Caño Tiburones Nature Reserve

Caño Tiburones Nature Reserve protects a portion of Puerto Rico's largest wetland, a former estuary of nearly 7,000 acres that once stretched between the Río Grande de Arecibo and Río Grande de Manatí along the north coast. Established in 1998 and jointly managed by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Department of Agriculture, the area was designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International in 2007. It is home to more than 200 bird species —including herons, egrets, and flamingos— as well as the Puerto Rican boa and numerous fish, crustacean, and reptile species. The Zanja Fría spring offers clear waters suitable for swimming. The reserve offers bird watching, kayaking, and hiking, though much of the terrain remains altered by drainage canals built in the 1940s for the sugarcane industry.