I was tasked with a mission to explore the US territory of Puerto Rico, from its lush rainforest and mountains to its azure Atlantic and Caribbean beaches, by clients hailing from Nebraska and South Dakota. I designed a jam-packed 11-day trip in March of 2022, circumnavigating the whole island with a magical visit to the smaller, neighboring island of Vieques as a grand finale. We were a group of 6, some of whom had never seen the ocean before, traversing the island together in a minivan with me behind the wheel.
We hit the ground running. Our first night on the island, the group danced and drank the night away at a beachside electronic music event called Electric Holiday, hosted at Vivo Beach Club in San Juan. The next morning, we took a walking tour of Old San Juan, discovering the rich history and culture of America’s oldest city, founded in 1519, and enjoying the nightlife when the sun went down.
On our third day, we started with a visit to sparkling Isla de Cabras National Historic Site in Palo Seco, then took a tour of the famous Bacardi Distillery in Cataño. We took off west and south to Toro Verde Adventure Park, where we rode the longest zipline in America — 2.5 kilometers over dense forest, valleys and rivers. That evening, after a scenic drive through many narrow, winding mountain roads, we stayed in and explored the lovely mountain village of Utuado.
On day 4, we set off back to the Atlantic Ocean and snorkeled with tropical fish at Pozo Teodoro, in Isabela. We then drove west to snorkel one more time and enjoy food and drinks with the ocean sunset on the popular Crash Boat Beach. We finished the day by checking out the many murals of Aguadilla Pueblo and climbed up into the treehouse, built into a massive Banyan Tree, at Parqué Colón. The next day, we drove south to Cabo Rojo, spent a few hours soaking in the sun on Playa Buye, wandered the otherworldly pink salt flats at Centro Interpretativo Las Salinas, then finished the day with an ocean sunset view dinner at Annie’s Place on Playa El Combate Beach.
On day 6, we drove to the Faro Los Morrillos lighthouse, on the southwestern tip of the island, and took in its breathtaking ocean views. We then drove east to take pictures in colorful Yauco, a town covered in murals. For our next stop, I had planned to tour a coffee plantation north of Ponce, but their reservation system had changed due to Covid and we were unable to get in. Ever adaptable, I found us a tour of Museo Castillo Serrallés in Ponce instead, a palace from the 1930s overlooking the city and ocean.
The next day, we traveled north and east to Caguas, where we hiked around the local botanical gardens, Jardín Botánico y Cultural William Miranda Marín, and visited the tobacco museum, where we learned about the history of Tobacco cultivation in Puerto Rico. My clients were fascinated to see cigars being hand-rolled and picked up some fresh ones for themselves. We finished the day by driving all the way east to stay in Fajardo, our launching pad for expeditions into El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rainforest in America’s national forest system.
On day 8, we started early for a wild ATV riding adventure at Carabalí Rainforest Park, followed by a guided tour into El Yunque in the afternoon. We hiked to two different waterfalls, one with a rope swing and free diving, the second with a natural rock waterslide and cliff jumping. The following morning, I sent my clients off on a mini boat snorkeling tour from Las Croabas while I arranged transport to the nearby island of Vieques. I was only able to obtain 3 ferry tickets due to a bad reservation system, so I improvised and chartered a plane for the other 3 of us to get to Vieques in the afternoon. It was worth it.
On Vieques, I rented us a pickup truck, with one or more of us riding in the truck bed, and we set out to explore Puerto Rico’s smaller, neighboring gem of an island, packed with roaming wild horses. On the evening of our arrival, we took an incredible nighttime, clear-bottom kayak tour of Mosquito Bay, the brightest bioluminescent bay on Earth. We could see each other in the darkness due to the water glowing bright blue as we moved over it, making speckled flashes of light with our paddles. We finished the day with dinner, drinks and dancing in Esperanza.
On day 10, we first went snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of Playa La Chiva. We then drove west, back through Esperanza, to hike the Playa Negra Trail (encountering yet more wild horses) and had lunch on Black Sand Beach. We then crossed to the north of the island for some incredible snorkeling at Mosquito Pier, where we swam with big tropical fish, stingrays and sea turtles. We finished the day with a ferry back to the main island and stayed in Cieba, smoking cigars on a rooftop patio overlooking the area.
We spent our final day packing up, cleaning out the minivan, and driving back to San Juan so my clients could catch their flights back to Nebraska and South Dakota. I stayed on the island for 2 more days, where I took a guided forest hike in a river, visited the old Arecibo Observatory site, found a delicious lechonera and locally grown coffee in Lares, and toured the enormous caverns of Cavernas del Río Camuy.
Overall, the Puerto Rico trip was an incredible adventure that I put together, filled with lots of thrilling activities, exploration and discoveries of the island’s many beautiful sights and natural wonders. I would be happy to lead another one, including these or other activities and routes, depending on my clients’ tastes and abilities. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this further.
