1/19/24: Puerto Rico's Cabo Rojo Peninsula

From our base in the small town of Cabo Rojo on Puerto Rico's westernmost side, we set our sights on exploring the Cabo Rojo Peninsula for the day. Because of its remote location and unusual topography, the area was much hotter and more arid than the rest of the island. The foliage was scrubbier and browner the further south we traveled - lush El Yunque National Forest near the capital of San Juan seemed far more than a day's drive away!

The roads we'd encountered thus far on the island had been akin to what we were familiar with on the mainland. That wasn't the case en route to Faro Los Morrillos aka Cabo Rojo Lighthouse, on the island's southwest tip and the island's only lighthouse that permitted some access to visitors. When we reached a muddy patch and several stopped cars, Steven had to get out and determine if the road was passable for our little put-put. Luckily, we got through safe and sound as the walk to the lighthouse would be long enough already.

In the distance was our goal, the lighthouse, or El Faro as it was locally known. Built in 1881 by the Spanish government it was located atop 200-foot limestone cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea. 

We read that the lighthouse had been renovated over the years, was still operational, and helped ships navigate safely through the Mona Passage from the Caribbean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. However, the whole place looked dead as a doornail when we reached it after a hike up a rocky path.

The big attraction was the incredible views from the limestone cliffs but we had to be careful not to walk too close to the edge as there was no guardrail and we could see where pieces of the cliff had broken off over time. However, the view was breathtakingly beautiful.

From the lighthouse, we walked along a path to El Puente del Piedra, or Bridge of Stones, a sea stack with a thin natural bridge that spanned from the top to cliffs on the shore. I wondered how long that bridge might be there as it looked pretty tenuous.

We backtracked north to the 1,200-acre Cabo Rojo Salt Flats billed as Puerto Rico's first industry with salt being mined for centuries. At the Centro Interpretativo los Salians de Cabo Rojo, we learned that when the Spanish arrived, salt production became an industrial activity and the Spanish Crown authorized the exploitation of the salt production industry in 1511. 

Over the next two centuries, other European nations fought over the valuable resource and Puerto Rican groups also feuded to take control of the Salt Flats in 1769. Hundreds working under extreme conditions at the Salt Flats during the 19th and 20th centuries finally led to a strike in 1939.

Though salt production began declining in the 1940s with the increased use of refrigeration, the flats continued to operate mostly for pharmaceutical and agricultural purposes. That production helped balance the Salt Flat ecosystem, which is important for resident and migratory bird species.

When the Salt Flats became part of the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge in 1999, they joined over 550 refuges stretching from Alaska to the Florida Keys and tropical islands in the Caribbean and South Pacific!

After visiting the spectacular Bolivian Uyuni Salt Flats, we knew the Cabo Rojo flats' pinkish hue was due to high salinity-resistant microalgae that brine shrimp feed on and acquire the unusual pink color.

Further north on the Cabo Peninsula in a noncontiguous part of the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge were paths, certainly not trails as we're used to, through some tall grasslands. It was good to get a sense of how diverse the terrain was in this corner of Puerto Rico.

Steven and I definitely needed a naturalist along with us on that walk to give us some idea of what these trees were!

We also came up empty as to what this was - possibly a termite nest?

So far that day, we'd trekked to the lighthouse with its amazing windswept views, walked on the salt flats and learned of their troubled history, and strolled through grasslands but hadn't seen any mangrove wetlands. That changed when we reached the Refugio Vida Silvestre De Boquerón, a small preserve outside the town of Boquerón with just one other car in the parking lot. The sole Spanish-speaking employee stressed we only had an hour or so there before he'd lock us in the preserve for the night!

The protected wetlands in the refuge were an important breeding ground for birds, sea mammals, and fish. Too bad, more tourists weren't taking advantage of such easily accessible sights.

It didn't look like the viewing platform had been fixed since Puerto Rico's last hurricane, one of the only instances we came across on the island where that was the case.

There appeared to be scads of sticks at regular intervals along the path until we got closer and realized there were actually thousands upon thousands of ants crossing the trail.

Once we realized just what the 'sticks' were, we treaded far more carefully!

A fish gutting table (?) was adjacent to the lake for aspiring fishermen.

After a day of 'doing' nature, we were looking forward to plopping ourselves down for an hour on Balneario de Boquerón, described as one of Puerto Rico's most beautiful beaches. Granted it had some lovely palm trees that provided late afternoon shade and the day was still warm. However, the park's staggering amount of trash, broken-down picnic tables, smelly outhouses, and lack of any TLC wasn't conducive for a swim or much lounging time. Considering I was expecting considerable damage to be the norm throughout much of the territory after suffering devastating hurricanes, I'd still say the beach situation was an aberration.

Next post: Heading inland toward San Juan via Puerto Rico's third colonial town of Coamo and the beginning of a week's cruise through the Lesser Antilles.

Posted on March 19th, 2024 from our winter escape in Tempe, Arizona. Hoping you and your loved ones are well and safe.