Fajardo Lighthouse – Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan

We were 5 minutes late arriving to the gate. We were not allowed inside. Our credit card was charged and the man at the gate was very rude. We have no idea if this was a good tour or not — if you plan on going be sure you know where you are going. It is hard to find. There is only one sign facing one direction, so if you are coming from the other way it is nearly impossible to find.

Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan, or Fajardo Lighthouse, is located in north-​eastern Puerto Rico, just north of the port of Fajardo. The lighthouse is within the Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve, and is managed by the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico.
The lighthouse was constructed by the Spanish in 1880, and officially lit on May 2, 1882. This location is on Cape San Juan, which was «the reference point of those who regularly navigate these islands» as described in 1782 by Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra, writer of the first formal history of Puerto Rico. The original lantern had a range of up to 18 miles, and displayed a fixed white light which flashed red every three minutes. It was changed after the United States invaded Puerto Rico in 1898 after the Spanish refused an offer of $ 160 million to purchase the territory.
The building is of neo-​classic architectural style and looks like a small castle. Inside the main entrance a corridor leads to a stairway ascending into the lighthouse tower, with an elaborate cast-​iron stairway. They don’t let you up to the lantern though, which is what I really wanted to see. The lighthouse is part of the tours run by the Conservation Trust, including the evening tour of the bio bay. (See separate review of Reserva Naturel Las Cabezas De San Juan). You go inside the building to see nature displays and watch a movie about the lighthouse and the bio bay. Then you go up to the deck and admire the view from the highest point of Cape San Juan.
Day tours of the nature reserve and lighthouse are scheduled at 9:30am, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Our evening tour started around 7:00 pm. The nature reserve is open to the public during the day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but you need a reservation. Call the Conservation Trust at 787−722−5882 and 787−860−2560 on the weekends. Watch for the entrance gate with the guard building on the north end of a beach on the left side — its real easy to drive right by.
In 1981 the lighthouse was listed in the U.S. National Register for Historic Places.