In shortNo public ferry serves Icacos Island. Every visit starts on the Fajardo or Ceiba coast: water taxis from a small dock in Las Croabas, catamarans from Villa Marina, self-drive mini boats from Marina Puerto Chico. Measured from Fajardo it is a 1.5-nautical-mile hop to the northeast, which works out at 15 to 20 minutes of engine time, the shortest leg of the whole day. Reserve the boat before you drive out.
15-20 minCrossing from Las Croabas
1.5 nautical milesNortheast of Fajardo
60 minDrive from San Juan
from $100Water-taxi beach day
How to get to Icacos Island from the mainland
No scheduled ferry service exists for the La Cordillera cays. Boats leaving the Fajardo and Ceiba coast, or one of the marinas along it, are the only way anything lands on Icacos, and that applies equally to a catamaran with sixty people on board and to a small water taxi. The cay lies about 1.5 nautical miles northeast of Fajardo, roughly 1.5 miles off the east coast of Puerto Rico, so the water leg is measured in minutes: about 15 to 20 of them.
Whichever boat you book, the landing is the same stretch of sand: the southwest beach strip, which DRNA's 2017 field study maps as Zone B and assigns to bathers and water taxis. Nothing is waiting for you there. Icacos is uninhabited and has no restrooms, drinking water, food service or trash collection, and no lifeguards, so swimming and snorkelling are at your own risk.
Camping and hunting are prohibited on the cay, which fixes the shape of the trip: you go out in the morning, you come back the same afternoon, and your return slot is part of the booking rather than something you decide on the beach.
The two departure areas: Las Croabas and Villa Marina
A water taxi to Icacos from Las Croabas leaves from a small dock in that neighbourhood of Fajardo, not from the commercial port and not from the Ceiba ferry terminal. Drive road 987 until you reach the kayak village, recognisable by the blue buildings and the grey fence; the docks sit behind the buildings. Allow about 60 minutes behind the wheel if you are coming from San Juan, and much the same from the airport area. Street parking is available near the Las Croabas waterfront just off the main road, with public restrooms and outdoor showers close by, which matters because those are the last ones you will see until you are back on the mainland.
Villa Marina, a little further along Carr. 987, is where the catamarans check in. The Barefoot IV picnic cruise meets at Avenida Marina View, Carr. 987 Km 1.3 Saldineras, with check-in at 8:30 a.m. at the latest and street parking available; past the main gate you pass boats in dry dock on the left, then a small gate on the left. Marina departures run earlier than water-taxi departures.
The self-drive mini boat is a third address rather than a variation on the first two. Check-in is at Marina Puerto Chico, Carr. #987 Km. 2, Bo. Sardinera, where you park outside the gate to the left, walk through and find the white tent next to Sabalos Restaurant.
- Las Croabas, kayak village docks off road 987: water-taxi beach days, navy blue boat behind the blue buildings
- Villa Marina, Carr. 987 Km 1.3 Saldineras: catamaran check-in by 8:30 a.m., street parking
- Marina Puerto Chico, Carr. #987 Km. 2: self-drive mini boats, white tent next to Sabalos Restaurant
- Street parking plus public restrooms and outdoor showers near the Las Croabas waterfront
Water-taxi beach day from Las Croabas
If Las Croabas is the dock you are driving to, this 5-hour package from $100 puts the short crossing, a local guide, beach umbrellas and a cooler of drinks under one reservation.
★ 4.9/5 · 646 reviews
Fajardo to Icacos boat ride time and what each boat format gives you
The water itself takes 15 to 20 minutes whichever hull you are on. What changes is everything either side of it. Booked as a package, the water-taxi beach day from Fajardo comes to 5 hours, from $100, rated 4.9 ★ (646 reviews): a local guide meets you at the dock, beach umbrellas and a mask and snorkel come with it, and a cooler of water, soda and local beer crosses over with you, while lunch, snacks and towels stay your job. That is the format that spends the most of its day sitting on the 220-metre beach, so an early start pays off: the DRNA's counts put the busiest hour at 2:00 p.m.
