Puerto Rico Travel Guide ⎜ Best Vacation Spots in Puerto Rico ⎜ Rincon, Puerto Rico
Top Snorkeling Tour in Rincon
Rincon…you probably heard the name on the Beach Boys tune “Surfing Safari”. Rincon is a surfing beach town located in the west coast region of Puerto Rico and the location of the fourth World Surfing Championship in 1968. Rincon is well known for its picture-perfect sunsets every day of the year. Rincon is a great place for those seeking to experience a laid back and authentic beach town that’s also tourist-friendly.
Rincon is located on the west coast of Puerto Rico where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea.
After reading through this Rincon guide, take a look at our list of the best things to do and places to visit on the west coast of Puerto Rico. At the end of the page, we’ve included a more detailed interactive map to help you find your way to the best spots in Rincon.
Rincon Puerto Rico Travel Guide
Here in Rincon is where the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea meet, making Rincon a unique beach town with great surfing beaches, and some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving on the island of Puerto Rico. With so many wonderful beaches, the most popular activity in Rincon is enjoying the beaches. Although a popular vacation destination, you’ll find the coast remarkably relaxed with small crowds.
Read more about Rincon as a beach destination
In order to understand the love affair with the beaches of Rincon, you’ll have to be here both in the winter and summer to enjoy and understand their unique allures. The scene and conditions change through the seasons. During the summertime, the waters are calmer, and the beaches of Rincon have some of the best reefs for doing snorkeling where you can encounter sea turtles regularly. Rincon offers all-year-round scuba diving tours for experienced divers and beginners. At the end of each day, spectacular sunsets set with Desecheo Island in the background as surfers try to catch the last waves of the day. The beautiful coastline of Rincon offers wonderful scenic trails for horseback riding, hiking, and bicycling.
So many visitors fall in love with Rincon that it is the most sought-after real estate with a high number of people owning a second home or making a permanent change to live in Rincon. The beaches are very tourist-friendly, and most local businesses nearby speak both English and Spanish.
Whether you love to surf, snorkel, scuba, sand between your toes, or sunsets, Rincon is sure to enchant you and keep you coming back year after year. Allow us to share with you the best and most beautiful beaches in Rincon. Rincon is located on the mid-west coast of the island, giving you easy access to more amazing beaches nearby, your hardest task will be having enough time to enjoy them all. Rincon is a great central location, so you have access to more beaches and activities on the west coast.
Steps Beach / Playa Tres Palmas – Rincon, Puerto Rico
Steps Beach is amazing in every way… challenging waves during winter months for experienced surfers, and a colorful reef teeming with fish under the surface of clear waters during the summer months for some of the best snorkeling on the west coast. Romantics can take a long walk and relax in intimate spots, refresh in tidal pools, watch surfers, take naps under a canopy of trees, watch waterfalls over coral walls, and beach comb for polished pebbles.
Top Rated Tours to Steps Beach, Rincon, Puerto Rico
Domes Beach – Rincon, Puerto Rico
Domes Beach in Rincon is one of our favorite beaches on the west coast and certainly one of the favorites for both locals and surfers that come to Rincon every winter from around the world. For Puerto Rico’s standards, Domes Beach may not be the prettiest but the easy access, scenic views of Desecheo, breathtaking sunsets, and the entertainment of watching surfers is certainly worth the visit and great nearby food certainly puts Domes among the best on the west coast.
Top Rated Places to Stay in Rincon, Puerto Rico
Sandy Beach – Rincon, Puerto Rico
Super laid-back Sandy Beach is one of the coolest and most popular beaches in Rincon. Enjoy riding the waves at Sandy Beach, if you don’t know how to and always wanted to learn, there are various local businesses by the beach that offer lessons. Sandy Beach is also popular for bodyboarding, and boogie boarding. Although popular that doesn’t mean crowded, with so many beaches in Rincon, there’s plenty of room to stretch out and relax on the sand, which is one of the reasons many come to lay under the sun at Sandy Beach. This is a family-friendly beach due to the conveniences of restaurants nearby and fun activities on the water. Along the beach, you can enjoy great drinks and food at one of the coolest beachside bars on the west coast among other great laid-back restaurants and food kiosks. You can also find nearby places that rent surfboards, lounge chairs, umbrellas, and more goodies to have fun at the beach.
Don't Miss the Bioluminescent Bay experience in the nearby charming village of La Parguera after a day of exploring Puerto Rico's west coast.
Pools Beach – Rincon, Puerto Rico
We may sound repetitive, but it is really true that you can have many favorite beaches in Rincon, because they all possess different qualities to suit your mood, and Pools is among our favorites for its mellow mood and scenery. During the winter months, Pools attracts surfers to enjoy the thrill of its right-hand waves over shallow water but is never busy compared to other surfing beaches of Rincon. The mood at Pools Beach is very mellow and quiet, we often share the beach with no more than 10 people on the sand in the high season (winter months) who come to relax under a shaded spot and watch surfers. During the summer months, a crystal clear water natural pool forms you’ll maybe be sharing with a few couples and young families.
