Attractions
Old San Juan
The old and quaint
city of San Juan, founded in 1521 is a site so rich
in history it is a place not to be missed on your vacation.
It's narrow streets are finished with authentic cobblestone.
So prominent in daylight,
the monuments attain a magical quality at sunset, the
glory and splendor of the Spanish Colonial architecture
enriched by comforting darkness and shadows. The experience
transports first time visitors and residents alike to
a place somewhere in the mists of 500 years of history.
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_entertainmentNightlife.php?language=english&page=79
Bacardi
Rum Factory
The largest distillery
of its kind in the world, it produces more than 100,000
gallons of rum daily. Take a free 45 minute tour, visit
its exquisite tropical garden and enjoy complimentary
cocktails. You can also buy rum at reduced prices. Open
Mon.-Sat. 9:30 to 3:30, Phone: 788-1500.
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_cultureHistory.php?language=english&page=48
Isla
Verde Beach
Isla Verde Beach
is actually a series of beaches stretching for miles
in front of luxury resorts and posh high-rise residential
apartments, restaurants and private clubs, guesthouses
and private homes, parks, and even a cemetery!
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_beachesSports.php?language=english&page=4
Luquillo
Beach
For generations
families have made the trek from San Juan and all over
the eastern region for a day at Luquillo Beach. A vacation
in Puerto Rico was considered incomplete without a visit
to this well-loved place on the coast. The view from
the beach is spectacular: a long gold crescent of sand
lined by countless coconut palms, with the misty mountains
of the rainforest towering in the distance.
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_beachesSports.php?language=english&page=6
El Yunque
More than 4000
feet high and just miles from the sea, El Yunque is
the only tropical rain forest in the US National Forest
system. It offers a wonderful drive with many exciting
overlooks and photo spots to pull off. Once at the upper
parking lots, short walks are possible to view waterfalls,
diverse flora, and many picturesque settings and expansive
vistas. Longer hikes may be taken to the summits of
the El Yunque and other peaks. On longer treks, expect
to spend several hours on the trail. Hiking boots or
other dependable footwear are advised. There are no
poisonous snakes or dangerous wild animals.
A new, very nice visitor
center is located at the base of the park road. It is
well worth the price of admission. It offers a video
presentation on the park, access to helpful park employees,
bathrooms and a nice gift shop.
The Caribbean National
Forest, often called El Yunque Rainforest, has the highest
visitation of any natural site in Puerto Rico. When
you see it, you’ll easily understand why.
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_natureAdventure.php?language=english&page=64
University
of Puerto Rico Botancial Garden
Enjoy a splendid
walk through beautifully designed gardens featuring
hundreds of tropical plant species that leads to a lotus
lagoon. View a wonderful orchid collection and rest
at many pleasant places to enjoy a picnic lunch. Free
Admission, open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A must for gardeners
and plant lovers. Well worth a half day's tour.
Rio
Camuy Caves
Some say that
you take only one sightseeing trip, it should be to
Rio Camuy Cave Park. 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 impeccably
maintained trails gently descend 200 feet through a
fern filled ravine to the yawning, cathedral-like caverns.
The caves are home to a unique species of fish that
is totally blind. To visit this pristine site is to
be transported to another, hidden world. Rio Camuy Cave
Park is the third-largest cave system in the world.
Sixteen entrances have been found and 11 kilometers
(7 miles) of passages explored so far. One special attraction
is the Cuerva Clara, which measures 695 feet (210m)
in length. 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. Reservations
are essential, as this place is understandably popular.
Open Wednesdays through Sundays and all holidays, 8:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For information call: (787) 898-3100
or (787) 763-0568.
There are only
two other places in the world where you will find a
cave system as massive or dramatic as the Río
Camuy Cave Park – and neither of them has a tropical
underground river thundering through it!
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_natureAdventure.php?language=english&page=59
Arecibo
Observatory
The Arecibo Observatory
is home to one of the world's most powerful radar-radio
telescopes, and the largest single-unit radio telescope
in the world. It is powerful enough to receive signals
transmitted by a comparable telescope located 1,000
light-years away. Those who see the Arecibo radio telescope
for the first time are astounded by the enormousness
of the reflecting surface, or radio mirror. The huge
"dish" is 1000 feet in diameter, 167 feet
deep, and covers an area of about twenty acres. The
surface is made of almost 40,000 perforated aluminum
panels, each measuring about 3 feet by 6 feet, supported
by a network of steel cables strung across the underlying
karst sinkhole. The antenna can be moved in any direction,
making it possible to track a celestial object in different
regions of the sky. The observatory was developed by
the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center and it
is operated by Cornell University under a cooperative
agreement with the National Science Foundation. The
facility is open to the public Wednesday-Friday, noon-4
p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For information
call: (787) 878-2612.
In the northwest
mountains of the island, nestled among the karst-country
hills, is the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory, or Radio
Telescope, the largest of its kind and one of the most
important research facilities on the face of the earth.
Phosphorescent
Bay
A microscopic
life form called dinoflagellates, makes the water glow
in the dark like an inverted sky. La Parguera is one
of the few places on earth (and one of two in Puerto
Rico) where these fireflies of the sea are always visible.
Imagine the blackness of
the sea on a moonless night. Now watch it sparkle with
the darting lights of a million fireflies. Nature lovers
will not want to miss the phenomenal experience of visiting
a tropical phosphorescent bay!
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_natureAdventure.php?language=english&page=66
Night
Life
The famous beach front
hotels of San Juan are found in the areas of the city
known as Condado and Isla Verde. Major casinos include:
Caribe Hilton, Wyndham Old San Juan Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton,
El San Juan Hotel, Condado Plaza Hotel, Raddison Ambassador
Plaza Hotel, Diamond Place Hotel, San Juan Marriot Resort,
Crown Plaza Hotel and the San Juan Grand Beach Hotel.
San Juan is the
Caribbean capital of nightlife and entertainment, where
you can indulge in bar hopping, fine dining, Vegas-style
gaming or anything in between.
Most Casinos are open Noon to 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 4
a.m. Jackets are requested for men after 6 p.m.
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_entertainmentNightlife.php?language=english&page=
Shopping
Rainy Day? Try the air conditioned splendor of Puerto
Rico's largest shopping mall. Plaza Las Americas offers
over 100 stores in a gleaming modern setting to match
any stateside counter part. Expect the shopping to be
world class, sophistocated and the setting grand.
Museums
African Heritage Museum
Museo Nuestra Raíz Africana
Tel. (787) 724-4294 / 724-4184
San José Plaza, San Sebastián St.
San Juan, PR 0090
Caparra Ruins Historical
Museum & Park
Museo y Parque Histórico Ruinas de Caparra
Tel. (787) 781-4795
Road 2, Km. 6.4
Guaynabo, PR 00968
Ruins of one of the oldest
Puerto Rican cities capitalized during Spanish rule.
A museum located near the ruins exhibits objects related
to the history and colonization of Puerto Rico.
For more museums visit...
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_cultureHistory.php?language=english&page=44
Water
Sports
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/go_beachesSports.php?language=english&page=6
A full service suba site: http://www.scubaduba.com
A list of Scuba Diving Centers in Puerto Rico: http://www.3routes.com/scuba/ca/pr/index.html
A list of Scuba Diving Centers in Puerto Rico: http://www.scubayellowpages.com/landbased/caribbean/puertorico.htm
