Puerto Rico has fabulous things to do, from strolling through the history-filled castles of Old San Juan, to running with wild horses and bathing in the crystal-clear waters of its dazzling beaches. These are 37 things to do in Puerto Rico that will leave you in love with the Isla del Encanto.
1. Stroll through Old San Juan
The list of mandatory things to do in Puerto Rico should be headed by a tour of Old San Juan, the historic center of the Puerto Rican capital.
San Juan was founded in 1521 in a beautiful bay on the north coast of Puerto Rico. Its historic center, populated with colorful mansions, is home to the most important architectural gems on the island.
One is the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Puerto Rico’s presentation postcard in the international tourist world. This is a fortification that looks imposing in front of the Caribbean waters.
Built in the 16th century, it was the main defensive bastion of the island during the time of colonial piracy.
The Castillo San Cristóbal, the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, the Palacio de Santa Catalina, also called La Fortaleza; the Plaza de Armas, the Fort of San Gerónimo, the Cemetery of Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis, the Capitol, the White House and the Paseo de la Princesa, are other essential stops in Old San Juan.
See in the following video several shots of this historic place:
2. Meet the two most beautiful “island snakes” in Puerto Rico: Culebra and Culebrita
In Culebra there are no longer so many Alsophis portoricensis snakes , whose abundance gave the island its name, but there are plenty of paradisiacal beaches that are among the best in the Caribbean.
Because of its location in the easternmost part of the Puerto Rican archipelago, Culebra is called the Cradle of the Borincano Sun. It is located 27 km from the coast of the main island of Puerto Rico and its best known beach is Flamenco.
In Flamenco you will see white sand and transparent waters and there is the unusual sight of seeing abandoned war tanks on the sand. They were left behind by the US Army, a country that used Culebra for training.
The Culebra National Wildlife Refuge has one of the largest concentrations of birds in the West Indies.
Next to Culebra is Culebrita, a beautiful key on which Playa Tortuga is located, which competes with Playa Flamenco for the distinction as the best in Puerto Rico. The Culebrita lighthouse worked between 1886 and 1975.
3. Live the history of rum in Ponce
Ponce is the second largest urban concentration in Puerto Rico, after San Juan, and its Historic Zone is not that old, but dates from the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century because most of its colonial buildings were demolished by natural disasters. .
Among the architectural attractions of the city (named after the conqueror of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de León) are the cathedral, the Parque de Bombas (a former fire station) and the buildings linked to the Serrallés family, historical magnates of sugar cane and rum.
The Serrallés Castle, an opulent mansion built on a Ponce hill in the 1930s in front of the Historic Zone, is the headquarters of the Museum of the History of Sugarcane and Rum. The Casa Serrallés, another former residence of the wealthy family, is home to the Puerto Rican Music Museum.
For beach lovers, Ponce has La Guancha and the fantastic Isla Caja de Muertos.
See below this video documenting this incredible place:
4. Explore the caves of the Camuy River
The Camuy River, 30 km long, rises in the Cordillera Central, in northwestern Puerto Rico, and flows north to empty into the Caribbean Sea. It has several underground sections and is one of the longest underground streams in the known world.
As it passes through four Puerto Rican municipalities (Camuy, Hatillo, Lares and Utuado), the river formed about 220 caves in a distance of about 16 km, which make up the largest cave system in the Western Hemisphere and one of the largest on the planet. . To date, 18 entrances to the cave system have been identified.
The caves are part of the Camuy River Caverns National Park, a 10.8 km 2 protected area decreed in 1987 to preserve one of the most spectacular landscapes in Puerto Rico.
Cueva Clara is one of the most impressive, with a height of more than 50 meters and formidable stalactites and stalagmites. Archaeological evidence indicates that the caves were known by the ancient Taínos.
Here is a video that shows the route to these wonderful caves:
5. Walk among birds through the dry forests of Puerto Rico
Dry forests are a classification of flora that distinguishes forest ecosystems that live in regions with a short but very intense rainy season, followed by a long dry season or low rainfall. The best example of these ecosystems in the entire Caribbean area is the Guánica State Forest.
Guánica is a municipality located off the south coast of Puerto Rico, 40 km from the city of Ponce. The state forest is a protected area of 40.5 hectares in which it rains 770 mm/m 2 per year, with rainfall strongly concentrated in the August-November period.
Among the evergreen plant species, guayacán, albarillo, and tea stand out, and among the deciduous ones, almácigo, úcar, and serrasuela stand out, the latter almost exclusive to the Guánica State Forest.
The forest is also one of the great bird refuges on the island, with 136 registered species, including woodpecker, captain comeñame, silly bird, bienteveo and hummingbird.
