Getting Around Culebra

Rather than taking the ferry and then driving back to San Juan, we decided to take a direct flight from Culebra to San Juan. There are several small airlines that provide this service at a reasonable cost (approx. $60 each way). We chose to travel with Isla Nena and were happy that everything ran as scheduled. We arrived in the San Juan airport in plenty of time to check in for our flight home. The scenery was spectacular and it was fun to see El Yunque and the beaches from the skies.

Make sure you do this! If you want to see more than 10% of what Culebra has to offer than get a moped. 40 $ a day may be a little hefty but you are going to spend more than that using and waiting for Publicos. Publicos will take you no where near the far-off places you can access on two wheels. The locals that were staying at the hotel dropped us at the airport by way of moped to rent our own moped. We shared, I ferried Yuki all over that island. Everywhere we went the distant buzz of another smart moped-riding traveller approches than passes with people aboard with that smile and nod "yes, you are as smart as me, F the Publicos" exchanged.

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Puerto Rico is one of the better countries in the region. Getting out of the airport, renting a car, and driving toward Fajardo on the East coast, was a cinch. We waited at a tiny little airport to catch a plane to Culebra. I don’t know if one can call it an airport. Another way of describing it would be a single building with a huge parking lot, on which teensy-weensy airplanes landed and took off.

When the time comes, you walk up to the plane, climb in through the back door (just like you would climb into a car) and dump your bags in the back. The plane can seat about 10 people, including the pilot. Is it too hot in the plane? Just crack open the window a wee bit! On-board refreshments ? Sure … just reach into your backpack and pull out the munchies you had bought at the airport. If you are lucky, you could call shotgun and sit next to the pilot. Culebra was half an hour away, and our eyes were riveted to the window as we passed the beautiful beaches of mainland Puerto Rico, flew over the sea with its little islands and boats, till we saw the mountains of Culebra looming in the distance. It is kinda noisy in the plane, so conversations may be limited. Every once in a while the plane may hit an air-pocket, so you have to be careful with your drink, if any. The plane has to maneuver between two mountain peaks during its descent, which can make some people nervous.

We landed at the airport, pulled our backpacks from the “trunk” and simply walked up to the terminal, making sure the rotating propellers were a safe distance away. We thought it was a pretty cool ride. Once there, you have a choice of renting two wheelers or 4-wheel drives. There are also some vans that ply across different parts of the island.

The ferries to Culebra & Vieques are very crowded, but SUPER cheap! Be sure to get to the ferry terminal early and get in line so you can find a seat on the ferry. The ferry ride to Culebra was very short, but it was very scenic and CHEAP ($3US each way!). It was worth the ride! The ferry schedule is online (see below). We took the ferry from Fajardo to Culebra, and after our vacation we took a flight from Culebra to San Juan. See our flight post under transportation for additional information.