Chasing The Sun in Puerto Rico’s Cabo Rojo
I ended my adventure in Puerto Rico in Cabo Rojo as you guys had probably seen on Instagram, since I am far more likely to update it daily than here. Anyways, my Mom and I took a trip to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean last month. As we sat on one of Culebra’s beaches watching the sun go down on our first night on the little island next door, a couple from Puerto Rico showed up to watch the sunset and said we had to go to Cabo Rojo when we returned to the big island for this reason specifically.
So here it is;
Your guide to Cabo Rojo… well, according to me.
*I am no definitive expert on Puerto Rico.
This is it guys: Off the beaten path Puerto Rico. Well there’s plenty of off the beaten path places in Puerto Rico if you look hard enough, but Cabo Rojo tends to get left off of most visitor’s to-do lists. However, it is no secret to the locals as we found.
Here are a few tips for Cabo Rojo:
Rent a car! Unless you have time to spend hitchhiking around, this is your best option. It takes roughly three hours to drive from San Juan to Cabo Rojo.
Avoid holiday weekends! That is if you’re looking for peace, quiet and a beach to yourself… However, if you’re looking for a party, then do go on a holiday weekend. We were hit with a double-whammy, not only was it Valentine’s Day when we arrived, it was also in the midst of President’s Day Weekend. My Puerto Rican friend and co-worker said Puerto Ricans will find any excuse to party. No I’m not complaining and no, this didn’t hinder our enjoyment of Cabo Rojo.
Book a cabin on the beach! How can you go wrong with this? We stayed right on the water ,and just far enough out of the town in Combate Beach that we had some quiet nights.
Google Maps is your friend. We would have never found our way around had it not been for Google Maps.
What is there to do in Cabo Rojo?
Plenty. And no, I didn’t get to fully explore the area with the three days I had. So, I’m going to share what I did. Places in Puerto Rico’s west I didn’t visit but have heard good things include: Boqueron Beach, Isla Ratones, and Rincon
Las Salinas & Wildlife Refuge:
Yes, Puerto Rico has salt flats! There is a small visitor center with information on the flora and fauna in the refuge and across the road is a look out where you can see out over the salt ponds. If you are into birding this is a must see, over 40,000 birds from North and South America will come here every winter!
Just a little further down the road you can go walk around the salt mines where you’ll see pyramids of salt among pink ponds. The water gets it’s pink color from the evaporation of water from the hypersaline pools and from organisms in the water, the same ones responsible for the flamingos pinkness.
La Playuela:
Los Morillos Lighthouse from La Playuela.
A thin arc of white sand between cliffs just below the Los Morillos Lighthouse.
Los Morillos Lighthouse:
Perched up on the red cliffs of Cabo Rojo, which I can only guess the name meaning ‘red cape’ came from. You can go inside the lighthouse (if it’s open, I was there a holiday weekend so for us it wasn’t). From up on the cliffs you’ll have stunning views of Bahia Salinas and La Playuela below.
Combate Beach:
It’s a long thin beach that seems to go on forever. It can get crowded right there in Combate near all the restaurants and bars, but if you head far enough in either direction you can find a nice quiet spot. I have read reports of Combate Beach being dirty and strewn with garbage, I did not find it to be littered. However, we stayed on the part of Combate slightly north of the town (and by slight, I mean less than a mile). I can’t say about the stretch of Combate Beach that is the most frequented. The beach is slightly more pebbly in comparison to La Playuela.
The Sunsets:
Because of Cabo Rojo’s position on Puerto Rico’s west coast you are in prime sunset gawking location. We were told by some locals back on Culebra that this was where we needed to head for the best in Puerto Rican sunsets. They were pretty! Ok, not quite on par with my favorite Indian Ocean sunsets in Gili Trawangan and Socotra, but I’ll let that slide seeing that they were some of the best we did see while in the Caribbean!
Where to Sleep?
Take your pick, there are plenty of AirBnBs, hotels, resorts and so forth all throughout the area. We stayed at this AirBnb owned by a man named Ricardo who was just wonderful. It was just a basic cabin with beds, a small kitchen, refrigerator and bathroom… no frills, which was just what we needed. It actually could sleep 8 guests so it is a good deal if you’re traveling as a group, and the best part is, it’s right on Combate Beach!
By clicking here, you will get $20 off your first AirBnB booking by booking through my personal invitation!
Where to Eat?
Take your pick in the Combate Beach area, there were plenty of restaurants and cars serving up Puerto Rican food. Empenadas, mofongo, tostones, local seafood… it’s all good. Even on the way to Las Salinas there are a few restaurants.
How to get here:
From San Juan (as that is most likely where you’ll be coming from), here is the Google Maps directions which is exactly what I used.
Although it gives a estimated time of 2.5 hours, expect to take longer because it is an absolutely gorgeous drive. As you leave San Juan you’ll climb up into the mountains where it becomes lush and green and rainforest-y. Then as you pop out the other side of the mountains it starts to look more arid as you get closer to Ponce. You’ll know you’ve reached Ponce because of the giant letters as you come up to it (I didn’t get a photo since I was the one driving). After you leave Ponce you start to get glimpses of the turquoise sea below as you continue to decline further into some beautiful green farmlands before reaching Cabo Rojo.
My Upshot of Cabo Rojo?
Don’t miss it! Especially if you have the time on your visit to make it down here. If you like to get out and away and want to visit somewhere in Puerto Rico that’s off the main tourist track, this is the place.
Why Puerto Rico is easy to visit for US citizens:
Other than the obvious: Being a US territory!
- Puerto Rico wheels and deals in the US dollar, meaning no math conversions in your head for you Americans.
- You do not need a passport if you are a US citizen, just a driver’s license or a state ID.
- If you have a US mobile plan your phone will work here without roaming.
- It’s fairly easy to get around as an English speaker, although some knowledge of Spanish is helpful.
- It’s well connected with the East Coast.
Have you been to Cabo Rojo?
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2 thoughts on “Chasing The Sun in Puerto Rico’s Cabo Rojo”
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Great introduction to Cabo Rojo! It does look like a nice place to relax.
Thanks Mary,
I loved Cabo Rojo, it was a nice get away from the already popular Puerto Rico stops.