Located on the northwestern shore of Culebra, an island-municipality of Puerto Rico in the Spanish Virgin Islands, Flamenco Beach sits along the North Atlantic Ocean. Accessible by plane or boat from Puerto Rico, this public beach is a popular destination for domestic and foreign travellers. It achieved international acclaim as the third best beach in the world in the 2013 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards and regained its prestigious Blue Flag Beach distinction in 2016.
Stretching for about one mile around horseshoe-shaped Flamenco Bay, the beach features soft white sand and shallow, calm turquoise waters. Behind the beach lies Flamenco Lagoon, named after the Caribbean flamingos that once inhabited the area. Bordered by the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge, one of the oldest wildlife preserves in the United States, the shoreline is sheltered by an offshore coral reef approximately a quarter mile out where the ocean surf breaks.
The species-rich waters host Caribbean fish such as parrot fish, blue tang, and wrasse, alongside ghost crabs along the sand. Every summer, around 50,000 migratory seabirds—mostly sooty terns—nest on the Flamenco Peninsula, while sea turtles breed along the shores and feed in nearby seagrass beds. Adding a distinct historical element, two corroded M4 Sherman tanks left behind by the United States Navy in 1975 remain on the beach, covered in colourful graffiti.
01 Highlights & things to do
What makes this stretch of coast worth the trip — from the water to the walks, wildlife and the views.
Compiled from Wikipedia · conditions vary with weather, tides and the season.
Beach map & the area
The free OpenStreetMap layer below shows the beach and its surroundings — the coastline, access roads, nearby towns and where to park. Zoom in for detail, or open it live in a full map.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL, free).
02 Getting there
| Option | Detail |
|---|---|
| Plane | Fly to Culebra from Puerto Rico. |
| Boat | Travel by boat or ferry to Culebra from Puerto Rico. |
Getting there · Last updated: 2026-09-12 · always double-check access & ferries
03 Best time to visit & the water
| Season | When | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Summer Seabird Nesting | Summer through September | Around 50,000 seabirds, primarily sooty terns, nest on the peninsula and feed in large numbers before flying out to sea by September. |
Conditions vary with weather, tides & season · Last updated: 2026-09-12
Good to know
- A coral reef breaking the surf is located about a quarter mile offshore, keeping bay waters shallow and calm.
- The beach is adjacent to the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge, one of the oldest U.S. wildlife preserves.
- Flamenco Beach held Blue Flag international distinction as of 2016.
