An uninhabited white-sand cay in a nature reserve 1.5 miles off Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
Snorkel over the reef, wade ashore through glass-clear shallows and spend the afternoon on a beach with no road and no buildings.
Beach time, spelled outHours on the sand, not just trip length
Every boat side by sideWater taxi, catamaran, motorboat, private
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every trip here
Snorkel gear includedMask and snorkel on every Icacos trip listed
Boat trips
Choose your Icacos boat tour
In the centre, the full-day sailing catamaran out of Puerto del Rey. Either side, a four-hour power catamaran
with two stops, and the water taxi that leaves you on the sand the longest. Every card opens a full tour page.
Four hours on a 41-foot power catamaran with a shaded cabin: one stop to snorkel a reef, one to swim and walk the sand. There is no dock at the beach, so you wade.
A big sailing catamaran out of Puerto del Rey, a beach stop on the cay and a second swim over the reef. The captain usually picks Icacos, but can switch to Lobos or Palominos.
A short water taxi hop from Las Croabas that drops you on Icacos and fetches you later. Umbrellas, a cooler and snorkel gear wait on the sand; a guided snorkel and a hike are optional.
Three questions sort it out. How long do you want on the sand? Do you want a crew, a bar and a restroom, or
just a ride? And are you starting in Fajardo or in San Juan?
Every trip here cancels free up to 24 hours before. The catamarans and motorboats bring lunch,
drinks and a restroom; on the water taxi package the island is the whole day and you bring your own food.
Before you book
Nothing on the island, everything on the boat.
Icacos is the largest of the uninhabited cays in the La Cordillera Reef Nature Reserve, a chain of islets, reefs and
rocks that runs from the tip of Fajardo towards Culebra. It is small, about 0.66 square kilometres, flat, and fringed with
white sand and sea grape. There is no dock for the tour boats, no bathroom, no food stand and no lifeguard.
That is why the choice of boat matters more than the choice of island. A catamaran or motorboat anchors a few
metres off the beach and becomes your shade, kitchen, bar and restroom for the day; you swim or wade ashore. A water taxi
drops you on the sand and comes back later, so you trade those comforts for the most time on the island. Read the hours,
then read what is on board.
15
Minutes by water taxi from Las Croabas to the beach. The island has no
bathrooms, shops or lifeguards, so whatever you need for the day comes on the boat or in your bag.
Water taxiSailing catamaranPower catamaranPrivate charter
Boats anchor in the shallows off the beach; there is no pier for the tour boats.
01
How long is the ride?
About 15 minutes by water taxi from Las Croabas, about 45 under sail from Puerto del Rey.
02
Do I land on a dock?
No. Boats anchor off the beach and you swim or wade in, so pack shoes that can get wet.
03
Is it always Icacos?
Usually. The full-day catamaran's captain may switch to Lobos or Palominos on the day.
04
Who should skip it?
Anyone who cannot climb a boat ladder or wade. Several listings also rule out pregnancy and back or heart problems.
Your day
How an Icacos boat day runs
Four to seven hours from dock to dock, depending on the boat. This is the shape of most trips.
01
Check in at the marina
Fajardo, not San Juan. The catamarans ask you to arrive 45 minutes early; the power catamaran closes check-in 15 minutes before.
45 to 60 minutes early
02
Cross to the cay
A quick hop from Las Croabas or a longer sail from the bigger marinas to the south, with El Yunque's ridges behind you.
15 to 45 minutes
03
Snorkel the reef
Most boats stop over a reef first. The crew hands out masks, snorkels and floats and stays in the water with nervous swimmers.
About 1 to 2 hours
04
Beach and lunch
Lunch on board, then the sand. On the full-day catamaran the listing gives about 1.5 hours on the beach.
1.5 hours to most of the day
Plan your trip
Plan your Icacos day
Season, what to pack, ages and fitness, and the reserve's rules: one tab each.
December to April: the dry season and the calmest bet for clear water. Book ahead for holiday weeks.
December to February: humpback whales pass through the reserve; sightings are a bonus, never a promise.