6. Get your caffeine fix on the coffee farms of Puerto Rico
A little caffeine is not bad to stay awake and a trip through Puerto Rico requires a lot of time to be alert to know all its attractions. Fortunately, excellent coffee is produced on the island.
Puerto Rico is covered with mountains in 40% of its surface, so the main mountain range is the Cordillera Central, which divides the main island into two parts.
Coffee trees have been planted in the foothills of these mountains since the 18th century, and coffee led Puerto Rican exports at the end of the 19th century.
Several coffee plantations have been certified by the Puerto Rican tourist authorities to offer tours that include tours of the coffee plantations, visits to the processing facilities and tastings of the popular infusion.
The municipality of Adjuntas, located 28 km northwest of Ponce and 122 km southwest of San Juan, is called the Coffee Town and the Coffee Route. It houses some 1,400 coffee farms. Among these, Tres Angeles and Sandra Farms stand out.
7. Surf and dive with sea turtles in Rincón
The best beaches in Puerto Rico for surfing are found in the municipality of Rincón, located on the western coast of the main island, facing the treacherous (for deep-sea navigation) Canal de la Mona that separates Borinquén from the Dominican Republic on the island The Spanish.
In the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve is the beach of the same name, with excellent waves for surfing. This sandbank is also known as Steps Beach and Playa Escalera.
The reserve is a refuge for fauna species in danger of extinction, such as the hawksbill turtle and the bottlenose dolphin.
Diving and snorkeling on the beaches of Rincón are fabulous due to the beautiful biodiversity that is home to its coral reefs, which protect the coasts from waves and erosion. One of the corals in the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve is the elkhorn ( Acropora palmata ), one of the most beautiful and complex, and is at risk of extinction.
Enjoy this aerial view over the municipality of Rincón:
8. Get soaked looking for the Puerto Rican Parrot in El Yunque National Forest
In Puerto Rico it rains 1,762 mm/m 2 per year, 65% more than in Cancún, where 1,071 mm/m 2 falls annually . But if you think that’s a lot of water, you should go to El Yunque National Forest, located in the Sierra de Luquillo, in eastern Puerto Rico.
In this 113 km 2 forest, it rains more than 5000 mm/m 2 , making it the area with the most rainfall in the Puerto Rican archipelago. It is also the only recorded tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System.
It is one of the oldest protected areas in the Western Hemisphere. In 1872, US President Ulysses S. Grant had decreed Yellowstone, inaugurating the era of national parks, and four years later, in 1876, Spanish King Alfonso XII made 48.6 km 2 of this forest in Puerto Rico a reserve.
Its highest elevation is the El Toro peak, at 1,076 meters above sea level. And as you ascend, you will surely see some of its 66 species of birds, among which are the endangered Puerto Rican parrot or iguaca.
Observe in the following video beautiful images of this forest:
9. Admire pre-Columbian carvings in the Cueva del Indio
Located by the sea on the north coast of Puerto Rico, near Arecibo, this cave contains petroglyphs made by Taino Indians before the arrival of the Spanish.
The Taínos were a group of ethnic groups that populated the Antillean islands, bequeathing words of common use such as corn, canoe, hammock, barbecue and guava.
The depths of the Cueva del Indio are accessed by a wooden staircase and you must be careful because the place can be slippery due to the water. Access costs $5. Near the cave there are some cliffs where the continuous blows of the sea have sculpted rocks of curious shapes.
Another cavern located near Arecibo is Cueva Ventana, nestled in limestone cliffs above the Rio Grande, which has stalactites, stalagmites and bat colonies. It is open at both ends and when the claustrophobic who have dared to enter begin to get restless, the light goes on.
Appreciate in the following video shots of this wonderful place:
10. Venture through the Humacao Nature Reserve
It is a perfect place to spend a day of outdoor activities, surrounded by untouched nature. It is located near the city of Humacao, in the Puerto Rican municipality of the same name, 57 km southeast of San Juan and 31 km from Caguas.
It is a coastal nature reserve particularly focused on ecotourism entertainment, such as kayaking , mountain biking, fishing, and guided hikes.
They rent several types of kayaks (single-seater and more passengers), as well as bicycles for one and two people and chargers for children.
The guides of the walks on foot explain the peculiarities of the flora and fauna of the reserve. There is an elevation called El Morrillo from which you have fantastic views of the surrounding area, including the islands of Vieques and Culebra in the distance.
Access is free and there are restrooms, a cafeteria and a craft shop. Open between Wednesday and Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm
Enjoy this video that documents this place full of nature:
11. Delight yourself with the street food of Paseo de Piñones
Piñones is a small coastal town in Puerto Rico that is located 19 km from the center of San Juan. It has a promenade that is great for walkers, cyclists, joggers and people who go to enjoy its beaches and street food, which has become an art in the place.
The promenade extends for several kilometers in front of the beach and there are kiosks for all the specialties of island cuisine.