At the other end of the scale sits the Icacos Deserted Island Catamaran, Snorkel, and Picnic Cruise: 5 hours, from $138, rated 4.8 ★ (2587 reviews), with a bathroom on board, a sandwich buffet with cold cuts, cheeses, tuna, chicken, pasta and salads, bottled water, sodas, piña coladas and rum punch, snorkel gear and local taxes included. If anyone in your party has a food allergy, tell the operator at least 48 hours before the sailing so the galley can plan for it. You trade some beach hours for sailing time and for not carrying a cooler.
At 3.5 hours the Self-Drive Mini Boat Snorkeling Tour to Icacos Island is the shortest day, from $250, rated 5.0 ★ (1969 reviews). You get a 13' mini boat with a 40hp Yamaha four-stroke, a guided convoy through the cays, guided snorkelling on the reserve's reefs in about 18 to 25 ft of water, premium snorkel gear, USCG-approved life jackets, a cooler with ice and light snacks, and a beginner briefing with no licence required. Pick it if being at the wheel is the point of the day.
Compare the ways across the water
Three tours on this site cross to Icacos, each from its own departure point. Read the departure point column first, because it is the one thing you cannot change once you are in the car.
| Option | Price | Duration | Departure point | Who it suits |
|---|
| Catamaran, snorkel and picnic cruise | from $138 | 5 hours | Villa Marina, Fajardo; checked in by 8:30 a.m. at the latest | Families and anyone crossing for the first time: lunch, drinks and a bathroom travel with the boat |
|---|
| Water-taxi beach day from Fajardo | from $100 | 5 hours | Las Croabas: docks behind the kayak village on road 987 | Beach days built on the 15-20 minute hop, with a guide and umbrellas included |
|---|
| Self-drive mini boat with guided convoy | from $250 | 3.5 hours | Marina Puerto Chico, Carr. #987 Km. 2 | Active pairs and friends happy to drive a 13' boat with no licence required |
|---|
Choosing a departure point and reserving the trip
Decide the departure area first and the boat format second, because the two are locked together. If you want the beach and the short hop, drive to Las Croabas and book the water-taxi beach day. If you want food, drinks and a bathroom, drive to Villa Marina and book the catamaran. If you want to steer, it is Marina Puerto Chico and the mini boat. That is the whole of how to visit Icacos Island, and all three need a reservation before you leave your accommodation, since boat capacity is small and departure windows are fixed.
Timing is worth deciding at the same time as the dock. The dry season from January through March is the calmest, clearest stretch for a boat day, April is the transition into the rainy season, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November with activity peaking on 10 September. A weekday beats a weekend on the beach: the DRNA recorded 964 people in the southwest bather zone at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday 28 May 2017.
Every tour on this site can be cancelled for a full refund at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time, which is the window to work with if the forecast looks unstable. If the captain calls the sailing off for weather, the catamaran operators refund in full.
Pack as though the cay has nothing, because it has nothing: water, food, shade, a dry bag and a bag for your rubbish. Leave the speaker at home. A sound system at volume is the one thing that can turn a beach day into a bill: Administrative Order 2025-02, signed by the DRNA on 10 March 2025, covers boats and vehicles across the reserves and beach zones the department administers, La Cordillera among them, and the penalty reaches $25,000 with the possibility of accruing day by day, enforced by Cuerpo de Vigilantes officers out on patrol.
Questions people ask
Are there restrooms and showers on the way to Icacos?
On the mainland, yes: public restrooms and outdoor showers sit close to the street parking at the Las Croabas waterfront. On the cay nothing of the kind exists, with no restrooms, no drinking water, no food service and no bins, so you bring water and carry your rubbish back on the boat. The catamaran picnic cruise from $138 has a bathroom on board, which is the only option here that solves the problem for the whole day.
What happens if the sea is too rough on the day?
Captains make the weather call, and the Atlantic hurricane season from 1 June to 30 November, peaking on 10 September, is when that call is most likely. Catamaran operators refund in full when they cancel for weather. Tours booked on this site refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time, so a shaky forecast is a reason to decide the day before rather than on the dock.
Can I stay the night on Icacos or camp on the beach?
No. Neither camping nor hunting is permitted on the cay, and the reserve's management plan limits public landing to Cayo Icacos itself along with the beach of Lobos, Cayo Diablo and Palominitos. Every trip is a same-day return on the boat that brought you, with the water-taxi beach day running 5 hours and the last returns in the afternoon.
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