You feel as though you’ve gone to the end of the earth when you stand atop the stunning cliffs rimming the peninsula beyond pristine Playa Sucia, the beach at the extreme southwest corner of Puerto Rico, and look out across the vast turquoise sea.
Most hikers who come here take the breathtaking 1 ½ mile trail that encircles the iconic lighthouse Los Morrillos. We did it, ourselves, a couple of years ago. (Here’s the video) It was amazing!
But if you sneak off to the very left side of Playa Sucia (also known as Playuela), you’ll find a billy goat trail of about 2 ½ miles that gives you devastating beautiful views of the lighthouse from across the bay, with waves crashing into the cliffs below. You’ll also take in the crescent beach and the vast ocean beyond. The area is called Acantilados de Cabo Rojo, which translates to the Cliffs of Cabo Rojo. If you’re afraid of heights, don’t go too close to the edge! Otherwise, prepare to be blown away, by both wind and natural beauty.
There’s no shade, so wear sunscreen and a sunhat, and bring water to drink. But the most important accessory is your camera! We suggest you drop your beach chairs and swimsuits under a seagrape tree on the beach before hiking so you can cool off afterward with a dip in the warm waves.
Traveling can be so much fun … until disaster strikes. You get sick. You break your leg skiing. Your pocket gets picked. Then what do you do?
This video will help you manage your money when traveling overseas in the safest, easiest way. We’ll cover how to handle cash, the credit cards with the best benefits for travel, the cheapest way to rent a car while being fully protected, and more.
It will also help answer the question: do you need travel insurance?
… or Our First Experience Being Led Around by the Nose
During our extensive travels, we’ve always been completely in charge of own travel itinerary, a process that involves extensive planning and research, and can be frankly exhausting. For our first big trip post-COVID, we decided to give ourselves a break from logistics and try an organized tour. We looked over the endless options, our budget in mind, and chose Scandinavia, a region neither of us had ever visited.
So in September 2022 we embarked on a three-week clockwise tour around Scandinavia, from Copenhagen to Helsinki, that incorporated buses, ferries, and fjords. All we had to do was pack, then hand our luggage to the bus driver.
We booked this tour through Tour Radar, which offers a huge selection of multi-day travel experiences for all budgets. Their tour operators take care of everything from logistics to meals to experiences to friendly guides. The operator of our Scandinavian tour was Europamundo. We’ll do a whole blog later about the tour experience. It was a bit of a whirlwind, so don’t expect a lot of details in these videos!
Our tour of Scandinavia kicked off with a walking tour of Copenhagen, followed by a bus ride to Odense, hometown of writer Hans Christian Andersen.
Join us as we visit the famous Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen (the book was written by Andersen, author of many beloved fairy tales), the Denmark Royal Palace, the romantic Copenhagen Town Hall, Andersen’s childhood home, and the Odense Cathedral. We ended the first day with a cozy outdoor dinner beside a scenic canal in the vibrant city of Aarhus, one of the oldest cities in Denmark.
Speaking of Andersen, you can do a whole vacation that centers around this beloved author, who in addition to The Little Mermaid wrote The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, and many others. (Link below.)
Our tour route
ITINERARY
This is what the TourRadar itinerary listed for the day:
Day 1. Jueves, 22 De Septiembre De 2022 — COPENHAGUE , ODENSE, AARHUS Distance: 315 km Scenery: Pleasant hills in southern Denmark
At 08:00 h. we start out on a comprehensive tour of the Danish capital; the largest of the Scandinavian cities is a city of contrasts: its popular “Tivoli”; Christianborg Palace; the terraces of Nyhavn, and the mermaid… The visit ends at about 10:30 h. 11:30 h.– Copenhagen –Departure-. We will travel to the Jutland Peninsula, passing through pretty landscapes with hills and crossing the 20 km long bridge that connect Jutland to the island on which Copenhagen stands. 14.00 h.- Odense- Arrival. Free time to explore and have lunch in this pleasent city where you can visit its gothic cathedral and the house of Andersen. 16.00 h.- Odense. Departure. 18.15 h.- Aarhus –Arrival-. Free time. We recommend a visit to this pretty city, the Danish city with the second highest population.
On our trip to the Mayan archaeological site of Chichen Itza, Mexico, we took a side trip to a deep Mexican cenote (pronounced She-NOH-tay) called X-Cajum (I have no idea how to pronounce that).
A cenote is a natural sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock at the ceiling of a cave, that exposes groundwater. For Mexico’s Mayan culture, cenotes were a symbol of duality, since they represented life and death. They were also a water source.
