This is Mona Island, a speck of dolomite off the western coast of Puerto Rico. Measuring roughly about 3 x 5 miles in size, most of it is sheer, 300-foot cliffs dropping into the deep, dark waters of the Puerto Rico Trench. Of its 35 miles of coastline, only about 2 miles are sandy beaches; the rest are the aforementioned cliffs. The beaches are protected by a barrier reef; Sardinera Beach, on the western coast, is accessed by carefully navegating thru a natural break in the reef by aligning the boat up with a marker on shore and another out on the reef, then waiting for a swell to come in order lift the boat high enough to cross into the protected lagoon.
The trip by boat averages about eight hours; you can also hire a small plane to get to Mona, but the landing strip is pretty small and the landing itself is a pretty nerve-wracking experience. Most people opt to land at Sardinera Beach, where the main Ranger Station is located. A permit is required to access the island and to stay overnite; this can be obtained from the P.R. Dept. of Natural Resources.
There is no fresh water and no electricity on the island; campers must bring their own food and water. *****NOTE*** The climate here is desertlike, so make sure you have plenty of water and sunscreen!
The island is a wildlife preserve, famous for its nesting booby("gooney-bird") colony and the unique rock iguanas that live there. There are species of reptiles and even a tree frog that are found nowhere else on earth.
Let's start our visit at the Sardinera Beach area, on the west coast. Along the sandy shelf in front of the cliffs, Australian pines, coconut palms, beach grapes and cactus make up the dominant vegetation. Below is a view of the main Ranger building and the beginning of the trail to Uveros beach:
Further along the trail we can see the breakers outside the barrier reef, and in the distance the headlands at Captain's Point:
Further along, the vegetation gets pretty dense inland - note the cacti amid the pines:
Early in the morning, if you're lucky(and very quiet), you might spot a great blue heron up in the branches of a pine tree:
