Reserve Keys
The name of the nature reserve refers to the natural barrier formed by its keys and islets, which protects the coast of Puerto Rico from the trade winds.
Since 1528, this chain of keys and islets has been known as La Cordillera.
The Arrecifes de la Cordillera Natural Reserve is made up of the following islands and keys:
Faraglioni
Icacos
Mice
Devil and Barquilla
Cockroach
Arrecifes Hermanos
Reefs Barrels
Wolves
Palominos
Palominito
The waters around all of these are widely used for artisanal fishing and recreational activities, and are accessible only by private boats that usually depart from the Fajardo coast.
This area is visited annually by approximately 10,000 recreational boats.
The most frequented places in the reserve, where the DNER installed mooring buoys, are: Cayo Icacos, Cayo Lobo, Cayo Diablo, Isla Palomino and Isla de Palominito
Alrededor de los cayos de la Reserva Natural, especialmente la zona de Palomino, fue un área de operaciones para corsarios y piratas durante el siglo 19.
Su nombre proviene de un arbusto abundante en el Cayo, conocido como Hicaco.
