Culebra Tours — Frequently Asked Questions
What a Culebra day costs when there is no ticket, where the boats leave from, what happens when the sea turns, and what you might see in the water. To compare fares instead, start with the Culebra boat tour.
You will also find answers on the ferry, pickup from San Juan, minimum ages, seasickness, sunscreen, sea turtles and the island itself.
Booking and tours
Do you need a tour to visit the island?
No. The public ferry from Ceiba takes 1 hour 30 minutes and costs $2.25 each way for an adult, and Cape Air lists a flight of about 20 minutes from San Juan. A tour adds the boat, the snorkel gear, a guide and usually lunch, and it reaches reefs and beaches you would struggle to see on foot in one day.
Which Culebra tour should you book?
Pick by what you want from the day. The big catamarans are the most sociable and serve an open bar, the smaller power boats spend longer moored over a reef, the ferry day with a guide is the cheapest and gives three hours at Flamenco Beach, and a private boat keeps the day to your own group of up to six.
How far ahead should you book?
Book as soon as your dates are firm, because the popular departures fill in winter and summer holidays. Every tour here refunds in full up to 24 hours before it starts, so an early booking costs you nothing if your plans change. Avoid booking a boat for the day you land in Puerto Rico, since a late flight can mean a missed departure.
How many people are on a boat?
It depends on the boat. The power boats run 26 to 40 passengers, the snorkel boats from Ceiba and Isleta Marina about 32 or 33, and the Puerto del Rey catamarans 40 to 70 with assigned cabin or stern seats. The private boats carry only your party, up to six people.
Can you get pickup from San Juan?
Yes, on some. One power-boat day collects from the Isla Verde area of San Juan, and the Puerto del Rey catamaran snorkel day sells hotel pickup as a booking option. Every other tour meets you at its own dock in Fajardo or Ceiba, about an hour's drive east of San Juan.
Can you cancel if your plans change?
Yes. Every tour here refunds in full if you cancel up to 24 hours before the start. If the operator cancels for weather or too few bookings, you are offered another date or a full refund.
How old do children need to be?
Most boats take children from age 6. The Isleta Marina snorkel day takes them from 3 with an adult, the Puerto del Rey catamaran snorkel day from 4, and the ferry day from 6. Pregnant travellers cannot join any of the boats, so check each listing before you book.
How many people does a Culebra private tour take?
The private tours are priced per group of up to six. The Sunbay Marina charters give you about four hours at Culebra, and the 47-foot private catamaran goes to Icacos by default and to Culebra at extra cost. Only your party is aboard, and you set the pace with the crew.
What language are the tours run in?
Every tour runs in English, and every crew also speaks Spanish. The ferry day asks that you can communicate in one of the two, since the snorkel briefing and the safety rules are given aloud.
Tickets and costs
Is there a Culebra ticket or entry fee?
No. There is no gate and no island entry fee, so your ticket is the tour fare, or the ferry fare if you go on your own. The ferry day's fare also covers entry to Flamenco Beach, which the other boats reach from the water.
How much does a Culebra tour cost?
Shared tours run from about $145 to $265 per person, and the private boats from $1,500 to $2,500 for a group of up to six. Most shared fares include lunch, drinks and snorkel gear; the cheapest, the ferry day, leaves lunch to you. Tips are extra on every tour.
What is included in the fare?
On most boats: the crossing, snorkel gear, lunch or a light meal, soft drinks and an open bar. The exceptions are specific, so read the card before you book: the catamaran beach day with kayaks excludes snorkel gear, and the ferry day excludes lunch. Gratuities are extra everywhere.
How much is the ferry to Culebra?
An adult ticket from Ceiba costs $2.25 each way, and children aged 4 to 12 and seniors aged 60 to 74 pay $1.00; travellers 75 and over and infants ride free. You buy tickets online, in the operator's app or at the terminal, and visitors cannot bring a car.
Should you tip the crew?
Gratuities are excluded on every tour here, and crews expect them. Bring some cash for the crew at the end of the day, since card payment on a boat is not something you can count on.
Are photos included?
Only on the ferry day, which includes a digital photo album of your snorkel. On the boats, bring a waterproof phone case or pouch, because everything you carry is likely to get wet.
Where do you park for a tour?
At the marina or terminal you depart from. The Sunbay Marina charter includes marina parking, Puerto del Rey has free parking inside the marina, and the ferry terminal has a lot with a shuttle to the entrance; some Fajardo docks rely on street parking, so allow time.
On the water
How long is the boat ride?
Most boats take 50 to 75 minutes each way from Fajardo, and the public ferry from Ceiba takes 1 hour 30 minutes. The crossing is open water and can be bumpy, so take a seasickness remedy before you board if you are prone to it.
What happens if the sea is too rough to cross?
