Getting Oriented

Vieques is 21 mi (33½ km) long and 4 mi (6½ km) wide and has two small communities. Isabel Segunda, on the northern shore, is the main town, where the ferry docks. On the southern shore is the village of Esperanza, little more that a string of low-cost bars, restaurants, and hotels along a waterfront promenade. Nearby is the world-famous bioluminescent bay Puerto Mosquito. The bulk of the island is a national park, the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge. Within the park you'll find dozens of beaches with names such as Caracas, Plata, and Chiva, as well as many more that have no official name.

At 7 mi (11 km) long and 4 mi (6½ km) wide, Culebra is much smaller and less developed than Vieques. There's only one community, the tiny town of Dewey.