What started as a frantic attempt to find a place to take my family for a day trip for the scarce few days they were visiting me in Puerto Rico turned out to be quite an adventure. I had wrongly presumed that the ferry to Culebra and Vieques from the mainland of Puerto Rico was a continuously running cheap ferry. I was wrong. The tickets to the ferry were sold out 2 months in advance. And so the night before when I had promised everyone I was taking them to “the coolest island off the coast of Puerto Rico” I pretty much had no place in mind.
So while they sat watching TV after a gorgeous day trip to El Yunque, I sat frantically scrolling through the internet for ideas for the next day. “C’mon there have to be other stupid people like me” I thought. Which is how I stumbled upon the fact that there existed another beautiful smaller island – Cayo Icacos which was equally if not even more fun than the crowded islands of Culebra and Vieques. This blog post contains all the information you need for a successful day trip to Cayo Icacos.
What is Cayo Icacos Island?
Largest cay in the La Cordillera Nature Reserve
Cayo Icacos is named as such because it is the largest of the cays (islands) that belong to the La Cordillera Nature Reserve off the north east coast of Puerto Rico. The island is protected from the more thunderous waves of the Caribbean sea and the turquoise blue surf gently laps at the beach.
Island geography and sea life
The island has a thriving body of sea grape bushes and palm trees enclosing the middle of the island while the outer ring consists of the softest sand and clear blue water perfect for abundant sea life to thrive in.
The sealife around the island includes hermit crabs, parrotfish, bananafish, sardines, sargento, doctorfish, lined sole, sea urchins and these are just those that I remember seeing. There are hundreds of species of fish that inhabit the gorgeous reef around the island.
How to get to Cayo Icacos Island
Do not go to Fajardo docks, go to Las Croabas docks
A lot of sites advertise Fajardo docks as being the place to get a water taxi. This is wrong! Fajardo docks are where private charters and catamaran tours start from. You only need to drive to the Fajardo docks if you have booked a private charter or a tour. If you are doing a trip by yourself you need to go to the Las Croabas docks. Do not go to Fajardo docks because there are no boats that take you to Cayo Icacos from there.
Las Croabas is a quaint little town on the north-east tip of the island – approximately a 10 minute drive from the town of Fajardo. It is 63.7km from San Juan and since most of the drive is on the highway you can cover the entire distance in an hour.
How to get to Las Croabas
To make the drive you will need to either get a taxi which is insanely expensive or rent a car which is a much cheaper option. The island currently charges insane prices for importing cars which is why the car rentals here are much more expensive than you would expect for Puerto Rico so make sure to include that in your budget. A small sedan would cost you about $80-$100 per day after insurance, taxes and if you are under 25 you pay an extra charge.
How to rent a car?
If you are flying into Luis Munoz Marin International Airport then you can rent a car at the airport. You will exit the airport at the lower level of the airport. On this road, there are a few car rental companies right next to each other where you can rent cars. Other than this, there are multiple car rentals in the city as well.
For a full guide to how to get a good car rental check out this blog on Rent a Car in Puerto Rico – A Local’s Guide.
Take a water taxi to the island
Once you have entered the town, search for Mandibula Water Taxi in Google Maps. Their parking is free and you can drive straight in. Then call the number on the outside of the gate which keeps changing very often (which is why I haven’t provided it here). The owners live nearby and will take 5-15 minutes to show up to take you on the ferry. The water taxi is $30 each way per person – which means $60 for the round trip.
Do I need to reserve a water taxi in advance?
If you are traveling in a small group, it isn’t necessary to reserve a boat in advance. If you are a bigger group and it’s high season then it’s better to call ahead and make sure they have space just to be safe. We were a group of 4 and we went in May and had no problem getting a boat on the spot.
How often do water taxis come for pickup and dropoff?
The boats come for pickups and dropoffs every 30 minutes at both the Las Croabas docks and the island.
How long is the ferry ride to Cayo Icacos Island?
