Isla Cardona is a tiny island located just over one nautical mile south of La Guancha in Ponce. This uninhabited island offers visitors a few diversions besides a beautiful white sand beach. It is a small island that can be walked on foot and will take no more than 15 minutes to walk around the entire place. There is a lighthouse in the middle of the island, short trails for exploring and a few coral reefs all around the island for great snorkeling. 

We started off from San Juan at 6:30am and got to Ponce by 8am, including a short stop at burger king for breakfast. We booked our boat ride through Waterland Adventures a couple of weeks ago, since we had booked for the first holiday of Semana Santa.

The Trip

We got there at around 8:10am on the far west side of the La Guancha boardwalk where all the kiosks are lined up. It was a small boat that could fit around 25 people maximum with seating for about 15. Prior to getting on the boat, there is a guy that crosses off the internet booking and carries all the belongings. We had our beach chairs, coolers with drinks, and everything that we needed for the day. Waterland Adventures recommends bringing your own food and drinks for the day.

Once on the boat, it is a super short ride to the island. It probably will feel like 10 minutes, but it may be even shorter. On our trip, there were a few people standing, since there were not enough seats, but that was not a problem, since the ride was short!

Once you get to Isla Cardona, there is no dock, so they anchor as close as possible to the island and you have to jump into the water. You will get wet, so have cell phones and valuables in a plastic bag. In order to unload the luggage, the staff will ask you to participate in a line that stretches from the boat to the tip of the beach. Everyone’s luggage will be passed from one person to the other until it gets to dry land again. Rest assured, our stuff stayed dry and everyone helped out.

The Island

Right in front of where we anchored, there was a picnic table with loud music (reggaeton, salsa, latin pop). There was a group of people camping on the island with a generator. I was told from the staff that camping is technically not allowed, but perhaps, the law has relaxed. This island is administered by the Puerto Rican government and there was a fee of $3, which was included in the tour price.

The island can easily fit a few hundred people and we hung out on the other side of the island with white sand. We set up camp about 25 meters from the music, since we wanted to enjoy the music, while sipping on our drinks.

The tour company offers snorkeling and two of our friends went on the tour and absolutely loved it. I should have gone, but will have to try it out next time. They told me that there were plenty of fish, the reef in tact and alive, and a wonderful one hour after all. I believe you can bring your own gear if you want to do it yourself, but if you do not have it, they rent gears.

The tour company also provides a tour to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is on the center of the island and it was roughly a 3-minute walk from where we were sitting. We went there for about 30 minutes and took pictures from the top of the lighthouse. It was a nice view!

We enjoyed the beach for the entire afternoon and left on the 3:30 boat. The tour usually lasts for about 7 hours, but I think if there is space in later ferries, you may be possible to extend the stay. In our case, we gave them a good tip to leave on the 5:30 boat. We did not have to pay any tip, but it was nice of them to accept the additional 2-hour stay.

 

 

Once we got back to shore, the staff helped us unload our luggage and we loaded our stuff into the car and spent another 3 more hours at the kiosks. What I really liked about the trip was that it was a short ride to a beautiful island and not having to be on a boat for more than 1 hour, in the case of other islands in Puerto Rico. We were able to bring our own food and drinks, which reduces the cost substantially and finally, we enjoyed the ambience at the kiosks right after we returned to Ponce, since this is something that you have to experience. There is a nice boardwalk with lots of restaurants with great music. They have very good drinks at the bars and I loved the pina coladas.

 

 

Waterland Adventure Offers

Waterland Adventures offers various packages on their website.

• “basic package” includes only transportation to/from Isla Cardona which is $23.
• “snorkel package” includes everything in basic + the use of snorkel gear, life jacket, orientation to snorkeling, the guided snorkel tour, and guided tour to the lighthouse.
• “all inclusive package” includes everything in the snorkel package + a light lunch with drinks (I believe no alcohol), beach chair, and beach umbrella for the day.

Regardless of the package you choose, you are allowed to bring whatever you want to the island. Therefore, you can choose the “basic package” and bring everything else with you. Make sure you bring your sunglasses, sunblock, after sun, and all the goodies with you. There are no shops or places to purchase anything on the island. If you don’t bring them with you, you will be screwed. Perhaps, the tour company may sell or rent them for a minimal fee. FYI, the island has no facilities, so if you need to do a number 2, you can use the tour company’s toilet or go far into the ocean. You will not need sneakers for the short hike around the island, flip flops will serve its purpose.

Visited on March 31, 2018.