The white cliffs
Above a blue sea.
R Torres — CC BY 2.0 · Serge Aucoin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Serge Aucoin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Felix Lopez — CC BY 2.0 · Mike Morel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Public domain
Mona Island is the third largest island of the Puerto Rican archipelago, about 11 km by 7 km, lying 66 km west of the main island in the passage between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Nobody lives here permanently, as it is a nature reserve of cliffs and caves, sometimes likened to the Galápagos. The Taíno lived here, and stone tools found on the island date to around 3000 BC. Its name comes from the title of a Taíno chief, and Columbus sighted it in 1494. It later became a stop for Spanish trading ships. Rangers and biologists from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources now watch over it, within the Mona and Monito reserve and national natural landmark. You see tall white cliffs falling straight into deep blue sea, long sand beaches such as Sardinera and caves holding Taíno carvings. The endemic Mona ground iguana roams here, large and found nowhere else, hawksbill turtles nest on the beaches and seabirds abound, while rich reefs lie offshore. You arrive by licensed boat from the west coast after getting a permit in advance from the department, and visitors are capped at about 100. You must bring everything, from food and water to camping gear. The crossing can be rough, so it does not suit anyone prone to seasickness. Keep away from the iguanas and do not feed them, follow the rangers and do not enter caves without a guide.
Above a blue sea.
Found nowhere else.
Long sand.
66 km west of Puerto Rico
Yes, from the natural resources department, well in advance.
No, so bring food, water and all gear.