1 June to 30 November: Atlantic hurricane season, with its peak around 10 September. Trips still run on most days; keep the free cancellation window in mind.
Weekdays: quieter than weekends, when local boats raft up off the beach.
Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and a cover-up: there is no permanent shade on the cay.
A towel, water shoes or sandals that can get wet, and a dry bag for your phone.
Photo ID: several catamaran listings ask for a passport or ID card.
Cash for tips, and for walk-up water taxis at Las Croabas. Full list in what to do on Icacos.
Minimum ages differ by boat: 2 on the power catamaran, 3 on the water taxi package, 4 on the full-day catamaran.
You need to climb a boat ladder and wade or swim a short way to the beach.
Several listings rule out pregnancy and back or heart problems.
Life vests and floats are on board; weak swimmers can snorkel holding a float. See Icacos with kids.
Icacos sits in the La Cordillera Reef Nature Reserve, managed by Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
Do not touch or stand on coral, and leave shells, plants and wildlife where they are.
Take every piece of trash back to the boat; there are no bins on the island.
Day visits only. Some boats also ban coolers, glass and speakers on board.
Las CroabasAbout 15 minWater taxis from the small fishing bay by Kayak Village, the closest launch to the cay.
Puerto del ReyAbout 45 minThe big sailing catamarans, from one of the largest marinas in the Caribbean.
Villa Marina & moreIn betweenMotorboats and the slide cruise from Villa Marina, Puerto Chico and Sunbay.
On the islandNo facilitiesNo bathrooms, food stands or shade. The boat or your bag covers the day.
SnorkelGear includedMasks and snorkels on every Icacos trip here; floats on most.
Refund24 hoursFree cancellation up to a day before, on every trip on this site.
Where it happens
Where the boats leave
Fajardo, about an hour from San Juan
Las Croabas (Kayak Village), Villa Marina, Marina Puerto Chico, Sunbay Marina and Puerto del Rey Marina
Every Icacos trip starts on the Fajardo coast at the northeast corner of Puerto Rico. Water taxis use the little bay at
Las Croabas, the closest point to the cay. The tour boats sit in the marinas a few minutes further south, and the biggest
catamarans sail from Puerto del Rey. Your booking names the exact dock, and several trips offer hotel pickup.
San Juan to Fajardo: about 1 hour by road
Las Croabas to Icacos: about 15 minutes by boat
Puerto del Rey to Icacos: about 45 minutes under sail
The island fills the day; the bay fills the night. This kayak trip leaves from the same Las Croabas lot as the water taxi, paddles a mangrove channel at sunset and sits in Laguna Grande while the water sparkles with every stroke. The glow is stronger on dark, moonless nights.
Every Icacos trip sells the same photo: a white boat, a white beach, water the colour of a swimming pool.
What differs is the boat, the clock and what is waiting for you on the sand.
What Icacos is
Cayo Icacos is a small, flat, uninhabited cay about 1.5 miles off Fajardo, the largest of the empty islets in the
La Cordillera Reef Nature Reserve. The reserve has been protected since the late 1970s and is managed today by Puerto Rico's
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Its waters hold more than 80 species of fish, sea turtles, and in winter,
passing humpback whales.
On land there is a long beach, sea grape, a handful of palms, low scrub and rocky points. On the south side you can still
find what is left of a limestone quarry that once ran a short railroad down to its pier. Nobody lives here, and nothing is for sale.
No pier for the tour boats: you climb down and wade in.
Water taxi or tour boat
A water taxi from Las Croabas is the short, simple version: about 15 minutes across, then the island is yours until the
boat comes back. The beach day package adds umbrellas, a cooler of drinks and
snorkel gear, plus an optional guided snorkel and a 45-minute hike. You bring the food and you live without a restroom.
The tour boats are the opposite trade. The full-day catamaran sails about
45 minutes each way, serves a barbecue lunch and drinks on board, and gives you about an hour and a half on the beach plus a
long swim over the reef. The Double Dip power catamaran fits a reef
stop and a beach stop into four hours, with a shaded cabin and a freshwater shower.
