Boca de Yuma

Boca de Yuma sits where the Yuma river cuts through a wall of raised limestone and empties into the Caribbean, and the result is a dramatic bit of coast: cliffs undercut by the sea into caves and blowholes, a river mouth with fishing boats drawn up in it, and a small village that has stayed a fishing village. Boats run upriver into a green corridor and along the cliffs to the caves. The eastern boundary of Cotubanamá National Park is here, with trails into dry forest holding Taíno caves and the restored house Ponce de León built at nearby San Rafael del Yuma in 1505. A deep-sea fishing tournament each June fills the village.

History

Yuma is a Taíno name. Boca de Yuma was first known as the Port of Higüey, and Juan Ponce de León, whose ship lay at anchor here, sailed from it in 1508 to conquer Puerto Rico. The first families came from various parts of the colony of Santo Domingo, and one of the first settlers is said to have been Pedro Sifuentes, called the Portugalete and sometimes the Dominican Robinson Crusoe, who lived alone here for years after his ship sank in Yuma Bay. A Spanish fort with cannon overlooked the bay, and in 1877 an expedition found cannon lying underwater, which now stand as monuments on the clifftop by the community park and the old lighthouse. Tradition says the ship of the pirate Roberto Cofresí, captured in 1824 and executed in 1825, sank in a cave deep below the river mouth (Wikipedia, Boca de Yuma).

What you'll find

• The cliffs and blowholes - undercut limestone along the coast.
• The river mouth - fishing boats and the cut through the rock.
• The boat trip - upriver and along the cliffs to the sea caves.
• Ponce de León's house - the 1505 fortified house nearby at San Rafael.

When to go

November to April is drier and calmer for boat trips. The fishing tournament in June fills the village. Mornings are best on the water. It is very quiet the rest of the time, which is the appeal.

Good to know

There is no beach to speak of in the village itself; the coast here is cliff and rock. Boat trips are informal, arranged on the spot, and the boats are basic with no shade. Facilities in the village are minimal. The park trails are poorly marked and a guide helps.

Nearby

San Rafael del Yuma is fifteen minutes; Bayahíbe is an hour west.