Isla de Cabras

San Juan


Isla de Cabras is a pleasant seaside park, popular with local families. It has grassy areas, lofty palm trees, picnic areas and a rocky shoreline. You can fish, but offshore currents are too dangerous for swimming. The views of El Morro across the channel are spectacular. On the island’s southern end, the ruins of Fuerte del Cañuelo date from 1610. The fort once worked in tandem with El Morro to protect the bay of San Juan.

The ruins at the northern end of the island were a late-19th-century leper colony. Nearby, there are some WWII gun emplacements that the US Army installed. A large building in the center of the park has bathrooms and a snack bar.

Reach the island at the end of Hwy 870, north of the Bacardí Rum Factory and the settlement of Palo Seco.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San Juan attractions

1. Castillo San Felipe del Morro

0.83 MILES

A star of Old San Juan, brooding El Morro sits atop a headland, deterring would-be attackers. The 140ft walls (some up to 15ft thick) date to 1539 and it…

2. Casa Bacardí Rum Factory

0.95 MILES

The ‘Cathedral of Rum’ sits in vast grounds near the mouth of San Juan Bay. Three signature tours (45 minutes to 1½ hours) are offered throughout the week…

3. Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño

1.02 MILES

The grand edifice with a red-roofed dome, arches and porticos across from El Morro was an insane asylum during the 19th century; now it's a prestigious…

4. Casa Rosa

1.09 MILES

Built in 1812, this tropical pink villa first served as barracks for Spanish troops. In 1881, it was converted into officers’ quarters. The building has…

5. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña

1.1 MILES

Constructed in the mid-19th century as a shelter for the poor, this bright-yellow building houses the executive offices of this institute that organizes a…

6. Museo de las Américas

1.11 MILES

This museum presents an impressive overview of cultural development in the Americas, including indigenous, African and European influences. Four permanent…

8. Cuartel de Ballajá

1.13 MILES

Built in 1854 as a military barracks, the cuartel is an impressive three-story edifice with large gates on two ends, a series of arches and a large…

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