Icacos Island water taxi: the Fajardo beach day package
Five hours on an uninhabited cay, reached by a 15-20 minute boat ride from the kayak village docks in Las Croabas, with umbrellas, a cooler and a guide waiting on the sand.
Updated 13 October 2026
In shortThis is a 5-hour beach day on Cayo Icacos with water taxi transport from Fajardo, from $100, rated ★ 4.9 across 646 reviews. The crossing takes about 15 minutes, and the price covers a local guide who works in English, beach umbrellas, a mask and snorkel without fins, and a cooler with water, soda and local beer. It suits beach-first visitors and families who want shade and swimming time rather than a catamaran cruise with a buffet.
5 htour length
from $100per adult
★ 4.9646 reviews
up to 12people per group
What the Icacos Island water taxi day covers
The water taxi is the shortest route onto the cay. Boats leave from the small dock in the Las Croabas neighbourhood of Fajardo, off road 987, and not from the commercial port; Icacos sits about 1.5 miles northeast of the coast and the ride takes 15 to 20 minutes. There is no public ferry to the cays, so a boat of some kind is the only way across. The booking runs 5 hours in total, from $100, rated ★ 4.9 by 646 reviewers.
What you pay for is a beach setup rather than a cruise. A local guide travels with the group, beach umbrellas go up on the sand, a mask and snorkel are handed out without fins, and the cooler holds water, soda and local beer. Lunch, snacks and towels are not included and there is no hotel pick-up, so bring food you are happy to eat warm, a towel and your own shade hat.
Groups of more than six passengers travel in two boats running side by side, landing at the same time so everyone regroups on the beach under the same umbrella setup. Once you are on the cay, that setup is the only infrastructure you have: Icacos is uninhabited and has no restrooms, no drinking water, no food service and no trash collection, so your rubbish leaves with you. There are no lifeguards on Icacos, which means swimming and snorkelling are at your own risk.
Day visitors land on the southwest beach strip, the stretch DRNA maps as Zone B for bathers and water taxis. Playa Cayo Icacos measures 220 metres on the department's beach list, the water inside the zone is calm because the cays themselves block the swell, and sand shifts along the shore through the year with the littoral currents. The whole chain belongs to the La Cordillera reef nature reserve, designated on 2 January 1980 and run by Puerto Rico's Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales since 1991.
Icacos Beach Day Package with Water Taxi Transport from Fajardo
Five hours on the cay with a local guide, umbrellas and a stocked cooler, leaving from the navy blue boat at the kayak village docks off road 987 in Las Croabas. Full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure.
Cayo Icacos300 min The boat crosses in about 15 minutes and drops you on the southwest beach, where the crew sets up the umbrellas and the cooler. The five hours that follow are yours to split as you like: swim, sit in the shade, join the crew for a snorkel session on the shallow reef, or take the 45-minute walk across the cay to the old limestone quarry, once served by a short railway down to the pier, with views over the Caribbean on the way. On the reef, keep off the coral: do not touch it, do not stand on it, and let the boat use the mooring buoys. Since March 2025 DRNA Administrative Order 2025-02 has banned high-volume sound systems on boats and in beach zones across the reserve, with fines reaching $25,000, so leave the speaker at home. Camping is prohibited, so the boat takes everyone back the same day.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Local guide
Beach umbrellas
Mask and snorkel (no fins)
Cooler with light refreshments: water, soda and local beer
Not included
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Lunch
Snacks
Towels
Meeting point, pickup and cancellation
Meeting point: follow road 987 to the kayak village, recognisable by the blue buildings and grey fence, turn left into it and park, then walk to the docks behind the blue buildings. The boat is the only navy blue one at the dock; ask for the captain or for East Coast Water Taxi.
No hotel pick-up or drop-off is provided. Las Croabas is about a 60-minute drive from San Juan, and street parking, public restrooms and outdoor showers sit just off the main road at the waterfront.
Cancellation: full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Ages: adult 0+, up to 12 people per group.
Bring: water on top of the cooler supply, sun protection, a towel, food for the day and a bag for your rubbish.
Water taxi, mini boat or catamaran compared
The water taxi gives you the most beach time for the lowest figure and leaves the food to you. The self-drive mini boat puts you at the wheel in a guided convoy and runs shorter at 3.5 hours, while the catamaran and all-inclusive boat options add a buffet, drinks and an on-board bathroom for a longer, slower day. Go early whichever you pick: DRNA's field counts put the peak at 2:00 p.m., averaging about 598 people an hour across the zones, with 964 people recorded in the southwest bather zone at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday 28 May 2017.
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Icacos Beach Day Package with Water Taxi Transport from Fajardo (this page)
Check dates for the Icacos Island water taxi beach day
Five hours on the cay, from $100, with a 15-20 minute crossing from Las Croabas and a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. Morning departures put you on the sand well before the 2:00 p.m. peak.