The captain decides on the day, and every boat names a calmer alternative, most often Icacos, Palomino or a Vieques beach. You still get a snorkel and a beach, and some fares adjust the price or offer a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead lets you watch the forecast before you commit.
Can non-swimmers join?
Some days suit you and some do not. The ferry day provides a flotation belt with the gear and guides you in the water, while several boats say every guest must be able to swim, and the Puerto del Rey catamaran snorkel day reaches the beach with a 50 to 70-foot swim. Read the listing's requirements before you book.
Will you see sea turtles on a Culebra snorkeling tour?
Often, but never on a promise. Hawksbill, green and leatherback turtles all use the waters of the Culebra refuge, and Tamarindo is where the boats most often find them; the ferry day snorkels there for two hours. Keep your distance and let the turtle choose how close it comes.
Will you get seasick on the crossing?
It depends on the day and on you. The crossing is open water, crews on every boat say it can be choppy, and a remedy taken before you board works better than one taken at sea. Sit near the back and outside if you can, and look at the horizon.
What should you bring?
Swimwear under your clothes, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, water shoes, a waterproof phone pouch, photo ID and some cash for tips. Bring food on the ferry day, which excludes lunch, and a seasickness remedy if you need one.
Do you need reef-safe sunscreen?
Puerto Rico has no law banning sunscreen ingredients, but the ferry day asks for reef-safe sunscreen and it is the considerate choice over a reef. A rash guard and a hat cut how much you need.
Is alcohol included?
On most boats, yes: rum drinks, piña coladas or beer are in the fare. The Ceiba snorkel boat sets the drinking age at 18, and the Isleta Marina boat does not allow you to bring your own alcohol. The ferry day provides snacks and refreshments rather than a bar.
Are the tours wheelchair accessible?
No. Every boat listing says it is not wheelchair accessible, and boarding means a step or a ladder from a dock or the water. If you have back or heart problems, most operators advise against the crossing, so contact them before you book.
Is lunch included?
On every boat, yes, from a deli buffet to a BBQ on the private days. The ferry day is the exception: lunch is not included, food is sold at the Flamenco Beach kiosks, and bringing your own saves time on the sand.
The island itself
Where do the tours leave from?
Most leave from marinas in Fajardo: Puerto del Rey, Villa Marina, Sunbay Marina, Isleta Marina and Las Croabas. Two leave from Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba, one of them on the public ferry, and one collects you in San Juan. Each card names its own meeting point.
Does every tour stop at Flamenco Beach?
No. The ferry day and the Ceiba snorkel boat plan the day around Flamenco Beach, and most boats aim for it, but the captain chooses the beach by the sea, and Culebrita, Tamarindo or a beach on another island are common alternatives. If Flamenco matters most to you, pick one of the two days built around it.
When is the best time of year to go?
January to March are the driest months on Culebra Hill, and September to November the wettest. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. The sea changes day to day in every month, so book with free cancellation whenever you travel.
Should you book during hurricane season?
You can, with care. The season runs 1 June to 30 November and is most active from mid-August to mid-October, when boats are more likely to divert or cancel. Book a tour with free cancellation and check the forecast two days out.
Is there a Culebra jet ski tour or a bioluminescent bay tour?
Not here. No tour here is a jet ski tour, and every one is a daytime trip, so no tour is a bioluminescent bay tour either. Puerto Rico's three bio bays are Mosquito Bay on Vieques, Laguna Grande in Fajardo and La Parguera in Lajas, and you visit them at night on a separate trip.
What is the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge?
It is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1909, now 1,510 acres including 21 cays around the island. Its public areas and trails are open from 6am to 6pm every day, and more than 30,000 pairs of sooty terns nest on the Flamenco Peninsula. You see its cays from every boat.
What is the Luis Peña reserve?
The channel between Culebra and Cayo Luis Peña became a natural reserve in 1999 and a no-take reserve, where fishing is not allowed, the same year. Several boats snorkel inside it, and you can expect a reef and fish that are left alone.
Why is there a tank on Flamenco Beach?
The U.S. Navy trained on the Flamenco Peninsula until 1975, and a rusting, graffiti-painted tank from those years still sits at the water's edge. It is the island's most photographed landmark. If you see metal debris on a beach or trail, leave it where it is and tell your crew.
Can you stay overnight?
Yes. The island has guesthouses, and the ferry carries foot passengers both ways every day, though visitors cannot bring a car. A night lets you see the beaches after the day boats leave, so book the ferry both ways before you book the room.
What is Culebrita?
Culebrita is a small island off Culebra's east coast, part of the wildlife refuge, with a ruined lighthouse on its hill and beaches the captains use when the sea allows. Several boats stop there, and you can swim ashore from the anchorage.
Still deciding? Every fare sits side by side on Culebra Tours. The costs and ages are on planning your trip, the docks on getting there, and the seasons on the weather page.