Cabo Rojo Lighthouse Photography Hot Spot

About the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse

Faro Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, also known as Los Morrillos Light, is a historic lighthouse in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. It is a top ten photography location. The Natural Rock Arch is just a short walk away.

Located at the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico, this lighthouse was constructed in 1882 to guide passing ships through the southeast entrance from the Caribbean Sea through the treacherous Mona Passage into the Atlantic Ocean. The lighthouse is located over a white lime cliff surrounded by saltwater lagoons and marshes—the cliffs surrounding the lighthouse drop over 200 feet into the ocean.

We don’t go anywhere without our Think Tank Camera Bags. Special offer!

The lighthouse’s architecture is distinguished by its simplicity, with minimal decoration and an unelaborated cornice. The illuminating apparatus is housed in a cast-iron, copper, and glass lantern. The French firm Sautter, Lemonnier, and Company manufactured the lenticular lens.

The area in the image below where you see the dried-out land is the Cabo Rojo Wildlife Refuge and Salt Flats, along the road to the Cabo Rojo lighthouse.

CABO ROJO SALT FLATS PHOTOGRAPHY

(Middle image above)

On the way to the Cabo Rojo lighthouse, you will drive through the wildlife refuge and the salt flats. The salt flats were added to the Cabo Rojo Refuge in 1999, becoming a part of the National Wildlife System. This addition will allow the Service to conserve and protect the most crucial point of convergence for migratory shorebirds in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Cabo Rojo Salt Flats are considered unique and irreplaceable. The coastline, mangroves, seagrass beds, and offshore coral reefs next to the area are prime fish habitats and are considered individual aquatic sites.

THE NATURAL BRIDGE

(Image on the above left)

A short distance down the hill on the trail from the lighthouse, you will find “El Punte Natural or El Puente Natural de Piedra” – The Natural Bridge or The Natural Stone Bridge. (See image above) This is a fabulous photography hotspot in itself. You see the two signs in the image, walk past them, and follow the right trail. You would never see it or know if you were not looking for it.

BEST TIME TO GO TO THE CABO ROJO LIGHTHOUSE

Go during the Milky Way season to photograph it. It’s one of the few places in N.J. where you can do so. See our Milky Way section for details of when you can see it.

We went during the middle of the winter, so the Milky Way was not visible on the dark sky map. This is in the green section, ideal for Milky Way photography. It almost makes us want to jump on a plane and go back. Now, it’s Milky Way season!

HOW LONG TO PHOTOGRAPH

Stay overnight for this location if you go during the Milky Way season; otherwise, plan on a few hours here.

HOW TO GET THERE

Take Route 301 in the Cabo Rojo area all the way to the end. It is on the southwest tip of the island of Puerto Rico.

Cabo Rojo Lighthouse: (17.933723, -67.192413)

Driving Directions: Be aware that it’s a very bumpy road. There are some reports of it closing on occasion.

The Cabo Rojo Lighthouse is open Thursdays through Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of Wednesdays, when it is closed. Entry is free.

Check out their Facebook page.

OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY NEARBY

Check out Crash Boat, one of our other favorite Puerto Rico locations to do photography.

HOW BUSY DOES IT GET?

It gets very busy on the weekends. The parking is limited. Try to go midweek.

RESTAURANTS, CAMPING & WEATHER – SEE BELOW

PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR LIST

A sturdy tripod will be vital for getting Milky Way and milky water blur shots.
A wide-angle lens will help you fit the majestic lighthouse and surrounding area into your frame. For this area, the wider the better.
Bring a telephoto lens and monopod for wildlife photography to help stabilize your camera.
Pack plenty of extra batteries and memory cards, as you’ll likely take many photos.
Bring your macro lens to photograph the vast and intricate details of the surrounding nature.
Pack an array of filters, from UV to polarized, to take the glare off the water and neutral density filters for long exposure to milky water effects.
Bring a spare set of fully charged batteries and extra memory cards; you never know when a perfect shot will present itself, and the last thing you want is your camera battery.

WHAT ELSE TO BRING – A PACKING LIST

Organic bug repellent. (Non-organic is very toxic)
Organic Sun protection. (Non-organic sunscreen is a cancer cause.)
Durable hiking boots for any trail or terrain you may encounter.
Have a waterproof backpack or rain cover to protect your equipment.
Packaging a rain jacket and long pants.
A hat and sunglasses to shield yourself from the elements.
A thermos for Milky Way photography nights.

Think Tank Camera Bags

PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS

SHUTTER PRIORITY:

If you have moving subjects, you will want to shoot in shutter priority to ensure your shutter speed is high enough to have your subject in sharp focus. Approximately 1/250th of a second is appropriate for people walking by, and adjust your ISO accordingly. If they are moving fast, increase your shutter speed to about 1/500th of a second. A fast bird flying by would be shot at about 1/1000th of a second. If it’s a bright sunny day, go as high as 1/1200th of a second. Remember, the higher your shutter speed, the less light comes into the camera. For More Details, see our Shutter Priority Page.

