Camping in Culebra

I am writing this from my hotel room back in San Juan after returning from my camping trip where I had no internet access. I am sitting in front of a television watching, of all things, The Weather Channel where I learned that an arctic blast has covered 90% of the United States while I have been away. I had to chuckle since my wonderful trip just got even better knowing that I was camping on an island in the Caribbean instead of freezing back home in Pennsylvania!

It's not easy getting to Culebra if its your first trip. Fortunately, my husband had camped there before and was my guide. We left our home at 5:30 a.m. bound for Ft. Lauderdale on Southwest Airlines. After a brief layover, we were on a flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Once we landed in San Juan, we picked up our rental car in the parking garage across from baggage claim and were on our way. The drive to the ferry station in Fajardo is about 30 miles, but at least a 45 minute drive even with the new toll road. Once in Fajardo, it is easy to follow the brown ferry signs to the dock. The fenced parking lot seemed secure, and we left some luggage and valuables in our trunk, taking only our camping gear and bare necessities.

The ferry to Culebra departs from Fajardo three times a day, pretty close to the posted time schedule. A round-trip ticket is a mere $4.50. You board with all the locals, a few tourists,  and you can even bring vehicles on board. I was glad I brought a sweater, since it is cool inside and the boat doesn't have an outdoor sundeck.

We boarded the 7:00 p.m. ferry, which left the dock a bit later than that, and we arrived in Culebra by 8:30 p.m. Although taxis are waiting for hire when you arrive by ferry, my husband thought the walk would be good for us.

 I couldn't tell you how far it was to the state park and campground, but it was a miserable 45 minute forced hike in the dark...sweating, swatting mosquitoes, hauling our gear. Eventually, when we no longer had the benefit of street lights, we stopped to dig through our backpack and find a flashlight. After its' batteries burned out (thought he said he was a Boy Scout) my husband pulled out a headlamp which was a lifesaver for keeping us on the roadway, for avoiding being hit by oncoming cars, and eventually for choosing our campsite.

I stayed out of the way as my husband unloaded the pieces of the tent and somehow put it together with just the beam from that headlamp. By 10:00 p.m. the tent was up and we settled into our home for the next few days. Despite our long day, it was difficult falling asleep that first night.   I was a little spooked since we arrived in the dark and I was not familiar with our surroundings and noises coming from the darkness. A feral cat moaned outside the tent and a car drove past, its tires crunching the gravel path and its headlights startling us inside the darkness of our tent. 

After a restless night, I woke to the sound of roosters crowing and later to birds chirping. Outside the confines of the tent, I found a gorgeous sunrise as we sat right upon the edge of the clearest blue water I could imagine. There we were on Flamenco Beach, a stunning horseshoe shaped beach with fine white sand, which was deserted. We ventured into the water which was surprisingly lukewarm and so clear I could see my toes.  Why I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet, but here I was floating in the ocean at 8:00 a.m.

As the day went by and we explored the campground, we noticed about six other tents had been in the campground that night. Also, we had a note outside our tent to see the manager, Jose, at the park office to pay the $30.00/night park fee. Near the park entrance and office, we walked through the little concourse with several food huts and vendors who were setting up for the day. I bought a banana smoothie from one of them for my breakfast and was content, especially since the bathhouse has sinks and toilets and outdoor showers where I could freshen-up that morning.

Eventually our serene beach soon became filled with both locals and excursion tourists and by mid-day everyone was sunbathing or bodysurfing the large swells coming straight down the center of the beach. However, as the sun dropped closer to the horizon the beach and park emptied. One lone kiosk remained open after dark where the proprietor and his friends hung around and sang karaoke songs in Spanish. We were happy for their company as we purchased refreshments from him and sat back and enjoyed the entertainment.  Since there is not much to do in this campground after dark, except go to bed, this was a treat.


The next morning we repeated our ritual of taking an early morning swim and we floated in the ocean in solitude. Although I slept better that second night, I have to confess that my body was stiff even with the thin mattress my husband brought for under my sleeping bag. Then there were the ants, and the mosquitoes, and the heat. However, as we packed our belongings to head back to the ferry on our last day, I knew that I would never forget the beautiful Flamenco beach and the precious mornings where it seemed like we had the entire island to ourselves. I'm proud to say that we went camping in our fifties and not only survived, but loved it!