Among the dishes are empanadillas and the typical Puerto Rican bacalaítos, fried desalted and shredded cod mixed with a coating of flour and spices, which the locals eat on the beach, at parties and on many other occasions.
In the Paseo de Piñones you can also taste the popular alcapurrias, a fried food based on a mass of yucca and grated green plantain, stuffed with minced meat or jueyes (crabs).
You can eat these dishes directly at the kiosks or buy them for a picnic on the beach.
Here I leave you a video that shows the beach of this beautiful town:
12. Dazzle your senses on the cliffs of Isabela
Isabela is a Puerto Rican coastal municipality located near the northwestern tip of the island, 45 km north of the city of Mayagüez and 116 km west of San Juan.
On the coast of Isabela there are spectacular cliffs, such as Punta Impressive, a huge escarpment located at the end of Pastillo, which some people find similar to the face of a Taíno chief, while others say it resembles a puma.
The beach is not suitable for swimming due to its intense waves, but the views of the wild nature are impressive. Near the beach is the Cueva de las Golondrinas, which is flooded by the sea at high tide, but at low tide and good weather it is a nice walk.
Another beach in Isabela is Playa Jobos, much appreciated by surfers, although it is not good for swimming due to its currents. At one end of the beach there are some cliffs from which there are extraordinary views.
See below this video with impressive images of Jobos beach:
13. Ponte colonial in San Germán
San Germán is a small city in southwestern Puerto Rico where Puerto Rico’s Spanish heritage is strongly felt.
All of Spain’s possessions in America became independent in the wars of the first quarter of the 19th century, except for Cuba and Puerto Rico, which remained Spanish until almost into the 20th century. Therefore, the presence of Spain in these islands was longer than in the other Latin American countries.
San Germán is a kind of miniature version of Old San Juan. Its colonial attractions can be seen on foot, since the main sites of interest are very close to each other.
Among these attractions is the Convent of Santo Domingo de Porta Coeli, a Dominican complex that houses a religious museum and one of the first chapels built in the New World.
Opposite the main square is the Church of San Germán de Auxerre, a building from 1688, rebuilt three times after several earthquakes, the last one in 1918.
Take a closer look at this interesting city below:
14. Tour the lighthouses of Puerto Rico
One of Puerto Rico’s main signs of identity are its 19th-century lighthouses, built by the Spanish to make navigation in the Antilles Sea safer.
The 15 Lighthouses of Puerto Rico, erected approximately between 1840 and 1890, before Spain lost this island and Cuba in 1898, currently constitute historical heritage and tourist attractions.
One of the best known is the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, a defensive fortress in the city of San Juan. Built in 1846, it is the oldest lighthouse on the island that is still in operation.
The Cabo Rojo Lighthouse strategically marks the entrance to the Mona Passage in western Puerto Rico and is known for its impressive cliffs and beautiful sunsets. It was built in 1882 and restored in 2007.
Other Puerto Rican lighthouses that are worth knowing are the Cabezas de San Juan (Fajardo) and Arecibo, the last one erected by the Spanish, in 1898; as well as those of Isla de Mona and Isla Caja de Muertos.
Enjoy this beautiful aerial view of the Fajardo lighthouse:
15. Admire the beauty of Mayagüez
Mayagüez is the largest city in Puerto Rico on the western coast. It is called the Sultana del Oeste for its stately beauty and the City of Pure Waters for the purity of its springs.
Mayagüez disputes with Aguada and Aguadilla the privilege of having been the place where Christopher Columbus landed when he discovered the island of Puerto Rico on his second voyage.
The Mayagüezanos bear witness to their bond with the Admiral of the Ocean Sea in places such as the Plaza de Colón and the Columbus Monument.
Other historic sites in Mayagüez are the Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria, the Yáguez Theater and the Casa Pilar Defilló Museum. Diving fans can count on the underwater beauty of Isla Desecheo and Isla de Ratones.
Mayagüez is also known for its baking tradition and in the city there are bakeries that are institutions of local gastronomy, such as Ricomini, a family business of more than 100 years.
16. Marvel at the “Taíno Stonehenge”
The Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Center is called the “Taino Stonehenge” because of the pre-Columbian stone structures it contains.
It is made up of 10 bateyes that the ancient indigenous people used to play batú, a pre-Hispanic sport. The batey was a court surrounded by a low stone fence.
It is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Caribbean, since the stones have very well carved petroglyphs.
One of the most notable petroglyphs is the Woman of Caguana, which represents a female figure with a large headdress and legs similar to those of a frog, interpreted as an allegory of fertility for the Tainos.
The layout of the bateyes seems to indicate that the design was conceived with some kind of astronomical criteria. In some stones there are engravings related to astronomical events, which would indicate that the Taínos not only observed astronomical events, but also documented them.