Once you are on the ferry, it takes about 15 minutes to get to Cayo Icacos Island. You will get dropped off in the middle of the crowd but there are lots of very secluded places so don’t worry if you see 15 or so party boats right off the bat. The water taxi guy will let you know what time to meet him back at the same spot.
What time does the last water taxi go back from the island?
The last boat usually leaves from the island at 5:30pm before sunset.
What to take to Cayo Icacos Island
Cayo Icacos island is an uninhabited island which means you can’t stay there overnight. It also means there are no food vendors, bathrooms or any facilities at all. If you need to pee, you pee in the ocean. For this reason, before you leave your home for the day trip to Cayo Icacos island make sure you have all the items you need. I have listed below all the things I took on my trip.
List of 8 things to take with you
- Drinks – Lots of water, cold drinks, juice.
- Food – Sandwiches, cake, fruits.
- Towels – Take a couple of beach towels and some to dry you off after the dip in the ocean
- Hats – It is very very hot on the island especially in the summer and the sun beats down on you relentlessly so a good hat is very important.
- Snorkeling equipment – You should have with you your flippers, googles and tube.
- Sunscreen – Please only wear sunscreen that is safe for the ocean and the environment because it has become a huge issue with people wearing sunscreen that harms the reef. I recommend finding shade instead of wearing sunscreen.
- Water shoes – I always carry my water shoes with me everywhere because you can walk with them, get in a ferry, jump straight into the ocean and even snorkel.
- GoPro, camera, drone – The beach is very picturesque and looks even more gorgeous with an aerial view. The multiple colorful umbrellas that people set up on the beach with a backdrop of all the yachts make a really pretty shot.
- Beach umbrella – I don’t usually take a beach umbrella because I rarely burn but here I was in the water 90% of the time cause it was actually so hot I would have burnt if I stayed in the sun. But don’t worry if you don’t have one, the vendors on the island have some that they rent to visitors by the hour so you’ll be good.
What to do on Cayo Icacos Island
Cayo Icacos Island is best suited for lots of snorkeling and lounging in the sun. Once you disembark on the island you will see lots of vendors renting out snorkel equipment, sun umbrellas and kayaks.
Snorkeling at Cayo Icacos
I recommend taking your own surf gear but if you don’t have that you can rent them from the vendors on the island. Then walk along the coast to the west of the island past the party boats. This is a short 10 minute walk. The fish tend to get disturb by the vibrations caused in the water due to engine run and music so you’ll see a much larger variety of sea life a little ways from the boat. Once you get here, waddle across the extremely slippery reef (be careful of sea urchins!) before putting your flippers on. You can then snorkel around the reef and see a variety of sea life.
Some of the sea life I spotted on my trip to the island includes hermit crabs, parrotfish, bananafish, sardines, sargento, doctorfish, lined sole, and sea urchins. These are just a few of the hundreds of species of fish that can be found in these waters.
Kayaking at Cayo Icacos
Kayaking is another fun activity to do here. You can rent kayaks from the vendors on the beach and go out into the sea. I didn’t end up doing this because I much prefer to be in the water but it looked cool.
Hiking on Cayo Icacos
You can also hike a little ways into the interior of the island. When you get dropped off at the front of the island, look straight ahead and you will see a board that shows the map of the interior of the island. Right next to the board is a clearing in the trees that goes through the bushes and trees deeper into the island. This is a fun little thing to do if you want to explore more.
Cayo Icacos Catamaran Trips
If you prefer to leave the details of the trip to someone else and have a bigger budget you might consider taking a private charter or doing a tour.
You will see a lot of charter boats when you go to the island. These are boats that allow you to blast music, pop bottles and provide all the booze and food you need.
Checkout other Puerto Rico posts
Top 8 Unique Bars in San Juan, Puerto Rico
25 Awesome Things to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Things to do in Old San Juan: 12 Stop Walking Guide with Map
