Rediscovering Puerto Rico’s Cabo Rojo 25 Years Later

“A personal journey of rediscovering the cliffs of Cabo Rojo and the beauty of its landscape 25 years later”

As a landscape photographer, I’m drawn to the beauty of nature and the places that capture that beauty in unique ways. Cabo Rojo on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico is undeniably one of those places.

I first visited this enchanting area 25 years ago and it’s the location I consider shooting my first landscape photograph. Shot on film, printed and framed, it has been on display in my home ever since. My first landscape photo! When the opportunity to return to PR for the new year arose, I knew I had to go back to shoot the Cabo Rojo Cliffs again.

Known for its rugged cliffs and pristine beaches, Cabo Rojo is a landscape I find both familiar and captivating. From the southernmost point – Rojo Cabo – you can see for miles out into the Caribbean Sea. The rocky cliffs, striking sea stacks and vastness of this scene are truly breathtaking. Situated atop the cliffs is El Faro Los Morillos – a majestic lighthouse built in 1882 that guided seafarers for over 100 years until it was decommissioned in the 1980s.

Cabo Rojo translates to “Red Cape” named after the reddish color of cliffs composed of rock called Coquina, a type of limestone composed mainly of shells and fragments of mollusks, coral and other marine organisms. How cool is that?!

Things have changed some since my first visit and I’m glad I took an opportunity to scout the area. Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico in 2017. The road leading to what once was a parking area has been devastated and now must be navigated on foot, tacking on a nice two mile, round-trip hike up to the cliffs.

On our first evening, we were treated to the sun setting behind a mix of clouds, a rising moon and double rainbow. This scene in and of itself was mesmerizingly peaceful and the feeling of experiencing that landscape again after so many years is indescribable. The shot I wanted to recreate, however, was in the shadows so I immediately started planning for a return in the morning.

The next morning we arrived as the first car at the gate and with no time to waste (light waits for no one) I quickly hiked up the road to re-capture the image I had made years earlier. Now in the digital age, in the golden morning light, I achieved my vision perfectly and then some. With the mission accomplished, it was time to take a breath and really feel the emotions during that sunrise shoot over the majestic cliffs. Words cannot express the feeling. My hope is to bring you to that moment through my lens.

During our trip, I also had the opportunity to explore the nearby towns of Guanica, La Parguera, Combate and Boqueron. We enjoyed the beaches by day and traditional Puerto Rican dishes and drinks by night, giving me a real sense of what life is like in one of Puerto Rico’s most picturesque regions.

It’s always special revisiting places we haven’t seen in a long time, especially if they remain mostly unchanged by time and bring back fond memories from our past. The Cabo Rojo Cliffs are an incredible place worthy of exploration through photography or just simply taking it in with your senses.

And closing with a collage of my original prints