Caguana is a town in the municipality of Utuado, located 42 km south of Arecibo and 109 km southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Enjoy this video that shows how interesting this place is:
17. Enjoy the color of the Rincón Agroecological Market
This picturesque market is set up in the main square of Rincón on Sundays between 8 am and 2 pm It is the perfect place to buy tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, coconuts and other products from organic farms, at excellent prices.
If you have been surfing on the beaches of Rincón and diving in its aquatic ecosystems, populated by multicolored fish and beautiful corals, making a purchase at the agro-ecological market will suit your travel budget. Of course, also to your health, since you will consume products harvested with the healthiest agricultural practices.
In this way, farmers, generally low-income people, obtain a better income by selling to the final consumer and not to intermediaries.
18. Take a stellar look at the Arecibo Astronomical Observatory
The radio telescope of this observatory has a diameter of 305 meters and was the largest on the planet until the Chinese put into service the FAST, a 500-meter monster built in 2016 in the remote province of Guizhou.
It was inaugurated in 1963 and during its long period of service it has made it possible to make transcendental discoveries for astronomy, such as the first two extrasolar planets. It also helped to correctly calculate the rotation period of the planet Mercury.
The radio telescope’s huge antenna dish was made by assembling 40,000 aluminum panels. The visit includes a look at the apparatus and movies and a display of astronomical discoveries in the visitor center.
The trip to the observatory can be combined with other places of interest near Arecibo, such as Cueva del Indio, Cueva Ventana and the city’s historic lighthouse, the last one built by Spain in Puerto Rico before losing the island to the US in the Spanish War. -American from 1898.
Take a look at this aerial video of this incredible observatory below:
19. Taste a snapper at La Parguera
The white meat of the snapper is one of the most delicate that exists and there is no better place in Puerto Rico to enjoy this exquisite fish than La Parguera, where they are so abundant that they gave the town its name.
La Parguera is a community on the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico, located in the municipality of Lajas, 57 km west of the city of Ponce. It has keys with beaches with crystal clear and calm waters and is full of mangroves in which an interesting fauna throbs.
Sport fishing for snapper, dorado, tuna, wahoo and other species is a favorite workout. Among the main beaches, Playita Rosada, Cayo Caracoles and Isla Mata la Gata stand out. It has two bioluminescent beaches: Bahía Fosforescente (also known as Bahía Parguera) and Bahía Monsio José.
Isla Magueyes, of 7.2 hectares, is located 50 meters from the coast and is covered with magueyes and surrounded by coral reefs.
Here is a video of the beautiful Isla Magueyes:
20. Run with wild horses on the beaches of Vieques
Can you imagine a cooler thing to do in Puerto Rico than running with wild horses on the black sand beach of Vieques Island? Located in the eastern sector, Vieques is the second largest island in the Puerto Rico archipelago and is located to the east of the main island or Isla Grande.
The dark sand of Playa Negra is due to volcanic activity that occurred millions of years ago, through which rocks with a high content of magnetite emerged. Over time, these rocks melted to form the unique black sand that characterizes this beach.
Vieques is so overpopulated with wild horses that the issue is causing ecological imbalances. Meanwhile, these beautiful animals graze and run around everywhere, enchanting tourists, who do not stop taking photos and videos.
Another of the great attractions of Vieques is Mosquito Bay, a bioluminescent beach that is quite a spectacle at night, with the waters taking on a beautiful electric blue color.
Appreciate this beautiful view of the island of Vieques that this video gives us:
21. Feel like a pirate of the Caribbean in Cabo Rojo
From the Los Morrillos Lighthouse in Cabo Rojo, the Spanish galleons ready to enter the dangerous Mona Passage are no longer sighted, nor are pirate ships sighted. Still, the historic structure stands tall on the impressive 200-foot-high cliffs at the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico.
Cabo Rojo is a town of legends, such as that of the pirate Cofresí, who was highly valued in that part of the island because he shared with part of the population the loot he plundered on merchant ships. It is said that he kept the product of his looting in the Cueva del Pirata Cofresí, located in the Pedernales neighborhood, the most central of Cabo Rojo.
The lighthouse is located near the salt mines, one of the oldest in the New World. Currently they are a tourist attraction with guided tours through the Las Salinas de Cabo Rojo Interpretive Center.
Enjoy this aerial tour along Cabo Rojo:
22. Soak up the sun in Fajardo
Fajardo, called The Metropolis of the East, is the most important city on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. It is located on the northeastern end of the island and is home to attractions such as the Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve, the Las Cabezas de San Juan Lighthouse, and several enchanting beaches, including Seven Seas, Isla Palomino, and Playa Escondida.
