Culebra Day Trip: Best San Juan Day Trip

Puerto Rico makes an amazing tropical getaway since it’s only 2.5 hours from Miami by plane and U.S. citizens don’t need a passport to enter. You could spend your entire Puerto Rican vacation strolling the colorful streets of Old San Juan soaking up the history, relaxing at one of the many famous beaches such as Condado or Isla Verde, or learning how to surf in Rincón. But if there is one thing you absolutely MUST do in Puerto Rico, it’s take a Culebra day trip from San Juan.

What is Culebra?

Culebra is the gem of Puerto Rico. With white sand beaches and calm emerald waters, and colorful marine life. Historically, it served as a military base for U.S. armed forces, evident from the abandoned military tanks that still sit on the beach, now covered in a rainbow of graffiti.

Culebra is close enough to the mainland to easily access while still being far away enough to feel remote and unplugged. It feels very laid-back and relaxed. It’s also home to Flamenco Beach, which is consistently ranked as one of the best beaches in the world, and after visiting, it’s easy to see why!

How long should I spend in Culebra?

A day trip to Culebra from San Juan is the perfect amount of time to see the highlights, like snorkeling and Flamenco Beach. If you have more time, however, you might want to spend 2-3 full days on the island to really experience all Culebra has to offer because with beaches this beautiful, you’ll never want to leave!

Best Time to Visit Culebra

The best time to visit Culebra, and Puerto Rico overall, is from November to March because the weather is pleasant and dry. Don’t forget to bring your Maho Shades like I did; they’re my go-to sunglasses!

The months of May, June, and especially July are the most popular months for tourism, so you can expect more expensive hotels and flights.

May through December is considered the rainy season. There’s nothing wrong with a tropical storm here and there, but try to avoid traveling to Puerto Rico and Culebra during the months of August and September because it is the official hurricane season.

How to get to Culebra

There are two ways to get to Culebra from mainland Puerto Rico. One option is to fly out of the capital city of San Juan or the east-coast town of Fajardo. The second option is to take a ferry from Fajardo. The ferry is a much cheaper option, since it only costs $2 and takes about 45 minutes.

Unfortunately the ferry schedule is notoriously chaotic. Numerous factors, such as weather conditions, influence whether or not the boat will leave on time. The seas between the mainland and Culebra can be quite rough at time, so flying might be the more attractive option for those prone to seasickness.

If you do choose to take the ferry, keep in mind that your rental car cannot go with you. You’ll have to leave it behind at the José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Fajardo. You can rent a second car in Culebra if you wish, but be sure to reserve your vehicle as far in advance as possible due to limited inventory, especially during high season and holidays.

If something happens and you miss your flight/ferry, there’s also an air taxi service that can help get your Culebra day trip back on track.

Should I take a Culebra day tour?

YES! I went with Viator for a tour called Full-Day Culebra and Flamenco Beach Snorkeling from San Juan, and it was my favorite day of my Puerto Rico trip. They picked us up right at our hotel, then we took a big boat out to Culebra to see the famous Flamenco beach. It was GORGEOUS, and I had so much fun walking along the beach to check out an old tank.

They provided a super yummy lunch on the boat before we hopped over to the other side of Culebra to snorkel at Playa Tamarindo I couldn’t believe how much we saw. We saw lots of fish, turtles, sea urchins, starfish, and stingrays. We even saw some dolphins from the boat.

It has always been my dream to swim with turtles, so I was shocked when I got to swim with not just one, but several all in a matter of minutes. Check out this awesome video I took!

We had a relaxing ride back as we listened to music and chatted with new friends, and we got dropped off right at our hotel. I love doing day tours like this because all the arrangements are made for you. I never had to worry about transportation or love because it was all taken care of for me.

Viator also has lots of fun options for touring Old San Juan, El Yunque rainforest, and the famous bioluminescent bays, so you can trust them for pretty much your entire trip!

Raise your hand if you’re ready to take a fun-filled Culebra day tour from San Juan!