Bosque Estatal de Guajataca Keep your eyes in the canopy of this karst-country forest and you might spot the rare Puerto Rican boa. Due to big swells on the north coast, most of the best diving and snorkeling lies away from San Juan. Fajardo Enormous coral heads and a great assortment of reef fish make this a great destination in the east.
Playa Humacao Excellent for advanced divers, this region has caves and jagged walls, and a mile-long reef frequented by dolphins. Isla Desecheo This island hosts great dives when the sea is calm, with reliable visibility over ft. El Morro This fortress defended the gold of the Spanish crown from one group of pirates after the next; scanning the horizon for ships from its ramparts still captures the imagination.
Isla Mona The wildness of the beaches and coves here can easily have you believing you've stumbled into a scene from Treasure Island. The dining is mighty fine across Puerto Rico, but there are a few one-of-a-kind eating experiences. Guavate Chow down at one of Guavate's legendary lechoneras roadside pork roast stands alongside exuberant weekending Puerto Ricans. Arecibo Honor a time-tested classic: empanadas de ceti , fish empanadas made with the tiny, tasty ceti fish.
Experts believe there are still another caves yet to be explored! Bioluminescence can be found in many places all over the world, but there are only five bioluminescent bays in the world. Lucky enough, three of them are in Puerto Rico. A bio bay is a fragile and rare ecosystem that allows tiny dinoflagellates to develop and glow when the water is disturbed. The glow is quite surreal to witness! Some of these beaches are regarded as the most beautiful beaches in the world.
These include Flamenco Bay, which is often in the top 10 beaches in the world list by TripAdvisor. Also, legend says that some of his treasures are still hidden in different parts of the island. He is known for offering his crew a cocktail made with coconuts, pineapple, and rum to boost their morale. But, the recipe was lost after he died in The famous Casa Bacardi is the largest rum distillery in the world.
Don Q Rum and Bacardi are the largest producers of rum on the island, and its production goes back circa years. While Bacardi was established in in Cuba , it shifted its production to Puerto Rico in — a post-prohibition move that allowed Bacardi to sell its rum tariff-free in the United States.
You can visit the Bacardi Rum factory on a guided tour. Those beautiful coconut palm trees on a Caribbean white sand beach are not indigenous to any American territory. He settled on a recipe he said captured the true nature and essence of Puerto Rico. Vieques Island still hides several eerily abandoned bunkers you could visit on your own. These tanks are now an icon of one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
It can be confusing at first, but Puerto Rico still measures many things in metric, from its days as a Spanish colony, and also measures other things in Imperial, as the US does. For example, when driving, distances are measured in kilometers, while speed is measured in miles per hour. Land surveys are done in metric, while architectural drawings are measured in feet and inches.
Gas is sold in liters while milk is sold in gallons. This is another duality created by the switch of power between Spain and the US. On the other hand, English was first introduced as an official language by the end of the 19th century when the United States occupied the island during the Spanish—American War.
Even though English is an official language, Puerto Rico is overwhelmingly Spanish speaking. The US government has failed to establish English as the dominant language despite several efforts. With a maximum depth of 27, ft 8, meters or 5. For comparison, it is more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty in New York City — which measures feet 46m.
While there was nowhere to build it on time for the commemoration, it found its home in Arecibo, Puerto Rico some 24 years later. The weather and soil conditions in Puerto Rico are excellent for growing quality coffee. The island has several coffee plantations and haciendas you can visit, with some of them dating back to the early s. In addition to the natural wonders the cave system presents, it's also interesting to note that the caves were used by the indigenous population long ago.
While Ponce is a large city and generally not on the typical tourist route through Puerto Rico, its historic city center is a delight, with 17th-century architecture and open plazas. Ponce also has a large number of quality museums, most notably the Ponce Museum of Art. Accommodation: Where to Stay in Ponce. Isla Verde. For the all-inclusive crowd looking for nice resorts and a decent beach within easy reach of a major airport, Isla Verde is just the answer.
Everything an overworked, sun-seeking, beach-loving vacationer could ask for — minus Puerto Rican culture — can be found right here. With calm waters lined by a white-sand beach and backed by palm trees and resorts, Isla Verde is a tropical get away with all the comforts. This area is a suburb of San Juan, and those who are looking to get off the resort without venturing too far will find the historic streets of Old San Juan just a short taxi ride away.
Similarly, El Yunque National Rainforest can also be done as an excursion for a quick escape from the beach. Accommodation: Where to Stay in Isla Verde. Seven Seas Beach. Only 30 miles from San Juan, Seven Seas Beach is a quiet beach with calm, clear waters and great facilities. The beach is family friendly, and just back from the sand, you'll find picnic tables, restrooms, concession stands, and easy parking.
The sand here is a golden brown, and the beach has a gentle slope. The swimming area is roped off, and boats are prohibited. The best section of the beach is at the western end; the eastern end can be rocky. The best time to visit Puerto Rico is December to May. This is the dry season, and at this time, the weather will be consistently warm and sunny.
You'll pay more, but it's definitely worth the premium. Within the historic Old City of San Juan , it's all about walking.
Streets are narrow, and you'll want to take your time checking things out. If you are arriving via cruise ship, the port is only a minute walk away.
If you plan on exploring the rest of the island, rental cars are easy and affordable. The same rules of the road apply as mainland USA. Intercity buses , called guaguas, are available, but the routes and schedules are not ideal for tourist use. The northern side of the Islands is covered in Tropical Rainforests whereas scrub vegetation is found on the southern side of the island. The royal poinciana flower and the African tulip tree are among the flowering trees which cover the mountain ranges of Puerto Rico with patches of vivid color against a rich green tree line.
The islands are also home to a rich variety of birds. Land animals such as snakes, lizards, mongooses, and the coqui are predominant.
The coqui is a small frog that can be found only in Puerto Rico. The seas also boast a rich aquatic life but commercial fishing is carried out only at a limited scale. The legal drinking age in Puerto Rico is only 18 years old.
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