List of beaches in Ponce, Puerto Rico facts for kids

Ponce, a city in Puerto Rico, is home to many beautiful beaches. There are 40 beaches in total! Twenty-eight of these are on the main island, and 12 are found on smaller islands nearby. The most famous island for beaches is Caja de Muertos, which is mostly empty and natural. This article will tell you about some of the most popular beaches in Ponce. We'll only talk about natural saltwater beaches.

All beaches in Ponce are open to everyone. However, the beach at the Club Nautico de Ponce is only for club members. Some public beaches are closed off to protect nature. For example, Playa Larga beach on Caja de Muertos is protected by law. Luckily, none of Ponce's beaches are known for being dangerous or having many drownings.

Some of the most loved beaches in Ponce include El Tuque Beach, located near highway PR-2 west of the city. There's also La Guancha Beach at the La Guancha complex, south of the city. On Caja de Muertos island, you'll find four amazing beaches: Playa Pelícano, Playa Larga, Playa Carrucho, and Playa Blanca.

Playa Pelícano beach was the first beach in Puerto Rico and the entire Caribbean to get the special Blue Flag Beach award. This award means it's super clean and well-managed. It's also the only beach in the world inside a nature reserve to get this award! Many beaches in Ponce are small and hidden. Locals often know about them, and you might need to drive on dirt roads to reach them. The coast in southwestern Puerto Rico is full of these secret sandy spots.

While some beaches like La Guancha and El Tuque are great for families, many others are perfect for sunbathing, relaxing, or just being alone. Some beaches are better for certain activities, like scuba diving. You can reach the beaches on Caja de Muertos by private boat. On weekends, there's a ferry that leaves early in the mornings from the La Guancha Boardwalk in Barrio Playa. Remember to make reservations!

The sand on Ponce's beaches comes from minerals carried by rivers flowing from the Cordillera Central mountains. This means the type of sand depends on the rocks the rivers pass through. Beaches west of Ponce, like El Tuque and Las Salinas, have mostly white sand. This sand is made of tiny pieces of coral and seashells. Beaches east of Ponce, such as La Guancha and the Hilton beach, have darker sand. This sand contains volcanic rock, quartz, and other dark minerals. So, mainland beaches often have dark sand, while the offshore islands have white sand.

Cool Beaches to Explore
- Beaches on the Main Island
- Beaches on Ponce's Islands
Images for kids
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Cool Beaches to Explore

This table lists some of the beaches in Ponce, showing where they are and what you can do there.

Beaches on the Main Island

No.	Beach Name	Length (m)	Neighborhood	Location	Map Coordinates	Fun Activities & Services	Special Notes
1	El Tuque; also known as Balneario El Tuque	1100	Canas	El Tuque, near PR-2, at km 200.1	17°58′21″N 066°40′43″W / 17.97250°N 66.67861°W / 17.97250; -66.67861	Hiking; Swimming; Boating; Fishing; Snorkeling; Scuba Diving; Hiking
2	Punta Salinera	unknown	Canas	Southwest of Laguna Las Salinas on PR-2, km 200.2	17°58′1.67″N 066°40′18.37″W / 17.9671306°N 66.6717694°W / 17.9671306; -66.6717694	Hiking; Sunbathing
3	Las Salinas	unknown	Canas	South of Laguna Las Salinas on PR-2, km 200.2	17°58′07″N 066°40′00″W / 17.96861°N 66.66667°W / 17.96861; -66.66667	Hiking; Sunbathing
4	Cañas	1100	Canas	Between Punta Cucharas and the jetty west of the Ponce water plant. You can get there from PR-2 & Ave. Punto Oro.	17°58′42″N 066°39′07″W / 17.97833°N 66.65194°W / 17.97833; -66.65194	Swimming; Hiking; Sunbathing
5	Matilde	unknown	Canas	South of the Ponce water treatment plant, west of Río Matilde. Follow the road to the water plant from PR-2 and PR-9.	17°58′51″N 066°38′28″W / 17.98083°N 66.64111°W / 17.98083; -66.64111	Hiking
6	Chencha; also known as "El Tubo"	500	Playa	Between Río Matilde and the breakwater at Ocean View Restaurant. Get there from PR-585, then Ave. Los Meros.	17°58′55″N 066°38′11″W / 17.98194°N 66.63639°W / 17.98194; -66.63639	Hiking; Fishing
7	Los Meros	500	Playa	Between the breakwater at Ocean View Restaurant and the Villa Pesquera fishing piers. Access from PR-585, then Ave. Los Meros.	17°58′57″N 066°37′44″W / 17.98250°N 66.62889°W / 17.98250; -66.62889	Hiking; Fishing
8	Playa de Ponce	unknown	Playa	Between the Villa Pesquera fishing piers and the Ave. Hostos Final pier. At the very end of PR-585.	17°58′51″N 066°37′23″W / 17.98083°N 66.62306°W / 17.98083; -66.62306	Hiking; Sunbathing
9	El Malecón	unknown	Playa	At Parque Pasivo Enrique Gonzalez on Calle Bonaire, two blocks south of Avenida Hostos (PR-123) in barrio Playa de Ponce.	17°58′45″N 066°37′11″W / 17.97917°N 66.61972°W / 17.97917; -66.61972	Swimming	This is also where the Cruce a Nado Internacional swimming race finishes.
10	Club Náutico de Ponce	unknown	Playa	On Isla de Gatas, inside the Club Náutico de Ponce property, across from La Guancha Boardwalk. You can get there via PR-12.	17°57′49″N 066°37′10″W / 17.96361°N 66.61944°W / 17.96361; -66.61944	Swimming; Sunbathing	This beach is part of a private club.
11	La Guancha; also known as Playa Carenero	850	Playa	At the La Guancha Recreational and Cultural Complex, at the very end of PR-12.	17°57′50″N 066°36′43″W / 17.96389°N 66.61194°W / 17.96389; -66.61194	Swimming; Restrooms; Playground; Lookout tower; Sunbathing; Hiking
12	Playa del Hilton	unknown	Playa	At the Hotel Ponce Hilton, west of Río Bucaná. You can get there through Hilton Ponce Golf and Casino Resort, PR-12 South to Avenida Caribe.	17°58′10″N 066°36′08″W / 17.96944°N 66.60222°W / 17.96944; -66.60222	Swimming; Hiking; Sunbathing
13	Punta Cabuyón; also known as Playa Punta Cabullones.	325	Vayas	Just west of Punta de Cabullones. Accessed from Barrio Bucana through the Santa Cruz community (the road turns to dirt).	17°58′15″N 066°35′38″W / 17.97083°N 66.59389°W / 17.97083; -66.59389	Swimming; Hiking; Sunbathing	This area has been a nature reserve since December 31, 2016.
14	Vayas	2200	Vayas	In the Quinta Esperanza area, across from Cayo Desgraciado. Accessed from PR-1 to Calle La Esperanza (the road turns to dirt).	17°58′1″N 066°34′08″W / 17.96694°N 66.56889°W / 17.96694; -66.56889	Swimming; Hiking; Sunbathing

