Playa El Gallito

Vieques


Popular with brown pelicans, this small beach with a great reef for snorkeling is just 10yd offshore. Note, though, that between December and March, seas can get rough here due to trade winds that often blow from the northeast.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Vieques attractions

1. Hombre de Puerto Ferro Archaeological Site

1.91 MILES

Big boulders identify the grave from which a 4000-year-old skeleton of a pre-Arawak known as the ‘Hombre de Puerto Ferro’ was exhumed. Little is known…

2. Faro de Punta Mulas

2.16 MILES

One of Puerto Rico’s 16 historic lighthouses, this pastel-shaded monument stands on the hilly point just north of the Isabel Segunda ferry dock. Built in…

3. Fortín Conde de Mirasol

2.34 MILES

This small fort – the last Spanish fort constructed in the Americas, in 1845 – sits on a hill above Isabel Segunda with sweeping views over the mainland…

4. Vieques National Wildlife Refuge

2.82 MILES

Lying within these protected confines are the best reasons to visit Vieques. This 18,000-acre refuge occupies the land formerly used by the US military…

5. Vieques Conservation & Historical Trust

3.19 MILES

This trust, founded in 1984 to help protect the island’s bioluminescent waters, operates a tiny museum, which contains intriguing exhibits on its…

6. Sun Bay

3.21 MILES

Part of Puerto Rico's national park system, this half-moon-shaped bay, less than a half-mile east of Esperanza, is the island’s balneario (public beach),…

7. Playa Esperanza

3.27 MILES

This slender beach runs the length of Esperanza. Its advantages are its spectacular views and the fact it's within shouting distance of the town’s hopping…

8. Playa Negra

3.36 MILES

Bored of all that powdery, blindingly white sand? This beach lives up to its name with dark, sparkly sand derived from offshore volcanic rocks. This…