Located about nineteen miles east of Puerto Rico and eight miles north of Vieques,
Culebra is the smallest of the inhabited Spanish Virgin Islands. She is seven miles long and 3
miles wide.
Culebra is an arid island, having no rivers or streams. She gets her water from
Puerto Rico via Vieques. Because of the lack of run-off from streams and rivers, Culebra
boasts crystal clear waters with sixty feet of visibility on a bad day.
Culebra is an island municipality under the domain of Puerto Rico, which has been
under the protection of the United States, since its annexation from Spain
in 1898. In 1909 the Culebra National
Wildlife Refuge was established. The refuge takes in over one thousand four hundred acres
of land and is well known both as a nesting area for numerous seabirds, as well as the
endangered leatherback turtle and Culebra giant anole.
Culebra has by about three thousand residents. The quiet, unspoiled island has
little to offer in nightlife, except for a quiet, safe walk in the moonlight or the
occasional sound of guitar music from one of her few night spots. The island has little
crime and very little to do, but relax at the beach or your favorite watering hole. The
snorkeling and scuba diving around Culebra are outstanding. Hard and soft corals abound in
the shallows and magnificent reefs encircle the island. Tropical fish and other sea life
abound. The depths rarely exceed one hundred feet.
Culebra is accessible from San Juan by air or sea:
By Air:
leave San Juan Int'l Airport or by taxi to Isla Grande Airport
By Sea:
taxi to Fajardo ( about 40 miles SE of San Juan) and ferry to Culebra
