Black Sand Beach

Lovely, quiet beach. Don’t expect black sands like that of Iceland - there are merely some black patches Requires a ~8 minute walk to get here

Beautiful beach for sunset. Very romantic :) 10-15 min walk through wet beach forest to get there. Wear water shoes and something to cover your and and legs while you walk to protect from the biting insects. We thought it was worth the walk. Not too crowded and very unique black sand.

The hike to get to this beach was about 15 minutes and pretty easy. Worth it to see such a breathtaking beach. We did not swim and we had the beach all to ourselves for about an hour. Another family arrived and they were swimming. Bring anything you will need with you since there is nothing out there but the beautiful beach. The black sand sparkles in the sunlight and it is incredible. Worth a visit.

We stayed longer than planned, peaceful 10-15 minutes to get to the beach from the trailhead. Bring water shoes or sandals at least to make the trek down to the beach. The black sand is super dense and if it looks like there is not that much black sand… it is there, but under the top sand that has came in over the last high tide. When you swim there, be careful as there is close reefs. The water here actually sparkles from some of the sediments from the black sand. Kinda glistens like gold in a snow globe. It was a beautiful spot I will never forget.

There is a parking lot to your right (coming from Esperanza). It is about 1/2 mile walk to the beach from there. The trail is mostly sand and due to recent rain had a lot of puddles when we were there. The beach itself is black streaked. Some area to hang out if you wanted to stay here but there at least a half dozen beaches on the island that were much nicer. If you have never been to a black sand beach, or you want to see a lot of crabs, it might be worth it. Otherwise I would cut this from your itinerary.

Really cool trail down to the beach. 100s of crabs en route and a mongoose. Once you get to the beach walk along for some better sand. Wouldn’t swim here as there’s a big ledge under the water.

Super worth the trip the black sand was very cool to see and the experience overall was great the short hike it was very cool and very fun and the it opens up to an amazing beach!

Black Sand Beach, or Playa Negra in Vieques, is a true hidden gem and one of the most unique beaches in Puerto Rico. The dark, volcanic sand makes it unlike any other beach on the island — it feels almost magical as you walk along the shoreline surrounded by cliffs and lush greenery. The contrast of the black sand against the blue ocean creates an incredible view that’s perfect for photos. The beach is peaceful and not overly crowded, which makes it a great spot if you’re looking for something more quiet and natural. Getting there does require a short hike through a trail, but it’s part of the adventure and completely worth it once you arrive. While it’s not really a swimming beach due to stronger currents, it’s the perfect place to relax, walk, and take in the stunning scenery. It’s also a reminder of Puerto Rico’s volcanic history, making it both beautiful and fascinating. If you’re visiting Vieques, Black Sand Beach is a must-see — it’s not just a beach, it’s an unforgettable experience.

The walk from the main road to the beach is maybe 0.3miles (roughly 10 mins walk) - so not bad for most. It's unfortunate that from my experience, I felt I had been misinformed about Playa Negra. There was a portion of the beach that had the darker/black coloured sand. But to me, the majority of the beach was the regular colour of the sand in Vieques, and the water seemed a little rougher than along other parts of the island. What was beautiful was having a wild horse walk up to me to say hello when I first got to the beach! That was definitely the perk of my visit!

Playa Negra is a beautiful secluded beach on the island of Vieques. You do have to take a ferry from the main island to visit this beach. At the ferry terminal, you can get a taxi that will bring you here for about $15 or so. Once you arrive at the "Playa Negra" sign, there is a short hike through a swampy region to get to the actual beach. The entire beach is not covered with black sand, only portions of it - at least the day I visited. It was not crowded at all. It was very scenic and calm!

Playa Negra is featured in the tourism marketing for Vieques and you'll instantly recognize the beach once you arrive. My wife, two teenage sons, and I parked our rental car in the mini-parking lot up the hill. We took the walking trail (about 15 minutes to the beach from the mini-parking lot) which descends to a wooded area. At the end of the trail, you'll see a private beach with the cliffs to the left and the pretty water straight ahead. I would recommend walking along the right side to get a better view of the cliffs and black sands. Watch your step - tour groups with horses will sometimes use this same trail. Overall, this beach is worth a photo - but is not conductive to a full day visit because the waves can be a bit rough. It's a pleasant hike to view the beach before returning to your rental car. Including the walk down to the beach, I would allocate about 1.5 to 2 hours for a leisurely visit.

Worth the drive and totally worth the hike to get here! Beautiful terrain and cool spider webs, complete with huge spiders! This secluded spot is incredibly cool. The water is warm, the sands are black, the high rocks are beautiful, and the black pebbles and seashells are abundant.

This was such a unique experience! It was about a 15 minute walk to the beach through the jungle and not too strenuous of a hike. The beach was private and beautiful with clear water! It's not ideal for an entire beach day, but would be good for beach hopping or a picnic. There were also wild horses next to the beach when we came and one of the younger horses rolled around in the sand like a dog.

Incredibly beautiful. The beach has a bunch of little coves that you can set yourself up in and hang out all day. The sand is very soft. Beach is clean. Water is clear.

In A Nutshell: -The Black Sand Beach does have black sand, just not as much as you would have imagined as you walk down the trail towards it. -As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the walk towards the beach more than the black sand itself. -I was able to see a huge hermit crab walking along and a couple of iguana's partaking in some adult activities ;) -Parking was very, very minimal, but luckily I was on a scooter so space wasn't an issue. Overall, I guess if you really want to see some black sand then SURE go ahead and check it out. It takes about 15 minutes to get to it.

