Refugio de Boquerón

Puerto Rico

The Refugio de Boquerón is the western outpost of the Bosque Estatal de Boquerón, a 400-acre patch of mangrove wetlands that mostly spreads south of Boquerón town and immediately east of the Balneario Boquerón. This is an excellent area for birdwatching; more than 60 species are commonly sighted, including migratory ducks, ospreys and mangrove canary.

The Refugio de Boquerón is the best and easiest part of the Bosque Estatal de Boquerón to visit, as it's right next to town, the entrance being a little further north along Rte 101 from Galloway's Bar & Restaurant.

The main office can provide information on the refugio and has a 700ft walkway leading into the mangroves. Or stop at Km 1.1 just off Rte 101 and start walking along the trail you see there. Insect repellent is a must-carry, as is water, and always watch where you put your feet: tiny crabs scuttle about.

An excellent way to get a different perspective on this sanctuary is to rent a kayak and paddle south across Bahía de Boquerón (Boquerón Bay), where lovely views of the coastal side of the refugio open up.

Contact

Address

Km 1.1, Rte 101

Suggest an edit to this attraction

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Gozalandia
26.32 MILES
Sometimes a little piece of paradise lies in store in the least obvious of locales, and Gozalandia is San Sebastián's: a flurry of dramatic cascades,…
Iglesia de Porta Coeli
9.27 MILES
This small, squat building might not look like much from the outside, but it is actually one of the oldest surviving ecclesial buildings in the Americas…
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Iris L. Alameda Martínez de Boquerón
0.48 MILES
Drive south from Boquerón along Hwy 301 and you will arrive at the main entrance to this reserve at Km 1.1, an area encompassing beguiling mangrove forest…
Playa Santa
5.47 MILES
From the same parking space as that of Los Morrillos Lighthouse, or from another further on down the track bending left from the lighthouse-approach track…
Museo de Arte MUSA
13.75 MILES
This brilliant, bold art space is the best museum west of Ponce. Opened in 2016, it focuses on work by Puerto Rican and Latin American artists from the…
Museo de Historía
25.03 MILES
Well worth stopping off at on your way elsewhere, this ornate mint-green turn-of-the-century edifice has been impressively refurbished to grace San…
Bosque Estatal de Guánica
19.85 MILES
The immense 10,000-acre expanse of the Guánica Biosphere Reserve is one of the island's great natural treasures. Located in two wonderfully untrammeled…
Balneario Boquerón
0.9 MILES
Fanning out immediately south of Boquerón town, the Balneario Boquerón arguably ranks among the best public beach facilities in Puerto Rico. The mile-long…

View more attractions

Nearby Puerto Rico attractions

1. Refugio de Vida Silvestre Iris L. Alameda Martínez de Boquerón

0.48 MILES

Drive south from Boquerón along Hwy 301 and you will arrive at the main entrance to this reserve at Km 1.1, an area encompassing beguiling mangrove forest…

2. Balneario Boquerón

0.9 MILES

Fanning out immediately south of Boquerón town, the Balneario Boquerón arguably ranks among the best public beach facilities in Puerto Rico. The mile-long…

3. Centro de Visitantes de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Cabo Rojo

2.22 MILES

The turnoff to this refuge is about half a mile north of the Hwy 301 turnoff to El Combate. Its visitors center contains displays on local wildlife and…

4. Playa Buyé

3.65 MILES

Playa Buyé is a small palm-fringed beach that’s about 3 miles north of Boquerón off Hwy 307. It's got a distinctly more wild, timeless and paradisaical…

5. Laguna Cartagena

4.08 MILES

This lake, popular for fishing, abuts a tract of Refugio de Vida Silvestre Iris L. Alameda Martínez de Boquerón. It's accessed by a long straight track…

6. Playa Combate

4.16 MILES

This is the long golden strip of sand heading south from Annie's Place at the point where Hwy 3301 hits the sea. Walk a short distance along and you'll…

7. Corozo Salt Flats

4.54 MILES

Vast salt flats surround the rocky, dramatic narrow peninsula that heralds the approach to the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico. These are truly…

8. Lookout Tower

4.55 MILES

If you catch it open, this lookout tower gives some bracing views across the Corozo Salt Flats, from opposite the Centro Interpretativo Las Salinas de…

View more attractions

placement: superzone
path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],

targeting:

{
  "url": "puerto-rico/southern-and-western-puerto-rico/boqueron/attractions/refugio-de-boqueron/a/poi-sig/1418747/358133",
  "destination": "Puerto-Rico",
  "continent": "Caribbean",
  "country": "Puerto-Rico",
  "position": "superzone"
}