5 Must See Day Trips in Puerto Rico

by Annyd on 6 February, 2016

Puerto Rico may be small but it surely packs a whole lot of adventure and beauty for tourists to discover. Most anywhere on the Island is just a couple of hours drive – though select mountain towns might require 3 full hours to find.  Here are our must-see sites that are an easy drive away from the San Juan-Isla Verde area:

1. Old San Juan – Make time to discover the old city and its history during the day and its many flavors and rhythms at night. This chariming old city is not saved for tourists or history buffs it is among the oldest continuously populated bustling cities in the Americas. Old San Juan’s has historic tales that are over 500 years old, but also plenty of characters and modern spots that are history in the making.
2. El Yunque National Rain Forest – Just an hour drive away from San Juan, make time to go for a nature walk, swim in the of its own surprisingly cold mountain stream of La Mina Falls and then stop to eat at the Kiosks and catch your breathe in Luquillo, before calling it a day and heading back into the Metro area.
3. Las Cabezas de San Juan, Fajardo – Head out east on a mid afternoon and find your way to Fajardo, on the Northeastern tip of the Island. In Fajardo you will find an eco-tourist delight: kayaking at night in a phosphorescent bay. If you get there early enough in the afternoon you can have dinner at any of the colorful spots in the fishing village from which the tours depart.
4. Arecibo Observatory and Camuy Caves – If times accurately, both of these sites can be seen in the same day trip. Ensure your place in the cavern guided tours as they close the park once the capacity for the day has been met. In this trip you will discover the distinct geography of the northwest coast, where unique karst formations, called “mogotes” locally, color the landscape and give rise to a 14 mile chain of caverns and the sink hole that was ideally suited for the Arecibo Observatory. In between the sites you will likely see plenty of cows, as there is a vibrant dairy industry in the region. The trip to Camuy is usually an hour and a half long in each direction. From Camuy the Observatory is about a 40 minute drive.
5. Ponce – To know Ponce is to love it. Visitors usually make the time to stay overnight to discover the local sites and quaint neighboring towns. There is the old town, the Art Museum, the the Serralles family museum, and restaurants for every occasion.