The reserve is a protected area of 128 hectares, with a cove of bioluminescent waters and ecosystems in which a unique fauna lives. The lighthouse was built in 1882 and helped the Spanish ships win the Battle of Fajardo in July 1898, although they later lost the war and the island to the United States.
Seven Seas is a beautiful beach with calm waters, recognized with a Blue Flag and with an active underwater life to admire diving and snorkeling. The Isla Palomino beach also has a Blue Flag, although it is private.
Palomino is one of five privately owned Puerto Rican islands and is leased by its owners to the El Conquistador Resort, operated by Waldorf Astoria.
Observe the wonderful Palomino Island in more detail in the following video:
23. Stroll through the Guánica forest and then cool off on its beaches
On July 25, 1898, 3,300 American soldiers aboard the gunboat USS Gloucester landed in Guánica, beginning the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico, with which Spain lost possession of the island.
This town on the south coast of Puerto Rico is located 40 km west of Ponce and is home to the main dry forest in the Caribbean, which is also one of the most important bird refuges on the island.
Several species of flora and fauna of the Guánica State Forest are in a vulnerable situation or in danger of extinction.
The busiest beach in Guánica is Playa Santa, which attracts families for its clean, calm and shallow waters, in addition to its accommodation and camping facilities .
Just five minutes by boat from the coast of Guánica is Cayo Aurora or Guilligan Island, a small island with a crystal clear and flat beach. On the key there are restrooms and areas for picnics and barbecues.
Appreciate in this video a general view of Guánica:
24. Get drunk on alcohol culture at the Bacardí Factory
Puerto Rico is the cradle of excellent rums and the famous Bacardi brand, although it did not originate on the island, has historically marked it with a distillate that is a Puerto Rican emblem.
Bacardí rum was created in 1862 in Santiago de Cuba, by the Spaniard Facundo Bacardí, when the island was still a captain general of Spain.
Mr. Bacardi experimented in a modest pot still until he came up with a rum that seemed smooth enough to take market share from the crude cane spirits sold in the 19th century.
I wasn’t wrong. After successfully operating in Cuba for a century, the firm moved its operations to Puerto Rico after the Cuban Revolution. Currently, the Bacardi factory located in the San Juan Bay area produces 400,000 liters daily and is visited by tourists, who come to learn about the manufacturing process and taste cocktails.
25. Let yourself be seduced by the beauty of Caja de Muertos
The uninhabited islands have a virginal charm and Caja de Muertos, with its green carpet and Edenic beaches, captivates tourists. It has a kilometer and a half of surface and is located in front of the southern coast of Puerto Rico, 8 km from Ponce Playa.
The island is home to the Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve, an area that was protected to care for the nesting and spawning sites of endangered sea turtles.
As in almost all the Puerto Rican islands, there is a lighthouse, which was built in 1887 when the territory was still a Spanish possession. It was restored and automated by the US in 1945 and is still in operation. Its cylindrical tower is 19 meters high and its range is 33.3 km.
The main beach is Pelícanos, with white sand, clear waters and bathrooms, although there are no restaurants, so it is advisable to bring food and drinks. There is a path to go to the lighthouse in a walk of approximately 15 minutes.
Here is a short video of Caja de Muertos beach:
26. Visit to Creole Caguas
Caguas is located in the central-eastern region of Puerto Rico, 31 km south of San Juan, and is called the Creole City. Its name is a derivation of Caguax, the Taíno chief who ruled the area when the conquerors arrived and opposed them tenaciously.
Its architectural symbol is the Cathedral of the Dulce Nombre de Jesús, one of the five temples in Puerto Rico with episcopal headquarters.
The Botanical and Cultural Garden is a multi-themed space with a flora reserve, a zoo, Taino archaeological remains and historical ruins that include those of the Hacienda San José sugar mill and a slave barracks.
Another Cagueño attraction is the Centro Criollo de Ciencia y Tecnología del Caribe, which features interactive exhibits on science and technology topics.
On the third level of this center is the Green Roof, designed to capture rainwater and reuse it. In the place there is an orchard that has hydroponic crops.
Enjoy this tour around this beautiful city:
27. Catch a baseball game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium
As in the United States, in Puerto Rico baseball is the preferred sport. The Puerto Rican baseball league is played between October and January and the champion represents the island in the Caribbean Series.
The island has produced players who have shone in the Major Leagues, such as Roberto Clemente (the first Latino to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and the greatest sports idol of Puerto Ricans) and Hiram Bithorn, a right-handed pitcher who was the first Puerto Rican to act in the senior baseball.
The Hiram Bithorn Stadium, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is home to the Cangrejeros de Santurce team, which has won 15 league titles and five in the Caribbean Series.
The Caribbean Series is the small Latin American “world series” in which the champions of the winter leagues of Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic compete, plus representative teams from Cuba and Panama.
