las Guaretas Beach

Location: Yabucoa

Getting there: From San Juan, drive 1 hour south to reach the lesser-traveled south coast. Getting to this beach is not for the faint of heart. Park on the road here. There will be a patch of tall grass between a small, run-down house and a nice, white house with a big, grassy lot and pool. The patch of tall grass between the two properties is your way through. You’ll be trudging through sharp grasses and thorny plants. Follow and stay close to the white fence to the left. To the right there is a cliff it can be hard to see with the tall grass. Follow the fence around the bend until you get to a trail from the gate in the fence down to the beach. Walk over the granite to the beach around the corner. 

Things to do: Climb the boulder – The main attraction of this beach is the unusual rock formation after which it is named. There is a humongous boulder split cleanly in two. You can walk behind it and climb up it a ways with your arms and legs pushing on either side. Get in the water – You may be able to get in the water in the right conditions, but when I was there the shore break waves and murky water made me decide to not stay in for long.

Heads up: There is barely enough room for one or two cars to park outside of the entrance to this place. Make sure you are completely off the road. The cars drive by fast on this major road despite it’s turns. My legs were stinging for the rest of the day because of the razor-sharp grass we had to walk through.