Playa Negra

Most of Vieques has pale sand, but on the south coast a stream cuts through a volcanic formation and carries dark grey and black grains down to a small cove, where they collect in swirled patterns against the lighter sand. Reaching it means parking on the road and walking twenty minutes up and along a dry streambed and around a headland at low tide, which keeps the crowds away. The amount of black sand varies enormously: storms strip it out and it rebuilds over months, so some visitors find a dramatic dark beach and others find almost none. Wild horses, descendants of animals left to roam the island, are often on the road nearby.

What you'll find

• The black sand - volcanic grains swirled through the pale beach.
• The streambed walk - the twenty-minute approach around the headland.
• The cove - a small sheltered bay with cliffs at either end.
• Wild horses - roaming free along the roads of the island.

When to go

December to April is drier and the walk easier; after rain the streambed is muddy or running. Go at low tide, since the final stretch around the headland is impassable at high water. The sand is most visible in the months after a calm spell.

Before you go

The black sand comes and goes with storms and there is a real chance of arriving to find very little of it. The approach is unmarked, over loose rock and around a headland that must be done on a falling tide; people get caught out. There is no shade, no facility and no lifeguard, and the surf on this stretch can be rough.

Nearby

Esperanza and its malecón are ten minutes; Mosquito Bay is on the same coast.