Category: Outdoors

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MiniTour: Playas Clavellina and Jauca

If you’re searching for a good beach near Ponce, Puerto Rico, you might want to visit Playas Clavellina and Jauca.

In our most recent effort to find that elusive quality south-coast beach, we followed the map to the coast, east of the Ponce Airport, past the giant windmills, to these small gems in Santa Isabel. They are located in a rich agricultural area that produces an abundance of tropical fruits such as mangoes.

Playa Clavellina is good for one thing: kite surfing. It was so windy we could only stay for a couple of minutes The sand whipping against our skin actually hurt! But for kite surfers, it was likely a gift from God. And it explained the location of the nearby wind farm.

Further down the same road, on the edge of the Punta Petrona Nature Reserve, we happened upon mostly deserted Playa Jauca. It was a black-sand beach with a few shade trees and a lot of mangroves, in quiet, shallow Jauca Bay, well-protected from the wind. We spent a relaxing couple of hours and even enjoyed a visit from the piragua guy!

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Map: Playa Clavellina
Map: Playa Jauca 

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Salt Flats Interpretive Center of Cabo Rojo

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!

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Info (in English) 
Map 

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Coamo Hot Springs: The Fountain of Youth?

We Found the Fountain of Youth! (Why don’t we feel any younger?)

Tucked into the verdant hills on the southwestern side of Puerto Rico are the Coamo Thermal Baths (Aguas Termales de Coamo, in Spanish). Local legend says these springs are the ones that Juan Ponce de León’s declared Fountain of Youth, though I don’t feel any younger. 

The hot springs are supposed to help ease a number of physical conditions, including diabetes, gout, circulation problems, respiratory issues, and joint pain. We came for the mental health benefits, to sink into the hot water and soothe our anxiety way.

The Health Benefits

The price was unbelievably cheap – $5 a person (or $2 if you’re over 60). Bring your own bath towels; none are provided.

The facility is small, just a small store, locker rooms, a shower, and two thermal pools – one hot and the other hotter. You’ll also find lounge chairs and tables under large umbrellas around the pools, and there’s a spa offering massages. There’s supposed to be a café but we saw no signs of it, though you could buy cold drinks in the little store.

Words of Inspiration from Coamo Hot Springs

Nestled amid the shrubs and flowers are inspirational sayings to help soothe your mind.

We can only defend ourselves when we love ourselves.
Things are not always as we want them.
With great power comes great responsibility.
When you smile, everything changes.
Be the change you want for the world.

The drive up through the mountains from Ponce was lovely. Coamo is also the home of the renowned Coamo Half-Marathon, and the town itself has abundant recreational trails. It’s definitely worth a half day of your time if you’re seeking relaxation. 

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Map

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Where Does Chocolate Come From? Touring a Cacao Farm, Part 1

We visited Finca Hekiti on an “Airbnb Experience” to learn where chocolate comes from. We learned so much more about the conservation of the forest and the life within it, that we are releasing this video in two parts. It’s long, but if you are interested in chocolate, and in forest sustainability and diversity, take the time to follow Finca Hekiti’s Co-Founder & Co-Director Ricardo Albarracín on this tour of the nine-acre farm in northwest Puerto Rico.

This is how the Airbnb Experience we signed up for (at a cost of $35 each for 3.5 hours), entitled “Educational Farm Tour in a Cacao Forest”,  was described:

“We will receive the guest, walking through the cacao forest, learning about the farming practices when it comes to fine grain cacao, learn about the importance of agroforestry, permaculture and nature conservation. Depending on the tree production during the time of your visit, you will have the opportunity to view the cacao fruit, taste the fruit fresh from the tree and perhaps have the opportunity to harvest or plant cacao. We end the experience tasting the cacao fruit pulp and artisanal chocolate tasting.”

But Finca Hekiti is much more than a chocolate farm. It’s a passion. Hekiti Eco-Agroforestry Education Organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agro-ecological farm focused on the conservation and management of existing forests and their biodiversity in the Las Marias and Añasco mountains. It’s dedicated to education in agroforestry, agriculture, tropical fruit varieties (primarily fine grain cacao), forest inventory, fauna and flora. Oh, and chocolate! Come learn with us!

Info 
Airbnb Experiences Link 
Map 

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Exploring Exquisite Boquerón Beach and Town

There’s a reason why Puerto Ricans put Boquerón at the top of their list of things to do in Cabo Rojo, the southwestern part of Puerto Rico. Its delightful combination of beach and beach town makes it an awesome place to spend a day!

We visited beautiful Balneario (Public Beach) Boquerón (pronounced Boh-kay-RONE) and discovered all kinds of wonderful things – soft golden sand, clear water in a languid mile-long bay, a grassy park dotted with flamboyant trees, a huge parking lot, a working (kind of) bathroom, a jumping stingray, some awesome open-water swimming, a boat club, and (possibly) Puerto Rican parrots. Just get there early enough to snag one of the shade trees and you are set for a lovely day. 

This beautiful public beach sits a short walk (or drive) from the colorful beach town of Boquerón, which bustles with shops, restaurants, bars (of course; this is Puerto Rico, after all), and a bunch of sidewalk kiosks. It’s quiet during the week but very lively (and loud) on weekends.

A big beach cleanup and reconstruction project to fix the damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria in 2018 is starting this month, so Boquerón should become even nicer very soon.

Definitely worth a visit!

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Balneario Boquerón (described from a local’s point of view)

MAPS

Balneario Boquerón
Boquerón Town

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The Pterocarpus Forest: A Nature Enclave Within a Sprawling Resort

Who would expect to find a beautifully preserved nature preserve in the middle of the largest resort development in Puerto Rico? But that’s what we discovered when we entered the Pterocarpus Forest.

The Pterocarpus Forest nature preserve at Palmas del Mar is a 51-acre swamp forest, one of the largest remaining swamp forests in Puerto Rico. It serves as a habitat for 44 species of flora and 52 species of fauna, and this is a relief to see when elsewhere in Palmas del Mar, trees are being razed to create the latest luxury developments.

This wetland forest is named after the Pterocarpus Officinalis tree (“Dragonsblood Tree”), which has awesome roots that spread out majestically. It can grow more than 65 feet tall.

There’s also a lookout tower and a pond, which provide lively bird, turtle and iguana-watching.

Although Palmas is a private development, the Pterocarpus Forest is open to the public. Just tell the guard at the gate that’s where you are going. They have even been known to give out forest maps. There’s also an app that offers a walking tour of the forest.

Links

Info
Map

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Back on a Bike!

First bike ride of the year in Ludlow, just 10 miles into town and back. God, the roads are in bad condition! But it was a sunny 70 degrees. Lovely start to the season!

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Messy Suitcase Mini-Tour: La Pared Beach in Luquillo

La Pared Beach is a year-round popular surfing spot a block from Luquillo’s main town square. We never swam there because the waves were too high, but we did enjoy watching the surfers, including kids’ classes and competitions, while enjoying munchies and libations at Boardrider’s Restaurant.

Enjoy the mini-tour!

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Info

Maps

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