Survival Beach, Puerto Rico

 

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”

Beverly Sills

On the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, a good two hour drive from San Juan, is the beautiful and picturesque, Survival Beach. We decided we needed to check it out so off we went on our excursion for the day. The drive itself was stunning with passing by beautiful mountain scenery, passed the Indian face sculpture, driving through the quaint coastal town of Isabela, and then along to northern coast. We passed through the defunct Ramey Air Force Base which closed in 1974 and decommissioned on 30 April 1976. It was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airport. The base was eerily quiet. Then we headed north to the parking lot.

We parked in Surfers Beach parking lot and walked to the end of the lot where we spotted a sign for the trail to Survival Beach. We walked over a wooden bridge and headed down the tree lined trail. We found the trail both beautiful and challenging with many natural obstacles such as trees with deep roots making lots of trip hazards and overhanging rocky cliffs. Many of the paths looked like they were water run offs from a storm.

Much of the path was in the shade and every now and then we got an amazing view of the ocean. We were fascinated by how some of the trees seemed to grow right out of the rocks. As we walked, we had to bend down to avoid hitting our heads on some of the low branches on the trees. The narrow pathway rises both up and down and took us about 30 minutes to walk. It was not a difficult walk but was tricky and we took our time as not to get hurt. The end of the path goes down to the beach.

Once we got off the path, the ocean views were stunning on this isolated beach. We walked down a long stretch of beach with gorgeous white sand and explored the many breathtaking views of the large rocks jutting out of the sand. The beautiful blue water crashing against the rocks was a beautiful site to see. There were rocks and interesting formations everywhere. There were also many caves to check out. The best time to go to this beach is when the tide is low so you have an easier time walking the beach. The gorgeous views along the beach are something to see with the rocks rising out of the sand in many shapes and sizes. There were interesting lizards climbing on the rocks running to avoid the ocean water as it rose.

It is not a great beach for swimming as when the tide is high or the surf is rough, you need to stay out of the water as it is super dangerous. After our hike to the beach and back, we understood that Survival Beach was fittingly named. This is definitely worth the hike to see. Make sure you wear sneakers, bring water, and to be careful as you walk.

The beach is not a “Balneario” meaning it has no showers, dressing rooms, lifeguards, or safety buoys. When you hike to the beach, if you want anything to drink or eat, you must bring it with you. When you leave, please pack out everything out to leave this beach as pristine as it is now.

To get to Survival Beach, take Rt 2 in Aguadilla. Take Road 107 to Rt 110 to Cliff Road which is north of the airport and follow the signs to Surfers Beach. It is located at 6 Cliff Road, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is not difficult to find and well worth the trip.

Till next time. Bye for now.