Beaches on Ponce's Islands

No.	Beach Name	Length (m)	Neighborhood	Location	Map Coordinates	Fun Activities & Services	Special Notes
				Beaches at Isla de Ratones
15	Isla de Ratones	unknown	Canas	On Isla de Ratones. You can get there by kayak from Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas or by boat from the marina west of Punta Cucharas on PR-2.	17°57′08″N 066°40′51″W / 17.95222°N 66.68083°W / 17.95222; -66.68083	Swimming; Hiking; Fishing
				Beaches at Isla Cardona
16	Isla Cardona	unknown	Playa	On Isla Cardona. You can get there by kayak or boat.	17°57′28″N 066°38′11″W / 17.95778°N 66.63639°W / 17.95778; -66.63639	Swimming; Hiking	This is also where the Cruce a Nado Internacional swimming race starts.
				Beaches at Caja de Muertos
17	Pelícano	300	Playa	On Caja de Muertos; located on the western side of the island, between the boat dock and Cerro Morrillo. You can get there by ferry from La Guancha Boardwalk.	17°53′08″N 066°31′41″W / 17.88556°N 66.52806°W / 17.88556; -66.52806	Hiking; Swimming; Sunbathing; Snorkeling; Scuba Diving; Picnicking; Fishing; Lifeguards; Visitor's Center; Restrooms	This beach has a Blue Flag award!
18	Guardia Costanera	unknown	Playa	On Caja de Muertos; located on the northwest side of the island (facing Ponce). You can get there by ferry from La Guancha Boardwalk.	17°53′45″N 066°40′43″W / 17.89583°N 66.67861°W / 17.89583; -66.67861	Hiking; Swimming; Sunbathing; Snorkeling; Scuba Diving
19	Blanca	unknown	Playa	On Caja de Muertos; located on the northwest side of the island (facing Ponce). You can get there by ferry from La Guancha Boardwalk.	17°53′56″N 066°31′12″W / 17.89889°N 66.52000°W / 17.89889; -66.52000	Hiking; Swimming; Sunbathing; Snorkeling; Scuba Diving
20	Carrucho also known as Playa Chica	unknown	Playa	On Caja de Muertos; located at Punta Carrucho, on the northeast end of the island, facing the Puerto Rico mainland. You can get there by ferry from La Guancha Boardwalk.	17°54′09″N 066°30′46″W / 17.90250°N 66.51278°W / 17.90250; -66.51278	Hiking; Swimming; Sunbathing; Snorkeling; Scuba Diving
21	Ensenadita also known as Playa Pocitas	unknown	Playa	On Caja de Muertos, located on the southeastern side of the island, facing the open Caribbean Sea. You can get there by ferry from La Guancha Boardwalk.	17°53′38″N 066°30′54″W / 17.89389°N 66.51500°W / 17.89389; -66.51500	Hiking; Swimming; Sunbathing; Snorkeling; Scuba Diving
22	Larga	unknown	Playa	On Caja de Muertos, located on the south-southeast side of the island. You can get there by ferry from La Guancha Boardwalk.	17°53′08″N 066°31′38″W / 17.88556°N 66.52722°W / 17.88556; -66.52722	Hiking; Swimming; Sunbathing; Snorkeling; Scuba Diving	This beach is protected, so no walking on it. You can snorkel and scuba dive offshore. It's located between Cerro Morrillo and Caja de Muertos Light.