Day 5 - Beach Day




Cabo Rojo cliffs



Our schedule for today was mostly a rest day with some sampling of the nearby beaches. However due to the fact that we missed on the bioluminescent tour at the beginning of the trip we decide to change our plan and go in the evening to a tour in a nearby bioluminescent bay in La Parguera.

But first things first ...we have to eat breakfast and the buffet is good especially as it seems like we are the only people in the hotel. It is also the only place where the Wifi connection works for us so we use the time in the restaurant area to catch up on news and emails.

Combate Beach ResortBreakfast at Combate Beach Resort
After breakfast we dress down for the beach and take the trail from the hotel to the beach. It passes a part of the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge with a few lakes and quite a few trails that crisscross the area. As we explore the area we find a large frog that seems to be content to be photographed from all directions and is not in the least interested in us.

Trail system descriptionLake near hotel


Placid frogShallow lake
Of course there are also birds, quite a few ducks and a few black necked stilts and a great egret but they are more shy and seem to move further away as soon as they spot us.

Black necked stiltGreat egret
The Playa Combate beach is beautiful and very quiet with only one more couple on a stretch of sand that seems to extend for miles. After finding a secluded spot we relax for a couple hours before returning back to the hotel.

Ocean with two resting seagulls Quiet beach near the hotel
The second beach that we want to visit is Playa Sucia. The road towards it is paved initially but becomes dirt after a bit while remaining navigable till the parking lot. Before going to the beach we decide to first visit the Los Morrillos lighthouse. It is a short climb with nice views of the beach, lighthouse and the headlands across the coast.

Playa Sucia from a distanceLos Morillos Lighthouse


Cloudy mountains in the distanceHeadland in the distance

When we get close to the cliff's edge there are beautiful views in both directions of the coast and quite a view of rocky outcrops.

Beautiful cliffs near the lighthouseAnother view of the cliffs

As we descend towards the beach we notice an iguana that ambles towards the water and then swims first to a log to rest and then continues on across the lake. It is quite interesting as we were not aware that they are able to swim such long distances.


Iguana restingIguana swimming

Playa Sucia is quite beautiful and it is also popular with locals but it is large and it is easy to lose the crowd. To our surprise as we walk we even see coconuts on the beach like in a postcard Caribbean beach. It is quite hot and humid but the water is cold and tempting and we walk along it till the end of the beach.

Coconuts on Sucia beachSucia beach


End of the beachLooking back from the end of the beach
Returning to the car we drive back to the hotel but on the way back stop a few times to view the preserve and the lakes. There are two lakes that are more impressive one full of dead bushes and Cabo Rojo Salt Flats with historic salt processing pans.

Dead bushes in the waterCabo Rojo Salt Flats processing pan

In the evening we drive to the nearby town of La Parguera to see if we can find a cruise to the bioluminescent bay. We shouldn't have worried as there are sellers in the parking lot already so we buy tickets for the tour and given that there still is time we go to a downtown restaurant and eat again mofongo as well as empanadas and flan.

The tour is unexpectedly like a carnival cruise with very loud music and lots of locals, likely we are the only tourists on the boat. It takes about 1/2h to get to the bio bay and while initially we pass quite a few brightly decorated houses in the bay there is no light that can impact the viewing. The boat has 4 viewing glasses at the bottom and you can see the light created by the microrganisms as the boat slowly passes through them. It is however faint which as what we expected as this is the least luminous of the three bio bays in Puerto Rico. And then after 1/4h in the bay the ship returns to the harbor and we return to the hotel where we crash after the long and interesting day.

Bioluminescent bay tour boatDecorated house at night







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