat Beach and has a lot to offer for beach lovers!
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