Caribbean Birding Trail

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You are here: Home / Puerto Rico / Camuy Coastal Area

Camuy Coastal Area

  • About Camuy Coastal Area
  • The Birds
  • How to Get There

The Camuy Coastal Area is the only mangrove area designated as protected by the Puerto Rican Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and is a very unique area where different types of ecosystems can be found within a short 15 minutes distance travel. This high energy coastline makes this beach a variable landscape available through the year; visitors here can find more than 40 species on any single day they spend in town, especially during the migratory season.  A study of the area showed that at least for the month of January, close to 50% of the birds recorded for the area were either regional or North American migratory birds. However there is a constant flow of migrants from as early as June up to March every year.

The Camuy River is the third largest underground river in the world and the scenary for the biggest rafting event on the island (Balseada del Río Camuy):

Photo by Israel Guzmán
Camuy River (Photo by Israel Guzmán)

Over 14 species of butterflies and similar count for dragonflies adds up to the atractives on these wetlands:

Photo by Israel Guzmán
Butterfly (Photo by Israel Guzmán)

Camuy is a regular stop for birders of all levels in Puerto Rico and can be accessed via a paved road, PR 485. Along this road, there are bakeries, coffee shops, and restaurants where visitors can enjoy Puerto Rican tropical cuisine as well as their favorite refreshments from local beers to fruit frappes. Along this route is also Playa Peñón Brusi where you can take a rest while enjoying an acaí fruit bowl or have your own picnic on any of the tables located in the area.

The mudflat area in the following picture is at a high water level that changes levels throughout the seasons, providing one of the best birding spots in the area due to the resulting species rotation during the year:

Photo by Israel Guzmán
Mudflats (Photo by Israel Guzmán)

More than 120 species have being recorded for Camuy territory (that’s 1/3 of the total for Puerto Rico), including 10 out of 17 Puerto Rican endemics species and other endemic subspecies.

Transportation for small groups can be coordinated in advance with the municipal Tourism Office:

Photo by Israel Guzmán
Tour Transportation (Photo by Israel Guzmán)

Enjoying the sunset at the iconic Peñón Amador (right of the pier) after a long day of birding in Camuy:

Photo by Israel Guzmán
Peñón Amador (Photo by Israel Guzmán)

Camuy Coastal Area

Puerto Rico Sites

  • Camuy Coastal Area
  • Culebra National Wildlife Refuge
  • Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
  • Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge

Puerto Rico Partners

  • Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña, Inc. (SOPI)


Puerto Rico Tour Operators

  • Island Birdwatchers
  • Puerto Rico Birding Trips
  • Wildside Nature Tours

Recommended Field Guides

Puerto Rico’s Birds in Photographs: An Illustrated Guide Including the Virgin Islands by Mark Oberle

Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by Herbert Raffaele, Clive Petrovic, Sergio Colón López, Lisa Yntema, and José Salguero Faria

Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith, and Janis Raffaele

Want to know how you can be involved?

Do you know of a place that should be part of the Caribbean Birding Trail? Are you the owner of a lodge or hotel and want to attract eco-tourists? Are you a guide interested in the birdwatching market? Then, get involved with our project!

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