For travelers today, they are a unique swimming experience, providing astounding views, lovely snorkeling, and a great way to cool off.
We visited Cenote X-Cajum, which is very near Chichen Itza and is often bundled as part of the tour to the Mayan ruins.
We traveled deep into the lush mountains of Puerto Rico to Toro Verde to take on the Monster, the longest zipline in America!
Come fly through the air with us on seven exciting ziplines, then get vertical and fly headfirst up to 95 miles an hour on the Monster (8,300 feet) and the Beast (4,745 feet)! Leave your fear of flying behind and join the birds at 380 meters above the ground.
Toro Verde also offers other activities, including bicycling on a zipline and several climbing walls, and several restaurants with awesome views of the mountains and the screaming zipliners.. Advance tickets are required.
We got a private tour of the Salt Flats and Wildlife Refuge on the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico. Our neighbors Padro and Dafne, who are among the volunteers who operate the facility’s interpretive center, took us on a private hike through the dry forest, and to the top of the Lookout Tour, where we learned about the salt industry. They shared Puerto Rican history regarding the salt flats and cotton, and told us about the ravages of Hurricane Fiona last year on the Salt Flats.
This is also a popular place to come birding and hiking. However, make sure you leave by 3 PM, when they lock the gate! Guided tours are free but must be arranged in advance.
The Educational Environmental Center (CAE) offers a space for educational activities and information about flora and fauna. But it depends on donations to operate. Don’t forget to make one after your tour!
We visited the Bioluminescent Bay in La Parguera on a recent Friday night and discovered a fishing village that has come alive again, post-COVID. La Parguera, in southwestern in Puerto Rico, is best known for its proximity to one of Puerto Rico’s three bioluminescent bays, but it also offers mangrove forests to kayak through and nature reserves to explore. The tropical waters are rich with marine life, and you can take snorkeling and diving trips out of La Parguera.
The trip to the Bio Bay happens after dark and is impossible to capture in a video. But come visit the village at night with us! We’ll walk a boardwalk teeming with people, music, restaurants, bars, artisan’s kiosks, and more.
Our tour operator was Aleli Tours, a small operation run by a bilingual, U.S. Coast Guard-certified captain, marine biologist and ecologist with over 30 years of experience. The cost for the two-hour tour in a small powerboat was $150 for the first three passengers and $40 apiece after that, up to six people. http://aleliecotours.com/
We’ve lived in Puerto Rico for only two months, and already a number of friends, and friends of friends, have reached out to us looking for recommendations or advice for visiting the island. I realize no one has time to go through our whole travel blog in search of ideas on what to do or see on La Isla del Encanto.
So if you’re coming to Puerto Rico and staying around the capital San Juan, here are a few of our favorite things to do, see and experience!
Urban Beaches
If you’re staying in San Juan, you will enjoy Isla Verde Beach, with its wide swath of sand and crashing waves. Ocean Park Beach is quirky and fun, but difficult to access unless you’re staying close by. We also recommend Balneario Carolina, or Carolina Public Beach, just east of Isla Verde, which features bathrooms, showers, shade trees, and beach bars. Admission is free, and parking is just $4. The sand is soft, the waves are gentle, and you can while away an afternoon in a beach chair with a mojito in hand while watching jets take off from and land at San Juan International Airport, right behind you.
Stroll west down the sand and enjoy lunch or dinner at Ocean Lab Brewing Company, which serves up really good pub food and a variety of craft brews on a large open balcony facing the ocean and the beach club below. (Make sure you enter from the street side; the beachside door is for members only.) Don’t miss the gift shop!
You can snorkel for sea turtles at Escambron Beach on Puerto de Tierra in San Juan. It’s not the best snorkeling on the island by any stretch, but it’s convenient if you’re staying in San Juan. And the chances of seeing a sea turtle are high!
For some truly spectacular snorkeling, go on a snorkeling day trip on a catamaran to Icacos Island, embarking from Fajardo. We did the Catamaran Spread Eagle II, and it was a blast. https://g.co/kgs/ZwRNd2
Viejo (Old) San Juan
Old San Juan is worth a day trip just to experience 500 years of history mingled with today’s rhythm of life. Enjoy strolling around the old city while you soak up the beautifully preserved Spanish Colonial architecture, shop for local crafts, and eat and drink Puerto Rican fare. Take in the historic sights, especially the iconic fort San Felipe El Morro, the governor’s residence La Fortaleza, and the Museum of the Americas. Definitely spend at least a day!