MANUAL MODE:

You can do your long-exposure running and milky water shots if you have moving waters at the location. You will have to use a tripod for this effect. Your settings will vary depending on the lighting and your neutral density filter. You will shoot in manual mode for the milky waters. ISO is always 100 or as low as your camera will allow. The aperture is f22 or the highest f-stop your camera will allow. Your shutter speed will be the only variable depending on the light. Roll your shutter speed until your meter reads zero. (In the center) Use your shutter release or 2-second timer to prevent camera movement when exposing. You will want at least a 2-second exposure for milky water. If you don’t have a neutral density filter, you may not get more than 1/15th of a second in the sun.

You can buy an ND filter here. We highly suggest you do not go anywhere without one. Long exposure for moving waters makes all the difference between lifeless images and outstanding, dynamic images.

APERTURE PRIORITY:

Aperture Priority is often used to blur the background of your images and control your depth of field (how much from the subject to the background is in focus). For more information on this – see our Aperture page

ISO:

The higher you set it, the more light is when exposing an image. The higher the number, the more digital noise, so stay below 800. If you need to go higher to get the shot, you can use Topaz Denoise to filter out the digital noise later. See the ISO page here.

WHITE BALANCE:

Be sure to set your white balance each time the lighting changes. Auto mode is not always accurate on many cameras, and we prefer to set it manually. It’s one of the easier basics of photography to master. If you need more help, you can get some more details here. See the white balance page here.

COMBATE BEACH RESORT – WHERE TO STAY

We absolutely loved it here. We were just a short drive to the lighthouse, and the resort is located in the midst of a wildlife sanctuary and a beach! This place is fabulous for bird lovers, sunbathers, and photographers. It was clean and comfortable, with a great pool. The staff has a list of places to go for photography. As you can see in the image below, they showed us all the places to go.

We foud it to be the best HOTEL with the best rates and great service!

The very attentive staff is well aware of all of the photography hot spots in the area. Where you see the image of the beach area, it is just a short walk through the wilderness to the beach.

Combate Beach Resort

RESERVATIONS

1-787-254-2358

LIGHTHOUSE AREA HOTEL INFO:

SEE THE ABOVE IMAGES AND DETAILS

Combate Beach Resort – Email: combatebeachresort@live.com – Phone:1-787-254-2358 – Carr. 3301, Km. 2.7 Interior, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, 00623,

Recreational activities to enjoy before, during or after your photo day.

Whether it’s setting out into the clear waters off the coast, exploring the trails that crisscross the area’s lush forests, or simply enjoying their on-site recreational activities, they have something for the whole family to enjoy:

After a long day of photography, spend some time frolicking in the adult and children’s pools.
Serve up a match of beach volleyball at the sand court.
Paddle the day away with their convenient kayak rentals.
Get your adrenaline pumping with mountain bike rentals, and throw your camera in your backpack.

CABO ROJO LIGHTHOUSE INFO

Entrance Fees: There are no entrance fees to the park/lighthouse.

Cabo Rojo Lighthouse: (17.933723, -67.192413)

Driving Directions: Be aware that it’s a very bumpy road. There are some reports of it closing on occasion.

The Cabo Rojo Lighthouse is open Thursdays through Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of Wednesdays, when it is closed. Entry is free.

Check out their Facebook page.

CABO ROJO CAMPING:

Call DRNA Information: Phone: 787-999-2200 x 5156 (Mon-Fri) Fax: 787-999-2303

Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales
Carr 8838, San Juan, 00927, Puerto Rico
http://goo.gl/maps/mtp3a

IT TAKES UP TO 10 DAYS TO GET CAMPING SET UP. YOU MUST PLAN IN ADVANCE.

FOOD AND DINING

Cabo Rojo Lighthouse Area Restaurants.

Imperio Pizza – Stop here to get a full belly on your way to the lighthouse.

Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm

155583 020444, -67 #18,

Boquerón carr. #100 Cabo Rojo, 00622, Puerto Rico

Phone orders: 939-350-4960

ADD YOUR RESTAURANT HERE. Do you want us to send our photography and ghost-hunting friends to your restaurant after their ghost-hunting trip? Put your restaurant information here. We will put a picture of your establishment, the website link, the phone number, and the information on your restaurant to make it easy for our photographers and ghost hunters to find you.

CABO ROJO HOTELS

See above for our favorite hotel in the area.

Do you want us to send our photography and ghost-hunting friends to your hotel for their photography or ghost-hunting trip? Put your hotel information here. We will put pictures of your hotel, the website link, the phone number and your information on your hotel.

Would you like to be a featured hotel like this article or this one? Please send us an email. You will be surprised at how affordable our prices can be.

WEATHER FOR CABO ROJO

Don’t forget that you can use a rain sleeve on your camera if it is raining. If it is bright and sunny, you want to use a low ISO such as 100.

If you are doing photography along with your ghost hunting on cloudy days, you can do running water or waterfall photography to avoid the glaring sun. You can also use an ND filter to get a long exposure for dramatic effects, even in the sunshine. If you ghost hunt indoors in abandoned places, be careful!

Go to our Photography Store after reading all about waterfall photography or neutral density filters.