Hiram Bithorn died in Mexico in 1951, in the middle of a confusing incident, when he was shot by a policeman in Ciudad Victoria.
28. Spend a fun night in the Placita de Santurce
This centennial little square (located on Calle Dos Hermanos in the popular San Juan neighborhood of Santurce) was founded as a market square, where the population at the beginning of the 20th century went to buy fruits, vegetables, meat and other consumer products.
The function of the open-air market for agricultural products continues to be fulfilled today, but from 6 pm on, the square becomes a center of entertainment, with hundreds of people who go to eat, drink, chat, listen music and dance with live bands of salsa, merengue, rock , jazz and other musical genres.
Karaoke fans experience their vocal skills, while they roll the drinks and snacks with typical Puerto Rican bites, such as bacalaítos, alcapurrias and empanadillas.
Although the Placita de Santurce is usually active every night, it is most lively from Thursday to Sunday.
Observe how crowded this little square is in the following video:
29. Ice skate in Aguadilla
It is not clear where Christopher Columbus first set foot on Puerto Rican soil when he discovered the island in 1493. The honor is disputed between Aguadilla, Aguada and Mayagüez, towns located along a 31 km stretch of the western coast of Puerto Rico.
Aguadilla is a town and municipality called the Garden of the Atlantic and the place where “even the stones sing” due to a verse by the Spanish poet José de Diego.
Among its beach attractions is Survival Beach, which is great for surfing. Punta Borinquén, with intense waves, is good for admiring the landscape, but not for swimming.
If you need a freshwater break, Las Cascadas Water Park is one of the best in the Caribbean, with its Rio Loco, La Bomba slide, tunnels, and wave pools.
Aguadilla also has the Caribbean rarity of an ice rink. At Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena you can skate and enjoy recreational games.
The Parterre is a beautiful garden square built around a spring that the Spanish used as a source of fresh water.
See below this beautiful Aguadilla beach:
30. Try the oldest rum and the most famous pork rinds in Puerto Rico in Bayamón
Bayamón is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico called the City of Chicharrón for its typical food that has an informal denomination of origin such as “Chicharrón de Bayamón”.
The gastronomic tradition dates back to the colonial period and Bayamo residents eat pork rinds with the popular cheek bread.
Bayamón is also called the City of Sciences and is home to the Luis A. Ferré Science Park, an educational and recreational space focused on scientific and technological issues. It also has a zoo, an artificial lake, a natural viewpoint and an archaeological exhibition.
Another Bayamón attraction is the Hacienda Santa Ana, where Ron del Barrilito is produced, the oldest Puerto Rican brand of national distillate.
Enjoy these shots from above of this interesting municipality:
31. Get to know the biogenic beach of Ceiba
Ceiba is a municipality on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico that owes its name to the leafy and corpulent trees that abound in this sector of the island.
Ceibeños are called Los Come Sopas. One weekend in February, a gastronomic event called the Soup Festival is held, with soups, stews, sancochos, vegetable creams and other dishes eaten with a spoon, as well as an agricultural fair and live music.
The main local beach is Los Machos, which is biogenic. In this type of beach, the sand is not of lithic origin or dragged by rivers, but rather comes from the ancient decomposition of marine organisms, mainly corals, shells and snails.
Playa de los Machos has soft sand and flat waters, making it suitable for the whole family.
Another beach is Medio Mundo, located in the Medio Mundo and Daguao Nature Reserve. It has crystal clear and calm waters and you have to walk about 10 minutes to get there.
Take a look at these incredible shots of one of Ceiba’s beaches:
32. Climb to the highest peak of Puerto Rico in Jayuya
Nestled in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, the municipality of Jayuya houses, together with that of Ponce, Cerro de Punta, the highest peak on the island with 1,338 meters above sea level.
It is located in the Toro Negro State Forest and has a road that reaches the summit. Although the average temperature is 18 °C, the peak is windy and in winter the wind chill can be below zero degrees Celsius.
In the Toro Negro State Forest there are also Cerro Jayuya and Cerro Rosa, which together with Cerro de Punta, form the three highest peaks in Puerto Rico.
In Juyuya is the El Cemí Museum, with a collection of ancient religious objects and a peculiar architecture inspired by the cosmology of the Taíno people.
The hot air balloon ride has become a passion of Jayuya, a magnificent way to get to know the beautiful geography of the Cordillera Central.
Here is a video that documents the interesting El Cemí Museum:
33. Relax in a hammock in San Sebastian
One of Columbus’ great discoveries in the New World was the hammock, which he brought to Spain for the pleasure of the Europeans. The hammock came to Mexico from the Caribbean islands and although it is not known exactly where the first one was made, the word “hammock” is Taíno.