Balneario de Rincon (Rincon Beach) – Rincon, Puerto Rico
Balneario de Rincon, also known as Rincon Beach is a favorite among locals and visitors alike. This is the only “public” beach, meaning managed by the municipality with facilities, although in need of repairs and updating, sadly taking away from its natural beauty, there are reasons to still visit. Balneario Rincon is one of the best spots to watch the sunset, with local vendors renting paddleboards, kayaks, and surfboards at “local prices” that won’t break the vacation budget. Rincon Beach provides visitors with easy access, and a free paved parking lot just steps from the beach, making it a favorite for families for its convenience. Individuals with mobility issues will be able to enjoy this beach in comparison to others. There are various restaurants, bars and shops by the beach and nearby.
Spanish Wall Beach – Rincon, Puerto Rico
While most visitors and locals are riding the waves and lounging on the more popular beaches of Rincon, Spanish Wall stays nice and quiet attracting those that enjoy solace, quiet, and a more natural setting on the beach. A short walk from Domes Beach through a dirt trail offers great rewards, you may have this beautiful beach all to yourself. Spanish Wall is very open with a wide beach area with soft golden sand and leaning palm trees for that perfect vacation photo.
Maria’s Beach (Rincon Point) – Rincon, Puerto Rico
Maria is one of the best and most active surfing beaches in Rincon. For surfing history buffs, the name Rincon Point is familiar, this is the beach where the 1968 World Surfing Championship took place and placed Rincon on the list of world-class surfing destinations. For a while, this beach is locally known as Maria’s. Surfers have easy access to Maria’s, there is free parking just steps from the beach and seaside places to eat so no time is wasted away from the beach. Whether you love to surf or simply relax and watch, Maria’s is not to be missed.
Little Malibu (Marina Beach) – Rincon, Puerto Rico
Little Malibu Beach in Rincon also known as Marina Beach, is a favorite among local families with children and teens learning to surf and visitors who are beginner surfers. Local families in the know who have children beginning to learn the sport of surfing, head to Little Malibu since the waves are small and clean. The best months to surf at Little Malibu are during the winter, and the best in the month of February. By summertime, the water is mostly flat, where beachgoers can swim, and paddleboard among other water sports.
Go Surfing in Rincon, Puerto Rico
Rincon is blessed with numerous world-renowned surf breaks. Some are so good they host to annual Pro Circuit surfing events for Level 4 surfers. Rincon also has a couple of surf breaks perfect for beginners, Level 1, and immediate surfers, Levels 2 -3. The best time to surf is during the winter months when the wind is blowing east, of course, winter does not mean cold here, temperatures remain balmy all year round with cooler breezes at night. Popular surf breaks for more advanced surfers include Dome Beach, Maria’s Beach, Antonio’s Beach, and Rivermouth. Popular surfing spots for beginners are Little Malibu (Marina Beach) and Sandy Beach.
Learn to Surf in Rincon
Go Snorkeling in Rincon
Steps Beach is known for its crystal clear waters. elkhorn forest and a colorful live aquarium, blue tang fish love this reef. Be sure to only go snorkeling during summer months, when the water is calm. During the winter months, Tres Palmas is a surfing beach that only the most experienced surfers are encouraged to surf.
Top Snorkeling Tour in Rincon
Horseback Riding & Hiking
Surprise your loved one with a Romantic Horseback Ride in Isabela
Enjoy great views of the beach, surfers, the Caribbean, and Isla Desecheo, while hiking, mountain biking, or riding horseback along the Domes Beach coastline and the trail just northeast of Playa Domes that extends along the old historic Spanish Wall.
Go Scuba Diving in Rincon
If you’re in the area, Rincon Lighthouse Park is worth a stop. Lighthouse lovers will enjoy visiting the park, but only second to the views. Bring your camera, Punta Higuero is a great photography location. Enjoy gorgeous vistas of Isla Desecheo (Desecheo Island) in the distance, stay until sunset for a romantic beautiful show, and watch surfers, if you visit in the winter months, you may get to see humpback whales which at times come pretty close. If you want to get some exercise the paths are great for walking and jogging.
Hours & Entry
Cost: Entry and parking to the lighthouse are free.
Hours: Park is open daily. We have stayed past 6 pm to watch the sunset a few times, but the official closing time is 6 pm.
Watch the Sunset in Rincon, Puerto Rico
Hang out at the Plaza
The plaza of Rincon in “El Pueblo” (Downtown), is an active place loved by both residents and visitors. The Plaza of Rincon is an active cultural center where many cultural events are held throughout the year. Make sure you visit on a Sunday, farmers sell fresh produce, artists sell their crafts, and enjoy live music and delicious food. Around the plaza, you’ll find many local shops with unique items.
Rincon Cultural Center
Please come and support this small museum which makes great efforts to support the community arts. Visitors can look through the library and a few exhibits. Several workshops are held throughout the year.
- Location: Rt. 413 Km 0.2.
- Tel: 787-823-5120
- Hours: Please call
Basic Rincon Facts
- Location: Rincòn is just west of the pueblos of Añasco and Aguada
- Land Area: 36 sq km (13.8 sq mi)
- Hymn: Rincon es mi pueblo querido
Tourism Information Office
- Rincon Municipal Tourist Office Tel: 787-823-5024
- Rincon Recreation & Sports Tel: 787-823-9535
- PRTC in Aguadilla Tel: 787-890-3315
Festivals / Events
- Festival del Coco – usually held in May
- Fiestas Patronales de Santa Rosa de Lima held late August / early September.
- Corona Pro Circuit Surfing – usually held in March
Puerto Rico ⎜ Puerto Rico Destinations ⎜ Rincon Puerto Rico Travel Guide – Best Things to Do, Places to Visit, Beaches, Tours & Map
