Ponce & South Coast - Puerto Rico - page 306

just east of town the Bosque Estatal de Guánica is stunning, perched in hills above the sea;
after a long day in the sun there, Guánica is a low-key spot to recharge with a few cold ones
and a meal of the freshest seafood - some of it caught only hours earlier by the guy at the
end of the bar. Guánica is a few miles south of Hwy 2 on Rte 116.
Activities
Route 333 encounters several decent options for swimming before ending at the best one,
Bahía de la Ballena . It twists and turns right along the coast, but keep your eyes peeled
for unmarked dirt paths along the way where you can fight your way through mangroves to
find sparsely populated waters.
PlayaCañaGorda(StoutCaneBeach;Hwy333Km6.2;parking$3) is the balneario
adjacent to the southern edge of the dry forest on Hwy 333 and where the locals come to
grill fresh fish, play volleyball and lie around in the shade. The modern facilities are the
most developed in the area, including a small shop with cold soda and sunblock.
Gilligan'sIsland and IslaBallena (Whale Island) are small mangrove islands off the tip
of the Caña Gorda peninsula and technically part of the dry forest reserve. Neither is too
sandy, but both offer good sunbathing and passable snorkeling. The ambitious can reach
these via kayak (rentals are available at Playa Caña Gorda and the Copamarina Resort) or
you can catch a small ferry(adult/child$6/3; 9am-5pmTue-Sun) in front of Restaur-
ante San Jacinto every hour, barring bad weather. If Gilligan's is packed, pony up a couple
more dollars to the captain and try the less-visited Ballena.
At the very end of Rte 333 is the most secluded beach, a long crescent of mixed rocky
and sandy shore bordering Bahía de la Ballena . The road ends at the east end of the bay,
and you can park along the road to picnic and sunbathe (you can also pick up the Vereda
Meseta trail here).