A pretty overlook, but not a place to play in the water. Waves are breaking right on the rocky shore.

This was the best beach of our entire visit to Puerto Rico and Vieques. If you cannot read your tourist map, enter "Gallery Galleon" into your GPS and you will get here just fine. There is a parking "lot" just a minute walk from the entrance to the trail. Enough room to park for about 10 cars. Walk from the lot back across the street to the left, past the gallery and between the guardrail and chain link fence. You really cannot miss it. The walk down to the beach is about 10 minutes along a dried up creek bed. The only "tricky" part is walking down the initial rocky hill. After that, it is just a sandy walk with a couple of tree roots to climb over. Very shaded and peaceful walk. The beach was deserted except for one other family. The black sand is very fine. There are no rocks or seaweed on the beach or in the water. There were very small waves, no undercurrent. Just the best place to stand in the water up to your neck and relax. The 10 minute walk was definitely worth it.

Vieques (island) is awesome. The equivalent to escaping the city at home and heading to the San Juan Islands. Black Sand Beach is a little hard to find since google maps takes you to the incorrect entrance. Luckily, a fed-up local has put up a sign on their property that says NO ENTRY TO BLACK SAND BEACH. Just wish they had put an arrow about which way to go. Vieques is FULL of free-roaming horses. They cross the roads willy-nilly, and will even meet you on the path heading to Black Sand! The short hike through the trees to the beach was beautiful too. Though the section we ended up at didn't have a ton of black sand so it sounds like we didn't go far enough to get the seaweedy, black sand-side since our views were of clear water and breathtaking views...until we met an errant nude sunbather...ellipses ellipses ellipses... Worth seeing if you like horses, short hikes, and great scenery! (Sans nude sunbathers.)

Quiet beach with not a lot of bells and whistles. The beach is gorgeous with clear bright blue waters. You can rent a cabana for $20 a day or camp there. There is love rock that attracts fish. The beach is pretty clean.

So different! Gorgeous to take in but not for swimming. A lot of seaweed wrapped up in the break to wade through. Anyways, when you arrive, the magnetic black sand is to the right side. It Super Super soft and I read that you should treat this beach like a spa. Exfoliate yourself with it and even bury your body in it for 40 minutes bc the naturally occurring magnetite is known for aligning the body. Or do what I did and have yourself a photoshoot! The beach takes beautiful photos. These with my cell phone! Located on the south side of Vieques. Rt 996 mile marker 7.0. Just before the galleria. 10 minute walk down a trail to the beach.

Black Sand Beach - Playa Negra This place isn't the easiest to get to & kind of off the beaten path for beaches in Vieques but it's worth the time to come out and have a look. To find it, head to the Gallery Galleon (you can find it on the Vieques tourist map that the rental car companies give you) The entrance is just before the gallery. The only real marking is a spray painted light pole to indicate the entrance. You have to walk maybe a 1/2 mile down creek/drainage slough to get there. The path is flat wide and very easy. I wouldn't suggest being Indiana Jones and try 4 wheeling your rental jeep down there because in more than one place trees are in the way. When you get closer to the ocean and if you look ahead there are dozens of crabs that hide out in their little holes. Once you get even kind of close they dart back into the hole. So for your 15 minute walk you are rewarded with a very cool beach that has both normal sand and areas of black sand. I don't know what the sand is made of but it's heavy. The beach portion is pretty short/small. We didn't stick around and try to snorkel or swim, just check it out, take some pictures and head out. Once you're back at the car, you can wander over to check out the Gallery Galleon or if you want to try another beach that doesn't have a lot of people just continue down route 201 until you reach Playa Grande.

This is a must see! It is a solid 10.5 min walk in. Be careful walking out with wet sandals the last up hill to the road is steeper than you think. You walk on a sandy riverbed that twists and turns something out of Indiana jones. Check the tides of you can, high tied doesn't leave much beach space. We arrived at 09:30 with enough beach to walk a little but no place to lay out. This was something I have never seen before and glad we went! Park just up the street across from the gallery plenty of dirt space to leave a jeep

Visited here this past week. It is not a beach to spend time at. It's more a place to see. There isn't room to put down a towel and hang out as the beach is smaller now after he hurricane. The trail there is a bit of a hike/walk. But it is BEAUTIFUL! so glad we got to see it.

We had to walk like 15 minutes to get to this gorgeous place but it was worth it , it was so peaceful and clean !!

Beautiful and hidden. 15 min walk wear tennis shoes. The waves are to strong to get in the water. The beach isn't groomed so tons of seaweed. Itsy beach area. We took a few pics and left.

Truly a hidden gem. The hike is not that bad. It was a brisk 10 minute walk down hill and a 15 minute walk up hill. You won't find to many people on this beach as most people do not want to actually have to walk/drive to this location.

I'm rating the beach 5 because of the its isolation and views. It's about a quarter mile hike through a creek with sketchy walking trail so be prepared to get a little sweaty. The beach it self does have black sand but it's all completely black. But if your looking for a little adventure on the island definitely check it out.

Good public beach, but certainly not like Flamenco beach on the island of Culebra next door, or the beach of Culebrita.