The honest small print: trip length is not beach time. A six-hour catamaran day can mean about
90 minutes on the sand, and the biggest boat's captain may anchor off Lobos or Palominos instead of Icacos. Each of our
tour pages puts the time ashore first.
The reef and the shallows
The calm side of the cay has knee-deep water over white sand that stays shallow a long way out, which is where families
settle. The snorkelling is on the reef patches around the island, where parrotfish, sergeant majors and the odd ray turn up.
Most tour boats run their snorkel stop with the crew in the water and floats for weaker swimmers. Currents off the points can
surprise you, and there is no lifeguard, so stay where the crew can see you.
Reef stops are where the snorkelling happens; touching coral is off limits in the reserve.
Timing it
December to April is the dry season and the safest bet for flat water. Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November,
with the peak around 10 September; trips still go out on most days, but book with the free cancellation window in mind.
Weekends bring the local boats and the music. A weekday morning is the quietest Icacos you will get.
The shallows on the calm side stay knee-deep a long way out.
Straight answers to what people ask most about getting to Icacos.
Can I take a boat ride to Icacos Island?
Yes, and a boat is the only way there. Water taxis leave from Las Croabas in Fajardo, and catamarans and motorboats leave from the Fajardo marinas: Puerto del Rey, Villa Marina, Puerto Chico and Sunbay. Every trip on this site includes the ride both ways. Start with how to get to Icacos.
How long is the boat ride to Icacos?
About 15 minutes by water taxi from Las Croabas, which is the closest launch. The big sailing catamaran from Puerto del Rey takes about 45 minutes each way, because the marina sits further south. Motorboats from Villa Marina are in between.
How much is a water taxi to Icacos?
Fares change with the season, the operator and how many of you share the boat, so we do not print them. The water taxi beach day shows the live fare for your date. Discover Puerto Rico advises carrying cash for walk-up water taxis at Las Croabas, since not every captain takes cards. More in the water taxi guide.
Can you drive to Cayo Icacos?
No. Icacos is an island about 1.5 miles off the coast, with no bridge and no road. You drive to Fajardo, about an hour east of San Juan, and take a boat from there. Without a car, the San Juan day trip collects you from your hotel.
Is there a ferry to Icacos Island?
No public ferry goes to Icacos. The government ferries run from Ceiba to Vieques and Culebra, not to the Cordillera cays. For Icacos you book a water taxi, a tour boat or a private charter.
Is there anything on Icacos Island?
Sand, sea grape, a few palms, a reef, and the remains of an old limestone quarry on the south side. There are no bathrooms, food stands, chairs, shops or lifeguards, and no permanent shade. The boats bring the lunch, the drinks and the restroom. See what to do on Icacos.
Which is better, Vieques or Icacos?
They are different trips. Vieques is a lived-in island with towns, hotels and a bioluminescent bay, worth two nights. Icacos is an empty cay for one beach day. With a single free day in Fajardo, Icacos wins on time. Compare them in Icacos, Vieques, Culebra or Palomino.
Is Icacos or Palomino better?
Icacos is part of a public nature reserve; Palominos is privately owned and linked to the El Conquistador resort. Most shared boats go to Icacos. The private half-day charter lets you pick either on the day.
How far is Icacos Island from San Juan?
About an hour by road to Fajardo, then 15 to 45 minutes by boat depending on where you leave from. Plan on a full day out of San Juan; the van and boat package from San Juan runs about seven hours.
What is the worst time to go to Icacos?
Weekends and holidays, when local party boats crowd the anchorage, and the peak of hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November with its peak around 10 September. Weekday mornings from December to April are the calmest bet.
Can I cancel an Icacos boat tour?
Every trip on this site cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start. If the captain cancels for weather or sea conditions, you get a refund or a new date. Late arrivals count as no-shows on several listings.
Ready to book
Pick your boat, pick your beach time.
Snorkel gear on every trip, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Half day
★ 4.94 hoursFree cancellation
