Tortugas island is the best example that legends exist. In other words, it is not necessary to watch a movie to experience what is like to look for treasure. Furthermore, enjoy every step of the unique landscape just like in the movie.

An old spooky fortress, wrecks of pirate ships, as well as turquoise beaches and coral reefs… And no this is not a set for filming Pirates of the Caribbean. However, the location is real and therefore even more magical.

The national park on Tortugas island

Halfway between Cuba and Florida in the Gulf of Mexico lies a real pearl. Tortugas National Park covers over 260 square kilometres of sea area. However, to get to the island you can only do it by boat.

Juan Ponce de Leon was one of the first researchers. In other words, he was the first to come in the 16th century. Thanks to him, the park has the name Dry Tortugas. But why that name? Upon arriving on the island, Juan caught 160 sea turtles. Due to the lack of drinking water, the final name is Dry Tortugas.

There are numerous legends about pirates and this place. In other words, shortly after the arrival of Juan, the island became a stronghold of pirates. In addition, pirates used the place to attack merchant ships. The situation began to calm down only in the 19th century. Furthermore, since the 19th century, Florida is part of the USA.

A national park or military reserve

During the 19th Century, Dry Tortugas was not yet a national park. However, at the time it had the role of a military reserve. Fort Jefferson Fortress was built on the island. Due to its good strategic position, Fort Jefferson played a major role in defending the USA.

The construction of the fort took almost twenty years, and about 16 million bricks. The walls up to 14 m high were more than convincing. Although prisoners spend here some time, the primary purpose was protection from the enemy.

However, changes soon began. During the 1990s, it was declared a national park and a bird sanctuary with 299 species. In conclusion at the bottom of the sea are still the wreckage of old ships and never found pirate treasure. The best time to arrive is around spring as summer is known by tropical storms.