Our Itinerary – Puerto Rico 2017

Our trip to Puerto Rico was adventurous. When we first booked the trip (3 days before departing), we had a vision that Puerto Rico was going to be like Costa Rica, which we had visited previously in the year. Although it was very different from Costa Rica, it was filled with its own special charm. Jeremy and I are extremely adventurous individuals so we had to try practically all the island has to offer:

1. Day 1 — Yunque National Forest, this rainforest was beautiful and calm. There were moments were we were hiking (without the interruption of big groups) for 20 minutes at a time. The hike is considerably long (a couple of miles) so bring lots of water. There may be a small (no, thats a lie, GREAT) chance its going to start raining (or pouring) while on the hike (hence, rainforest), so bring shoes that do not slip and maybe a poncho (if you don’t mind looking like a tourist (jk, not really). Although there are a lot of interesting bugs and plants, I would not come into this adventure thinking you’re going to find snakes, monkeys, or sloths, Puerto Rico does not have as rich of a wildlife as Costa Rica. Also — make sure to get there early as parking does fill up rather quickly.
2. Day 2 — Beach Luqillo & BioBay in Fajardo, we spent the first part of the day in Beach Luquillo, a very quant and quiet beach, were we walked around and went inside the water. At this beach, a stray dog kept on following us around (we wanted to adopt his so bad but we already have 2 pets at home). Eventually, the dog found another person to call its new “master.” Anyway, the second part of the day we went to Fajardo to kayak in the BioBay. This was fun and adventurous. If you want to kayak in BioBay you need to have good condition (a group of 4 girls had to tie their kayaks to the leaders because they kept on going in 360 degree circles — literally). Also, make sure you bring lots of mosquito spray as you will get eaten alive if you don’t. It’s best to see the lights in the water when its dark out — and no, it does not look like the photoshopped images online. The lights, at least in where we were, are faint, but still cool! Another thing to remember, DRIVE YOUR CAR AND PARK, do not trust Uber or Taxis in this area. Read about our misfortunate adventure.
3. Day 3 — Cavernas de Camuy, if you like caves and adventure, visiting the caverns is a most! They are huge — literally huge! You will find small critters like bats and spiders in the caves and DO NOT touch the railing as it is covered in bat feces (no, the white stuff is not snow). There’s also a zip line in the same park you can choose to do. Overall, great experience!
4. Day 4 —  La Parguera Snorkeling, this is probably our favorite part of the trip: snorkeling with the fishies, lobsters, and crabs. I totally recommend finding a snorkeling place and having this experience! This part of the island has no beaches, just cliffs and harbors, but one can find boat rides and it has nice hotels — they do fill up fast so book in advance. Also — driving in and out of Parguera, AVOID THE CLIFF ROAD if you can. Our GPS took us into a mountain with very steep edges which was scary to drive for a non-local.
5. Day 5 — Old San Juan, you can’t visit Puerto Rico (or how locals call it PR– I work in marketing so this is so confusing as I think Public Relations). Old PR is filled with history, shops, and the famous fortress. It’s a great way to wrap up a trip to Puerto Rico!

Disclaimer: BOOK EVERYTHING IN ADVANCE! Jeremy and I did not do this, we played it by ear and almost slept in our car a couple of times because everything was booked. Hotels especially, they are extremely scarce to find the day of booking.