Cabo Rojo sits at the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico, where the island tapers into a jagged coastline of salt flats, mangroves, and wind-scoured cliffs. It is one of the less-touristed corners of the island — quieter than the east coast resorts, and all the better for it.
The old lighthouse at the very tip of the peninsula, the Faro Los Morrillos, is the main draw: a sturdy 19th-century structure perched above dramatic sea cliffs with sweeping views over the Caribbean. Below it, Playa Sucia is one of Puerto Rico's most beautiful and least-developed beaches. The surrounding Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge protects the historic salt flats — worked since the Taíno era — whose hypersaline ponds turn extraordinary shades of pink and attract serious birders. The yellow-shouldered blackbird, endangered and found almost nowhere else, nests here.
On the bay side, Boquerón is a relaxed fishing village with a long calm beach and excellent seafood. The San Miguel Arcángel Church on the main plaza dates to 1783 and the town is the birthplace of Ramón Emeterio Betances, the 19th-century physician who became the foremost advocate for Puerto Rican independence.
Cabo Rojo is about 30 km south of Mayaguez.