A hidden treasure on the island of Vieques.
Did you know that Puerto Rico has a black sand beach? That's right you don't have to travel to Hawaii or some far off land to experience the beauty of a black sand beach, you can see one on your next trip to beautiful Puerto Rico.
Location: This beautiful beach is located on one of Puerto Rico's smaller islands, the island of Vieques. Vieques is just ferry ride, or even shorter plane ride away from Puerto Rico's main island. Once you get there, you will probably want to rent a car, or golf cart to get around the island.
On the map below you can see the location of the beach in relation to both the ferry terminal, and the airport on the island. It is a 24 minute drive from the ferry port and a 19 minute drive from the airport, so it is a very doable location.
When searching for this beach you can just type in Playa Negra or Black Sand Beach, Vieques Puerto Rico onto your maps and it should appear.
You will know you have arrived when you see the Playa Negra sign on the side of the road.
Things to know:
1. It is a hike to get there
-While the drive to the entrance of this beach is simple enough, actually reaching the beach itself proves to be a little more challenging. I recommend wearing comfortable shoes because it is a longer walk than you think. Not only that, but there are rocks and a lot of tree roots on the walk as well. As well as some climbs up and down. It is nothing too major, you don't need to be an incredibly fit person to accomplish this walk, but having some sturdy and reliable shoes such as sneakers or good water shoes would definitely aid the process.
2. It is a great spot for photographs, not a great spot for swimming
-While this beach offers endless opportunities for photos, it is not the best beach for swimming because of wind and strong currents. While we were there, no one was in the water and it was easy to see why. Rocky cliffs surround this beach, and the wind tunneling through them created a strong current that made the water choppy and difficult to maneuver in. Have no fear though! The water is calm enough to walk in along the edge of the beach; and you can still enjoy the beauty this beach has to offer from the shore.
If you are interested in a beach that is perfect for swimming, check out my blog post on another beach here on the island of Vieques, Sunbay Beach, Vieques' most beautiful beach.
3. Bring a magnet, the sand is magnetic
That's right! Not only is this black sand beautiful to look at, but it is fun to play with as well! We had heard this rumor that the sand was magnetic, but we didn't expect it to be true! Well it is! If you bring a magnet with you the sand will jump to the magnet!
It turns out that the sand is magnetic because it contains runoff from the volcano near by. In that volcanic runoff there are minerals that contain magnetite, which is magnetic substance. "The black sand on Playa Negra is runoff from Vieques' volcanic areas, Monte Pirata, the island's highest peak (elevation: 987 feet) in particular. So if it hasn't rained in awhile, during your visit you may not find much black here" (Bennett, Playa Negra, Vieques: An out of place Black Sand Beach).
4. Walk around different parts of the beach
-Like the above statement says, if it hasn't rained in awhile during your visit, the black sand beach may not seem very black. When we first arrived to the beach, we didn't think it had much dark sand.
As you can see from the image above, there was some black sand on the beach but not much. It was a beautiful beach, but we were disappointed as it did not meet our expectations. That was, until we kept walking.
As we walked further to the right we saw more and more black sand accumulating on the beach, and then it began to reflect what we had imagined when thinking of visiting a black sand beach.
5.There are wild horses that can be found on this beach.
It was such a lovely surprise, once you finish that long, slightly treacherous walk, to see these beautiful creatures just walking around on the black sand beach. If you make friends with them, they even try to follow you home haha! These guys followed us on our entire walk back from the beach!
Be warned, if you have a hat that looks like straw (like I did) these hungry boys try to take a nice bite out of it! This photo also gives you a sneak peek at the ground and those tree roots I was telling you about in the first tip! No problem for these boys, but if you are in flip flops or sandals, it could be for you!
That's it for today! I hope you found value here today and I hope I have inspired you to travel to this beautiful beach! A little off the beaten path, it is definitely one of Vieques' hidden gems.
Until next time,
Steph
References:
Steve, & Bennett, S. (2019, December 6). Playa Negra, Vieques: An out of place Black Sand Beach. Uncommon Caribbean. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/puerto-rico/uncommon-attraction-playa-negra-vieques/#:~:text=The%20black%20sand%20found%20on,not%20find%20much%20black%20here%E2%80%A6
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