Is Gilligan's Island (Cayo Aurora) open? And the best Guánica boat trips

[ISAIAH: status check here before go-live. Drive to the old San Jacinto dock (PR-333, Guánica) and note: any ferry running, any posted DRNA sign, what the people at the dock say. Date it. Or call the forest office, 787-772-2009.]

Who it's for: people staying on the south or west coast (Ponce, Guánica, La Parguera, Cabo Rojo, Yauco) who saw Gilligan's Island on an old list. Skip it if: you are based in San Juan for a short trip. Guánica is a long drive, and Culebra or Fajardo boat days give you a cay and a beach for less driving.

What happened to Gilligan's Island

Cayo Aurora is a small mangrove and sand cay off Guánica, part of the Guánica Biosphere Reserve, which the DRNA (Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources) manages. For years a small ferry ran from the dock near the San Jacinto restaurant on PR-333, and families spent the day in its shallow channels.

Then the land itself changed. According to a Primera Hora report from August 16, 2021:

• The public has not visited Cayo Aurora since the January 2020 earthquakes.
• The cay once held about 350 people. The usable area had shrunk to less than half, because of sinking land and erosion that had already been speeding up.
• Gazebos and barbecue areas were damaged and taken down for safety.
• The three DRNA-certified boat operators that carried visitors were barred from landing.
• The forest director, biologist Darien López Ocasio, said: "Se mantiene cerrado y no sabemos hasta cuándo o cuál va a ser el uso futuro del cayo" (It remains closed and we do not know until when, or what the cay's future use will be). She called the damage "irreversible".
• Private boats, kayaks and jet skis could still reach the area but had to stay outside the buoys. Only swimming was allowed inside the channels.

Since then: we searched Puerto Rico news and the DRNA website through November 8, 2026 and found no reopening notice. The DRNA home page had nothing about the cay that day. Many travel pages still list "9 a.m. to 5 p.m." and a ferry price. Those are leftovers from before 2020.

What we have not confirmed: whether the buoy rule above still applies, and whether anyone is running informal trips to the cay. If someone offers to drop you on the island, ask whether it is allowed before you go. Do not climb on or damage the mangroves.

How to check before you go

• Call the Guánica State Forest office: 787-772-2009 or 787-772-2030 (numbers from the DRNA's own notice). Ask: "¿Está abierto Cayo Aurora (Isla de Guilligan) al público?" (Is Cayo Aurora open to the public?)
• Check this page. We will update the status with the date when we confirm it in person.
• Look for news: search "Isla de Guilligan" or "Cayo Aurora" (most coverage is in Spanish).

The best boat trips around Guánica instead

The reefs and cays off Guánica and La Parguera are still the reason to get on the water here. Two operators we checked (their own sites, November 2026):

Scuba Dogs at Copamarina Beach Resort (Guánica). Scuba Dogs is a PADI 5 Star dive center with a base at Copamarina Beach Resort on PR-333. Its PADI Travel listing sells a snorkeling boat trip "snorkeling Gilligan's Island Biosphere Reserve" from Copamarina. Details from that listing, checked November 8, 2026:

• Ages 6 and up.
• About 2 to 3 hours (the listing gives both figures).
• Included: mask, snorkel, fins, an inflatable safety vest, a safety briefing, a PADI-certified guide, snacks, and use of lockers and showers.
• Not included: towels; wetsuits rent for $15.
• Snorkel spot is chosen on the day. The listing does not say the boat lands on Cayo Aurora.
• Free cancellation up to 48 hours before.
• Price is not shown on the listing. Scuba Dogs' Copamarina page adds a 17.5% processing fee at checkout, and lists a resort "Day Pass" of $150 per day "when only doing a tour". Ask whether that pass applies to you before you book.
• The dive shop at Copamarina is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone 787-783-6377 ext. 3.

Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center (La Parguera, Lajas). If you are willing to drive west to La Parguera [ISAIAH: confirm drive time from Guánica], this shop runs short, cheap reef trips and bio bay boats from PR-304 km 3.2. From its own site and booking page, checked November 8, 2026:

• Local reef snorkel: from $70, two hours, departures at 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. (check in 30 minutes before). Children 5 and under do not pay.
• Sunset bio bay cruise: from $85. Reef snorkeling and an afternoon swim, then about 30 minutes in the bioluminescent bay, with empanadas and drinks.
• Bio bay boat tour: from $70, a short evening boat ride through the mangroves to the bay.
• All trips are listed for all ages, but everyone must know how to swim, and children need life jackets.

[ISAIAH: first-hand note here, only if you take one of these trips. Which reef or cay the boat went to, how calm the water was, how many people on board.]

On land: the Guánica Dry Forest

Right next to the cays, the Guánica State Forest (Bosque Seco de Guánica) is one of the best dry tropical forests in the Caribbean and a UNESCO biosphere reserve. It is open, and it costs nothing to enter.

• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday and holidays, entry from 7:30 a.m., closing at 4:00 p.m. That is from the DRNA's own notice, which dates from January 2022. A travel guide updated in August 2026 lists the same hours, with the information center closed from noon to 1 p.m. Call 787-772-2009 to confirm.
• Getting in: the main entrance is up PR-334 from PR-116 in Guánica. If the main entrance or lot is closed, coastal trailheads are off PR-333.
• Trails to know (lengths from the same guide; confirm on the forest map): the Ballena Trail (about 2.5 miles round trip) ends at Ballena Bay, which has undertow and is not a good swimming beach. The Fuerte Trail goes to the old Fort Capron lookout and has little shade. The Meseta Trail follows the coast to Tamarindo Beach.
• Bring: far more water than you think, a hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes and insect repellent. It is very hot by midday, so start early.

[ISAIAH: first-hand note here. Was the main entrance on PR-334 open, and how hot the Fuerte Trail felt at 10 a.m.]

A Guánica day that works

• Morning (7:30 to 10:30): a dry forest walk while it is cool. The Ballena Trail is the easy pick.
• Midday: a snorkel boat from Copamarina (book ahead; confirm the departure time).
• Evening: drive to La Parguera for a bio bay boat after dark.

Staying west? La Vista de Isabela is about [ISAIAH: drive time] from Guánica. [ISAIAH: La Vista link with the "we have a stake in this property" label.]

FAQ

Is Gilligan's Island in Puerto Rico open in 2026? We found no reopening announcement as of November 8, 2026. The cay closed to the public after the January 2020 earthquakes, and in 2021 the DRNA said it would stay closed with no date. Call the Guánica forest office (787-772-2009) to confirm before you go.

Is there still a ferry to Gilligan's Island? Not a public one, as far as we can confirm. In 2021 the three DRNA-certified boat operators were barred from landing on the cay. Old pages listing a $10 ferry and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours are out of date.

Can you kayak to Gilligan's Island? In 2021, private boats and kayaks could reach the area but had to stay outside the buoys, with only swimming allowed in the channels. We have not confirmed that rule is unchanged in 2026.

What happened to Gilligan's Island? The 2020 earthquakes made the land sink, on top of erosion already under way. The usable area shrank to less than half, and the picnic structures were taken down.

What can I do in Guánica instead? A guided snorkel boat around the Guánica cays (from Copamarina), the Guánica Dry Forest trails (free, Tuesday to Sunday), or a La Parguera reef snorkel and bio bay boat in the evening.

Is the Guánica Dry Forest free? Yes, there is no entrance charge. Hours are Tuesday to Sunday and holidays, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., per the DRNA.