Reserva Natural Cabezas de San Juan - Para la Naturaleza — Attraction in Fajardo

What a bizarre day. We wanted to hike to La Chiva Natural, Playa Bajo Laja Playa El Crater and Playa Canalejo from the Seven Seas area. All of these stops appeared accessible via the “Natural Reserve Path”.

The road at the entrance was closed due to construction so we walked from our nearby apartment. The guard at the gate stopped us. We said we wanted to hike around the reserve and the lighthouse. He rudely just said “no”. I asked if the lighthouse was open? He just said “no” again. I said so there’s no way to enter? He said “no”. No assistance, no explanation…just “no”.

The park sign along the beach says “public access to the coast” so we started walking up the beach adjacent to the reserve. Along the way we passed many tourists and locals. One local couple explained that the gate always say no entry but we can access the paved road at various points and walk around the reserve. They said just be careful of the tour buses and walk in the grass along the road.

We did as they said for an hour until the same security guard drove by and stopped us. He said we could walk back to the shore or he could call the police. We explained what the locals had told us. We then asked about the tour bus that had driven by. He said “that wasn’t a tour bus with tourists, it was carrying park workers”.

Surprisingly, he then became very nice and helpful and gave us all the hiking information we initially wanted hours ago. He explained in detail that the coastal trail was accessible to us and it would lead to the sights we wanted to see. He said it would require walking through sand, water and rocks and that our hiking boots were better than flip flops. As we walked back to the beach to access the trail a storm hit and we decided to end the day. On our way back to town the same tour bus drove by again obviously giving a narrated tour to tourists. So confusing.

I have no idea why the park is closed, if there’s a tour or not and why the whole ordeal seemed so confusing. Looking back at old reviews this has been a recurring theme for over two years.

For those looking to visit the same sights I would recommend asking about the tour or wearing water shoes and bringing hiking shoes to do the public beach/coastal trail. It appears to be called the La Zanja Trail on the...

A beautiful and wild place to see. Book your tour online ahead of time. If you are an English only speaker, know that there is usually only one tour a day in English, so plan in advance.

The tour is about 2.5 hours long, most of which you are riding a tram. Sit near the front so you can hear the tour guide better. You walk through a mangrove area around a lake, then stop at a beautiful rocky beach, and finally stop at the lighthouse. The views from the top are amazing! You can see many of the nearby islands (Icacos, Palomino), and on a clear days see as far as the Virgin Islands!

Bring a bottle of water and sun protection. If you have a camera with a good long range lens, I imagine you could get some amazing photos from near...

This guided tour nature reserve is a must visit but make sure you make reservation ahead of time. The tour guide is great offering wonderful insight to the history and natural habit of the area. The boardwalk is wonderful and the coral reef beach and light house is wonderful.

My only regret was my camera ran out of battery and I didn't carry my spare. It was too bad especially when I ran out of battery when we get to the most scenic and picturesque part of the tour, the light house on top of the hill. Oh well, next time I will make sure to come with a full charge.

We didn't do the night Laguna Grande bioluminescence lake tour but our guide show us in a dark room sample of bioluminescence water which was quite an...