Take a Dip at Charco Brujo
If you are in the Mayagüez/San German area and want to check out a local river, head to Charco Brujo. This little canyon and charco in the Río Rosariois a fun little dip. Not much is written about it, as it isn’t really easy to get to or all that beautiful – but it was fun and cooling.
San German is a small town in the south west of the island. It has a number of nice rivers and natural pools — Charcos Pilon & Igelsia for example. We had never been to Charco Brujo, so we went in August 2023 to check it out.
Wen we got down to the river, 3 young local kids were having a blast, jumping from the tall rocks into the deep pool, right at the end of the trail. Jumping into the unknown is not my thing, so they showed me how to get in the water off the rocks close to the start of the river “chute”.
This thin, deep area had a swift current, that pushed you along into the open charco. It was fun. I was able to swim back up the shoot to do it again and again. If you didn’t want to swim against the current, you could get out and walk on the rocks back around to the start.
The water was cool and clear. There was a nice sandy beach on the far side of the rocky area. One thing that I have never seen before was that small shrimp hung out near the surface and they would jump out of the water to avoid you. It was an interesting thing to see.
One reason why it is not super popular, is that in order to get there, you either have to go down a steep trail from the road or walk a maybe ¼ mile downriver from the bridge. We did the steep trail — it wasn’t that bad, we have hiked much worse trails! The river has many large rocks and boulders in it, so river-trekking down river way looked hard and slippery. But you do have a number of nice little cascades and pools to play in along the way.
I wore my socks to help me climb the rocks into and out of the water, but we had sneakers to use on the trail. I hear that, after heavy rains, some sediment washes into the swimming area making the water less clear — so before you jump in, make sure of the depth!
Details
As always, we’ll remind you to keep an eye on the current and water level in the river. Rain up in the mountains can cause dangerous flash-flooding down-stream with little or no warning. Additionally, if you are going to be jumping/diving into the water check the depth of the water personally in your “target area”.
Charco Brujo is located on Camino Anselmo Serrano in San German. We parked on he flat part of the road, then walked uphill at little bit and found a steep trail over on the left side. You need to go over the guardrail to get to the trail. If you want to walk down the river instead, drive to the bridge, park there, and access the rive from there.
Click on a placename below to view the location on Google Maps ...
PuertoRicoDayTrips.com assumes no responsibility regarding your safety when participating in the activities described in this article. Please use common sense! If your mother or that little voice in your head tells you that you are about to do something stupid … then don't do it!
