PUERTO RICO · CARIBBEAN
Glowing bays, rainforest waterfalls, old-city blue.
Rainforest hikes, bioluminescent night kayaks, catamaran island days and Old San Juan walks. El Yunque, Vieques, Culebra and the warm beaches in between.
Only in Puerto Rico
Three things the island does like nowhere else.
Beaches and boat trips fill every Caribbean brochure. These three don’t. A bay that lights up when you paddle, a rainforest you can hike into, a walled city five centuries old. Build the trip around them.
After dark
The bays that glow
Puerto Rico has three bioluminescent bays, more than anywhere else on earth, and Mosquito Bay on Vieques is the brightest ever measured. Paddle in after dark and every stroke lights the water electric blue. The glow comes from millions of tiny dinoflagellates that only thrive in a few warm, sheltered lagoons like these.
- 1 Bio Bay Kayak Tour in Fajardo
- 2 Puerto Rico Bio Bay Kayak Adventure Tour
- 3 Bio Bay Kayak Tour in Fajardo
Up in the green
El Yunque rainforest
El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the United States forest system. Trails climb past waterfalls, natural rock waterslides and cool jungle pools, with the coquí frog calling from every direction. It sits an hour from San Juan, where the road runs off the coast and up into the cloud forest.
- 1 Top Rated El Yunque Rainforest & Waterslide – SmallGroup Tour
- 2 Half-Day Yunque Rainforest Waterslide & rope swing Guided Tour
- 3 El Yunque Rainforest Waterslides and Luquillo Beach w/ Transport
Five centuries on
Old San Juan
The oldest city under the US flag, founded in 1521. Blue cobblestone streets climb between pastel houses to El Morro and San Cristóbal, the largest Spanish fortifications in the Americas. Five hundred years of forts, cathedrals and plazas packed into a few blocks above the sea.
- 1 Old San Juan Walking Tour
- 2 Old San Juan City Walking Tour
- 3 San Juan: Old Town Sunset Walking Tour
Start here
If you only book one thing, make it this.
The experience more travellers book than anything else on the island. An easy first yes for a Puerto Rico trip.
The classics
Puerto Rico's Most Popular Tours
El Yunque, the bio bays, Old San Juan, the offshore islands. The experiences most travellers come to Puerto Rico for.
By place
Pick a corner of the island.
Each one is its own day. San Juan for the old city and the food. Fajardo for the glowing bay and the ferries. Luquillo for the beach below the rainforest. Rincón for the surf and the sunsets.
By experience
Or choose how to spend the day.
El Yunque if you want waterfalls. A night kayak if you want the glowing bay. A catamaran if you want islands and reefs. Plus rum tours, scuba, ziplines, old-city walks and the rest.
The island's signature night
Three glowing bays. Which one is yours?
Puerto Rico has three bioluminescent bays, more than anywhere on earth. The right one comes down to where you're based and whether you want to get in the water.
Mosquito Bay
Vieques island
The Guinness record holder for the brightest bioluminescence measured anywhere. Kayak only, no swimming, to keep it that way. Worth the ferry or short flight from the main island.
Vieques trips → Easiest from San JuanLaguna Grande
Fajardo, an hour east
Reached by kayak through a long mangrove channel that opens into the lagoon. The most-booked bay tour, and an easy night trip if you're staying in San Juan.
Fajardo tours → The one you can swimLa Parguera
Lajas, south coast
The only bay where boats still take you out and you can get in the water. Fainter than Mosquito Bay, but the night swim is the trade some travellers come for.
All bay tours →Out past the harbour
The islands worth the ferry.
Culebra for Flamenco Beach, routinely ranked among the best in the world. Vieques for the wild horses and the brightest bay on the planet. If we picked three island days, these would be them.
Mask and fins
Clear water and sea turtles.
Reefs off Icacos, Escambrón and the eastern cays, most mornings with green turtles gliding under the boat. Our three favourites for getting in the water.
Off the beaten sand
Underground rivers and zip lines.
Rappel into a sinkhole in the karst country, float a river through a cave, or fly the lines over the forest canopy. Three we’d put on any active itinerary.
When the sun's down
Rum, food and the city after dark.
Casa Bacardi across the bay, mofongo and street food in the old town, and bars that only really start late. Three nights out worth planning a day around.
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