The most hammock town in Puerto Rico is San Sebastián, located in the west of the main island. In San Sebastian there is the Hammock Museum, with free access, where pieces of all sizes and colors are exhibited.
During the first weekend of July, the National Hammock Festival is held, which attracts some 70,000 people and includes musical events and a gastronomic fair.
Other local attractions are the Gozalandia Waterfall, the Doña Bisa House and the San Sebastián History Museum, the San Sebastián Mártir Temple and the Pepinian Identity Square (the original name of the town is San Sebastián de las Vegas del Pepino).
Enjoy this tour of this wonderful town:
34. Admire the mightiest river in Puerto Rico in Loíza
Loíza is a city and municipality in the northeast of Puerto Rico, called the Capital of Tradition. According to one version, Loíza was a Taíno cacica who had her cacicazgo on the banks of the Cayniabón River and who changed her name to Luisa after marrying a conqueror.
El Río Cayniabón es el actual Río Grande de Loíza, el más caudaloso de Puerto Rico, que forma el Lago Loíza en su ruta hacia el Atlántico.
El Monumento Histórico Cueva María de La Cruz es un santuario de abejas, con hermosos árboles de ceiba, situado en Loíza detrás del Centro Tau Ricky Martin. Este centro patrocinado por el famoso cantante puertorriqueño ayuda a niños y jóvenes en situación vulnerable.
La cueva fue lugar de escondite de africanos e indígenas que escapaban de la esclavitud durante la época colonial.
El Estudio de Arte Samuel Lind se encuentra en una pintoresca casa de Loíza, con originales obras de este artista puertorriqueño.
Aquí te dejo varias tomas del magnífico Río Grande de Loíza:
35. Súbete un poco el colesterol en la Ruta de Lechón
Entre las cosas que hacer en Puerto Rico para llenar deliciosamente la panza no puede faltar una visita a la Ruta del Lechón. Se encuentra en el municipio de Carey, en las afueras del pueblo de Guavate, a 51 km al sur de San Juan, en la zona central de la isla.
Un tramo montañoso de unos 5 km de la Carretera 184 está bordeado de restaurantes rústicos al aire libre cuya especialidad en el lechón asado a fuego lento.
Las piezas son colocadas enteras en una vara y puestas a fuego de brasa de leña o carbón vegetal por hasta 8 horas, por lo que el lechón se cocina crocante por fuera y tierno por dentro.
La Ruta del Lechón es un lugar de culto de los puertorriqueños aficionados al puerco y muchos turistas quedan prendados de la Pork Highway . También asan pollos enteros, por si el cerdo no es tu carne predilecta.
Te dejo a continuación un video recorriendo varios restaurantes de esta peculiar ruta:
36. Explora la salvaje Isla de Mona
Esta isla casi deshabitada del archipiélago puertorriqueño está más cerca de República Dominicana que de la isla principal de Puerto Rico.
Tiene una superficie de 55 km 2 y sus únicos residentes permanentes son el personal del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico que presta servicios en la isla, así como algunos investigadores de flora y fauna de la Universidad de Puerto Rico y otras instituciones científicas.
Hay un controlado flujo turístico hacia la isla, principalmente de ecoturistas que van a acampar, explorar el territorio y practicar pesca deportiva.
Mona es la isla más grande de las tres existentes en el Canal de la Mona, que separa Puerto Rico de la Isla La Española y República Dominicana. Su nombre no se debe a los primates, sino a un cacique taíno llamado Amona que gobernaba la isla antes de la llegada de los españoles.
Isla de Mona forma parte de una reserva natural con un significativo grado de endemismo en especies de flora, reptiles, anfibios y aves.
Observa a continuación estas maravillosas tomas de esta majestuosa isla:
37. Nada en una piscina natural de playa en Manatí
El municipio de Manatí se encuentra en la costa norte de Puerto Rico, a 51 km de San Juan, y cuenta con algunas de las playas más espectaculares de la isla, como Mar Chiquita y Poza de las Mujeres.
Mar Chiquita es una playa casi totalmente encerrada entre dos grandes afloramientos rocosos que dejan pasar el mar por una abertura central, formándose una deliciosa alberca natural de aguas cristalinas, ideal para toda la familia. Cerca del arenal se estacionan camiones de comida.
Otra hermosa playa de Manatí es Poza de las Mujeres, así llamada porque era el lugar al que iban a bañarse en la orilla, pesadas de ropas, las damas de las familias más notables durante la época colonial. Es una playa totalmente desierta, por lo que hay que llevar lo necesario.
