Old San Juan is special in every way, known for its rich history, five-century-old forts, romantic ambiance, Old World elegance, exquisite food, and festive atmosphere. "El Viejo San Juan" is no ordinary cookie-cutter destination. You can't leave Puerto Rico without visiting this fantastic place.
Walk Into 500 Years of History San Juan National Historic Site preserves stories of great ambition and aspirations. Countries fought for control of this tiny yet strategic island for centuries. Generations of soldiers have lived and worked within the forts. Visitors today are as inspired by these stories as they are by the beauty of the architecture and the ingenuity of design and engineering of this World Heritage Site.
Señor Paleta is a "paletería" that specializes in creating artisan ice pops or "paletas" with fresh fruit and quality nuts. They offer a variety of hand made gelato and sorbet based "paletas". Their most populars flavors include strawberry mojito, mango, coconut, nutella and pistachio. Paletas are the ideal refreshing and delicious treat to enjoy while discovering the enchantments of the historic city of Old San Juan.
El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rainforest in the national forest system. At nearly 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in size, yet one of the most biologically diverse. Come experience the breathtaking scenery, clear mountain rivers, and outdoor recreation opportunities year round.
Toro Verde Adventure Park is located in the town of Orocovis, about an hour and 45 minutes from San Juan and hidden between rolling mountains covered in dense forest. The area boasts some of the most breathtaking mountain views on the Island, which you’ll see flying beneath you, if you choose to go ziplining. Since the park opened in 2009, its network of ziplines and suspension bridges has steadily expanded, and now includes two enormous ziplines, The Beast at nearly 1.5 kilometers and The Monster, the second longest zipline in the world, at 2.5 kilometers.
Laguna Grande is located to the east of San Juan in the town of Fajardo and it's one of three bio-bays found in Puerto Rico. The blueish glowing effect in the waters is caused by dinoflagellates— microscopic organisms that react to any movement in the water by activating their glowing defense mechanism. When planning your visit to this natural wonder, keep in mind that the glowing effect is better appreciated on moonless nights, the darker the better!
Heladeria Lares is an ice cream shop in Lares (nearly 2 hrs from San Juan) that has 45-50 delicious flavors of ice creams daily — many very unusual. The ice cream is all home made. The flavors range from traditional ones you know and love (like cookies & cream, vanilla or chocolate) to "exotic" ones that you’d never have imagined (like cod fish, rice & beans or garlic) to some other in-between flavors (like carrot, sweet potato or corn). The names of the ice creams flavors are in Spanish, but the scooper will translate them for you.
The Ponce Museum of Art holds works by Puerto Rican and other Latin American artists. It has one of the most important pre-Raphaelite collections in the Western Hemisphere, which include pieces by a respectable representation of European artists, like Van Dyck, Reubens, Rodin, Delacroix and Gainsborough. The building, was designed by Edward Durell Stone (Museum of Modern Art, NY). Open daily 10am-5pm. Admission: Adults $3, children $2.
This incredible 268-acre park is the site of the great subterranean caverns carved out by the Camuy River over one million years ago. The park is one of the largest underground formations in the Western Hemisphere, and only seven miles (11km) of this series of limestone caves have been fully explored. The impeccably maintained trails gently descend 200 feet through a fern filled ravine to the yawning, cathedral-like caverns. The park is one of the world's largest cave networks. Sixteen entranced have been found and 11 kilometers (7 miles) of passages explored so far. Tours available, visitors are guided through one cave and two sinkholes, there are fine examples of stalactites, stalagmites and, of course, plenty of bats. The park is equipped with picnic areas, walking trails, food facilities, and exhibition hall and a souvenir shop, making it the perfect place to spend a day.