Cayo de Tierra

Cayo de Tierra and Cayo Afuera lie off the southern coast of Vieques between the town of Esperanza and Sun Bay. Cayo de Tierra is connected to the main island by a narrow sand spit and may be accessed by land.

Adventurers can hike to the top of the island where you can stand at the edge of the 100-foot cliffs with exciting views of the Caribbean, Sun Bay and much of the southern coast and low-lying interior of Vieques.

Walk along the sand spit and then bear left following the coast on the east side of the island. Inland there will be a laguna.

In the dry season, the laguna becomes a salt pond where you can scrape up natural sea salt containing all the minerals in the sea and all that are essential to the human body. On Vieques, this is the favored salt to use for ice cream churning.

Keep walking until the end of the laguna and before the beginning of the cliffs. Look for a trail through the sea grapes that leads to the laguna. Once you get to the perimeter of the laguna, follow one of the steep paths up to the top of the island.

It is really an awesome experience to stand on the edge of these cliffs, feel the trade winds blowing in your face and to experience in such a dramatic way the incredible beauty of the Caribbean.

Once up on top of the island, you can continue around the perimeter where you can scramble down the rocks and walk around the coast. There is a beautiful beach just before you return to the sand spit from where you originally crossed over to the island, where you can take a refreshing swim, a welcome experience after your hike around the island.

Birdwatching
There are 127 identified species of birds on Vieques and Cayo de Tierra is an excellent venue for birdwatchers. An exciting experience is to watch the big seabirds such as tropicbirds and brown boobies sailing through the air below you.

From the sand spit, you can often see three different varieties of terns, royal, sandwich and least. From the laguna in the winter, look for white-cheeked pintail and blue-winged teal.