Disfruta de el siguiente video que contiene tomas aéreas preciosas del Mar Chiquita:
Qué hacer en San Juan Puerto Rico
Después de recorrer las atracciones históricas del Viejo San Juan, aún te quedan muchas cosas por hacer en la capital de Puerto Rico. En playas como Isla Verde, El Escambrón, Playa de la Ocho y Condado, disfrutarás del cristalino mar puertorriqueño y de excelentes tragos y botanas. Para una cena memorable, Mario Pagán Restaurant es de lo máximo en comida y servicio. Una noche de antros y bares en San Juan exige una parada en La Factoría, con los mejores cocteles artesanales de la ciudad y música caribeña para bailar.
Turismo interno en Puerto Rico
La isla principal de Puerto Rico es aproximadamente rectangular y mide 178 km de este a oeste y 63 km de norte a sur, por lo que es muy cómoda para el turismo interno. Si alquilas un auto, compra una hielera portátil económica, ponle agua y jugos para mantenerte hidratado, así como algunas meriendas, y lánzate a conocer la isla. Para ahorrar gasolina, asegúrate de que los lugares que te interesan están abiertos. En casi cualquier lugar de Puerto Rico en que te encuentres, tendrás una playa próxima o algo cercana.
Cómo hacer un road trip en Puerto Rico
Por sus cuatro lados y hacia el interior, Puerto Rico cuenta con excelentes rutas para hacer road trips . En la costa norte está la capital, San Juan, así como Carolina, Isabela, Manatí y Arecibo. En el extremo suroccidental del litoral sur se encuentra Cabo Rojo y luego, con rumbo este, se ubican Ponce, Guánica, Santa Isabel y Guayama. En la costa oriental se localizan Fajardo y Ceiba, mientras que en el corredor costero occidental destacan Mayagüez, Aguadilla y Aguada. Viajando al interior, hacia la Cordillera Central, encontrarás haciendas cafetaleras y pueblos pintorescos.
Qué hacer en San Juan de Puerto Rico en 1 día
Un día es demasiado poco para San Juan de Puerto Rico, pero si solo dispones de este tiempo, te recomendaríamos que lo dediques, en primer lugar, a hacer un vuelo rasante por las principales atracciones del Viejo San Juan, como el Castillo de San Felipe El Morro, La Fortaleza, la Plaza de Armas y la Catedral. Después de este rápido recorrido, puedes optar entre almorzar en el Viejo San Juan o hacerlo en una playa cercana tras un chapuzón. Si te alcanza el tiempo, puedes hacer el viaje por la bahía para ir a la Fábrica Bacardí.
Playas de Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico tiene maravillosas playas, tanto en su isla principal como en las más pequeñas. Dos de las más famosas, Playa Flamenco y Playa Tortuga, están respectivamente en las islas de Culebra y Culebrita. En la Isla de Vieques se encuentran Sun Bay, Bahía Mosquito, La Chiva y Playa Negra. En la costa occidental destacan Crash Boat (Aguadilla) y Pico de Piedra (Aguada). En el litoral sur sobresalen Playa Santa (Guánica) y Playa Tamarindo (Yauco), y en la costa oriental, Seven Seas (Fajardo). En la costa norte se encuentran El Escambrón, Isla Verde y Carolina (Zona Metropolitana de San Juan), así como Mar Chiquita (Manatí), Playa Jobos (Isabela) y Poza del Obispo (Arecibo).
Lugares turísticos de Puerto Rico área oeste
El sector oeste de la isla principal de Puerto Rico cuenta con fantásticas localidades turísticas, como Isabela (Playa Jobos, Túnel de Guajataca, Cara del Indio y Museo de la Cultura Isabelina), Aguadilla (El Parterre, Playa Crash Boat, Punta Borinquén) y Rincón (Playa Domes, Faro Punta Higueras). En el occidente puertorriqueño hay que visitar también Cabo Rojo (Playa Combate, Las Salinas, Faro Los Morrillos), Lajas (Parguera, Valle de Lajas), San Germán (casco colonial, museo del Convento de Santo Domingo de Porta Coeli) y San Sebastián (Museo de la Hamaca, Museo de Historia, haciendas).
Qué hacer en Puerto Rico en una semana
Asumiendo la llegada por el Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín de San Juan, habría que dedicar un día para conocer las principales atracciones del Viejo San Juan y de la capital puertorriqueña. Luego hay que destinar al menos dos días para un viaje hacia el este, recorriendo Fajardo y las bellas islas orientales, especialmente Culebra y Vieques. Continuando hacia el sur, otros dos días para pasar por Guánica, Ponce, Cabo Rojo, Mayagüez y la Bahía de Aguadilla. Un día para la costa noroccidental (Isabela, Arecibo, Manatí) y el día final para ir a la zona montañosa del interior y sus haciendas cafetaleras.
¿Cuál te ha parecido la más fantástica entre tantas cosas que hacer en Puerto Rico? Comparte el post con tus amigas y amigos de las redes, para que también sepan todo lo que pueden hacer y disfrutar en un viaje a la Isla del Encanto.
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