Rumored to be 400 years old, it has become a symbol of the island's resilience. Perhaps the finest Giant Ceiba Tree in Puerto Rico is situated on the right-hand side of the road as you head toward Punta Arenas, adjacent to the Mosquito Pier, a popular snorkeling site.
Vieques’ dwarfish thicket-strewn forest, which includes some indigenous cacti, provides one of the best examples of dry subtropical forest in the Caribbean. Many colorful species survive in these areas, including the brown pelican and the endangered West Indian manatee. The road here is very rough only a 4WD will get you close without walking. The deliciously deserted Playa Escondida has absolutely no facilities, just jaw-dropping beauty. The snorkeling is good toward the western side of the beach. It's spread across a mushroom-shaped bay with icing-sugar sand and a calm sea that shimmers with a thousand different shades of blue. Secluded Playa La Plata is as far east as you can go. There’s good snorkeling toward the eastern side of the beach, just off a small island. It's easy to find your own large patch of sand, and you can find shade in the shrubs. There's excellent snorkeling – lots of healthy sea fans and underwater life – off the eastern side of the beach. A favorite with locals, the gorgeous Playa La Chiva is long and open with occasionally rough surf. Now protected in the national wildlife refuge, many of Vieques' beaches are clean, untrammeled and paradisiacal. Calm and clear, Playa Caracas is reached on a paved road and has gazebos with picnic tables to shade bathers from the sun. The horses of Vieques enjoy time on the beach © Bailey Freeman / Lonely Planet Best beaches in Vieques Understandably, Vieques’ residents – many of whom are continental US expats – are fiercely protective of their Caribbean nirvana. Development elsewhere has been slow and low-key.
This has meant that the bulk of the island remains virgin territory. Fortunately, environmental authorities swept in quickly after the handover and promptly declared all the former military land (70% of the island’s total area) a US Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Since the official withdrawal of the US Navy in 2003, Vieques has regularly been touted as the Caribbean’s next "big thing," with pristine beaches and a coastline ripe for the developer’s bulldozer. It's substantially larger than Culebra, and while it's still a world away from the bright lights of the mainland, the larger population here means more accommodations, swankier restaurants and generally more buzz.
Measuring just 21 miles long by 5 miles wide, Vieques is renowned for its gorgeous beaches, semi-wild horses and sparkling bioluminescent bay. Sunset over the water in Vieques, Puerto Rico © stan zhou / 500px Best things to do in Vieques
0 kommentar(er)