If you’re a Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights, Tick Tick Boom) fan, take a trip to his family’s hometown of Vega Alta, less than an hour’s drive from San Juan, and spend a couple of hours in the Galería de Lin-Manuel Miranda. Lin used to fly down from New York to spend summers visiting his abuelos (grandparents) here when he was a kid. In fact, his grandfather was a local celebrity decades before Lin started winning awards! https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/galeria-lin-manuel-miranda?tab=visit
This mural in Vega Alta honors Lin and his grandfather
Rum and Spirits
If you fancy rum or just a good time on vacation, we recommend taking the Mixology Class at the Bacardí Rum Factory. Take the ferry to Cataño from Old San Juan (Park at Doña Fela) for a spectacular experience. https://www.bacardi.com/casa-bacardi/tickets/
Mixology class
Another rum option is to take the tasting tour at Ron Barrilito, the original Puerto Rican rum. https://rondelbarrilito.com/
These are splurges, about $80 each. Both are worth it!
If you want to hike in El Yunque, the rain forest, you need to buy your tickets in advance on the first day of the month, from the US National Park Service website. They get snapped up fast. However, the site doesn’t work well, so be prepared for Plan B. If you fail, which is likely, you can always book a guided tour.
Afterward, relax at Balneario (Public Beach) Luquillo (closed Monday and Tuesday). Again, free entry, $4 parking, bathrooms, gentle surf, and golden sand. (Note that this is NOT the beach behind the Kioskos. That one is also called Luquillo, NOT Balneario Luquillo, and is interesting, but with a gritty locals vibe. Be prepared to encounter lots of trash) https://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/balneario-monserrate-luquillo/
Drink a passion fruit mojito! Try red snapper (chillo) with criollo sauce!
This is a passion fruit mojito
If you’ll have a car and are willing to explore a little, visit the Pork Highway, a coffee plantation, or Gozalandia Falls. If you have more time, come to our lovely southwest corner of the island, Cabo Rojo, which has clear, calm beaches facing the gentle turquoise waters of the Mona Passage. It’s 2 and 1/2 hours from San Juan.
Our Favorite Tour Guides
If you want someone with energy, knowledge, and enthusiasm to create a tour for you and show you the island, consider Rosario and Chan’s Adventures. Julio and Chan are fantastic! Tell them Bob and Lisa sent you! https://m.facebook.com/100082685624263/
More Great Sources of Info
Discoverpuertorico.com
Puertoricodaytrips.com
Messysuitcase.com
Youtube.com/messysuitcase
This should get you started. Enjoy this wonderful island!
We spent a morning flying across the rainforest canopy at JungleQui Zipline Park in El Yunque National Forest. I don’t know which was more spectacular – the adrenaline rush of the ziplines as we flew from tree to tree like Tarzan, the incredible views of the lush flora and the river far below, or the sparkling personalities of our tour guides.
There was a little bit of hiking involved, some on a steep trail, so if you do this, you need to be in reasonable physical condition. Make sure to wear good shoes. We wished we had realized we could carry water bottles, because it took 2 ½ hours long to navigate 11 ziplines and one exhilarating rappel. And it got hot!
We drove to Junglequi, but they also operate a service that will pick you up at your hotel, if you don’t rent a car or prefer not to drive.
Across from the parking lot at the entrance of Junglequi, our local friend Julio, who operates Rosario Tours, took us down a trail to a locals spot by the river, where you can jump off a rock into the water or even swing out on a rope! If you’re ever looking for a personalized tour of any part of Puerto Rico from someone who has a true passion for discovery and a contagious joy, Julio Flores is your man!
We came to see the rocks in Laguna Guaniquilla, not far from Buye Beach.
But we found so much more in Punta Guaniquilla, an amazing nature preserves full of natural wonders!
We encountered distant vistas.
Unexplained ruins.
Mangroves seen from a different angle.
Spectacular Caribbean views.
Salt flats that hosted 10,000 skittering crabs.
Jagged boulders rising from the water of Laguna Guaniquilla.
Hidden caves with signs warning of potential seismic activity.
More hidden caves.
Sleeping frogs.
Interesting plants.
Termite nests, some fallen on the ground.
You reach this hike by heading south on foot from the local favorite Buye Beach, down a puddle-mucked, narrow road through a neighborhood of ramshackle cottages that face the Caribbean Sea. Bring lots of water, and definitely bring a camera!
