Cabo Rojo Cliffs and Salt Flats

Puerto Rico's south-western tip looks like a different island: an arid, cactus-studded headland where salt has been harvested since before European arrival, leaving flat evaporation pans that turn pink and rose with algae and brine shrimp. Beyond them, white limestone cliffs drop into deep blue water, and the small Los Morrillos lighthouse stands at the very point, with paths along the cliff edge and the beach of Playuela below - a sheltered turquoise cove reached on foot. Migratory shorebirds crowd the flats, and the whole area glows in low light, which is why sunset here is a local institution.

History

Archaeological finds show people living near the salt flats from about 30 BC to AD 1200, and Punta Ostiones, on the US National Register of Historic Places, was home to a large group of Archaic people. The Spanish settled around Los Morrillos in about 1511 despite the threat of pirates, and by 1525 salt was an important industry. A first request to found a town was refused in 1759; Cabo Rojo was founded on 17 December 1771 by Nicolás Ramírez de Arellano, and had 1,215 people by the end of 1776. The name, "red cape", comes from the reddish salt flats and the red-tinged cliffs of the south coast - by legend it was given by Columbus himself (Wikipedia, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico).

The landscape

• The pink salt flats - the rose-coloured evaporation pans and their birdlife.
• Los Morrillos lighthouse - the clifftop light at the island's south-west point.
• Playuela cove - the turquoise beach beneath the cliffs.
• The interpretive centre - the salt flats visitor centre and its bird hides.

When to go

The dry winter months bring the most vivid pink to the pans and the best conditions for birdwatching, with migratory species present. Sunset is the headline hour any month. Summer is very hot and shadeless on the headland.

Before you go

The final approach to the lighthouse is a rough unpaved track - passable in a normal car with care and patience, easier in something higher. There is no shade and no water on the headland; bring both. Cliff edges are unfenced and the rock is crumbly in places, so keep well back, particularly with children. Weekend afternoons draw local crowds to the sunset.

Nearby

Boqueron's beach and bay, La Parguera's bioluminescent bay and the Guanica dry forest.