Reserva Natural Laguna de Joyuda

Puerto Rico

LoginSave

The heart of Playa de Joyuda's 300-acre Reserva Natural Laguna de Joyuda is a sizeable saltwater lagoon with a depth that rarely exceeds 4ft. The sanctuary is of great importance to waterfowl and other migratory birds that come here to prey on more than 40 species of fish. Humans come here for the same reason.

The reserve is also home to one of Puerto Rico’s famous bioluminescent bodies of water, like those in La Parguera and Vieques, but is free of commercial tourism. After dark, microorganisms give the dark water a green glow. Travelers with access to a kayak can launch a nighttime exploration of the lagoon; watch for the access road off Hwy 102 near Parador Perichi’s.

Adventures Tourmarine is the outfit to ask about renting kayaks to go out on the laguna (around US$45 for the day).

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Beautiful Gozalandia Waterfall in San Sebastian Puerto Rico at daylight

    Gozalandia

    19.62 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

    Iglesia de Porta Coeli

    9.91 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…

  • Playa Santa

    Playa Santa

    13.83 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

    Museo de Arte MUSA

    5.62 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

    Museo de Historía

    18.53 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…

  • Playa Survival

    Playa Survival

    26.01 MILES

    Even the surfers rarely make it to remote Playa Survival, best reached by a 45-minute walk west from Playa Shacks. The narrow strip of sand found…

  • Bosque Estatal de Guánica

    Bosque Estatal de Guánica

    23.83 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…

View more attractions

Nearby Puerto Rico attractions

1. Isla de Ratones

1.23 MILES

Just offshore, the tiny Isla de Ratones has a white sandy beach and is great for snorkeling. All local operators, including Adventures Tourmarine, will…

2. Bulevar Guanajibo

2.84 MILES

One of many secret sides to Mayagüez is this waterfront strip of rather lovely seafood restaurants, southwest of the center.

3. Museo de los Próceres

4.53 MILES

A grand, crisply renovated, colonnaded facade announces this engaging, well-curated museum. Its seven exhibition halls are dedicated to local heroes such…

4. Teatro Yagüez

5.15 MILES

This elegant edifice, originally dating from 1909 and rebuilt following a fire in the 1920s, was the brainchild of Francisco Maymón Palmer, who had…

5. Plaza Colón

5.18 MILES

Mayagüez' central square is one of Puerto Rico's most attractive and intimate, shaded by the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria on its east side…

7. Parque de los Próceres

5.52 MILES

Mayagüez can boast not just one but two of Puerto Rico's most alluring urban parks, and this serene green space, a few blocks northeast of Plaza Colón, is…

  • 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/playa-de-joyuda/attractions/reserva-natural-laguna-de-joyuda/a/poi-sig/1418730/358141",
  "destination": "Puerto-Rico",
  "continent": "Caribbean",
  "country": "Puerto-Rico",
  "position": "superzone"
}