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 photogenic playa has a nice line of craggy bluffs as a backdrop. Look for the sign on Hwy 201 as you head west from Esperanza; a short path along a dry riverbed leads you there.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
23.78 MILES
El Yunque National Forest is one of Puerto Rico’s crown jewels with nearly 29,000 acres of lush, mountainous terrain scattered with waterfalls, rushing…
19.68 MILES
Stretching for a mile around a sheltered, horseshoe-shaped bay, Playa Flamenco (Flamenco Beach) is not only one of Culebra’s best beaches, it also makes a…
22.91 MILES
If you need a reason to hire a water taxi, Isla Culebrita (Culebrita Island) is it. This small island, just east of Playa Zoni, is part of the national…
3.03 MILES
Locals claim that the magnificent Bahía Mosquito (Mosquito Bay), a designated wildlife preserve located on the island of Vieques, about 2 miles east of…
Cabezas de San Juan Reserva Natural
21.08 MILES
A nodule of land on Puerto Rico’s northeast tip, this Para La Naturaleza–run reserve protects the Laguna Grande bioluminescent bay, rare flora and fauna,…
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19.04 MILES
This remote thin, white-sand beach has one of the best snorkeling areas in Puerto Rico thanks to a barrier reef that almost encloses the beach's waters;…
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Culebra National Wildlife Refuge
20.63 MILES
More than 20% of Culebra is part of a spectacular national wildlife refuge, which was signed into law more than 100 years ago. Most of it lies along the…
21.83 MILES
Head to the eastern end of the island and you’ll eventually run out of road at Playa Zoni. Many locals think this is a better beach than Flamenco and it's…
Nearby Vieques attractions
1. Vieques Conservation & Historical Trust
1.13 MILES
This trust, founded in 1984 to help protect the island’s bioluminescent waters, operates a tiny museum, which contains intriguing exhibits on its…
1.23 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…
1.32 MILES
This uninhabited pinprick of land lies a few hundred feet across the bay from Playa Esperanza. Part of the Mosquito Bay Reserve, many intrepid locals swim…
1.44 MILES
This long, narrow strip of golden sand has wave-tossed water that drops off very quickly, so it's not the best choice for kids or poor swimmers. If you…
1.68 MILES
A teardrop of land between the malecón and Sun Bay reached by a slender sandspit (or by wading, if storms have washed it out), Cayo de Tierra has a few…
2.03 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),…
2.15 MILES
Abandoned in 1942 after the US Navy took possession of the island, this 19th-century sugar mill now lies in ruins; overtaken by the forest, just some…
8. Hombre de Puerto Ferro Archaeological Site
2.63 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…