Puerto Rico’s Nature Expedition: Group Tour to Natural Wonders
Your Tour:
8 nights
9 days
5 meals
Up to 4 miles / day
Tour overview
Program activities, schedules and personnel may change due to local circumstances.
In such an event, we will alert you as quickly as possible.
Day by Day
Day 1
Overnight: San Juan
The group leader will welcome you and we will go over the program schedule, emergency procedures and answer any questions. After the orientation, we will go out with our group leader for a walk and explore the area around the hotel. At a local restaurant, we will enjoy a delicious menu as a welcome dinner.
Day 2
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at the hotel. We will depart in our private bus to Old San Juan, downtown, where we will meet our local expert who will guide us through the main points of the city.
After the lunch break, we will continue our visit to the San Juan estuary, with approximately 156 km2 (97 mi) including different bodies of water that are linked by canals of great importance for the food chain of multiple species, birds, fish, among others.
Afterwards, we will move to attend a presentation by an expert naturalist who will talk about the natural diversity of Puerto Rico.
Day 3
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at the hotel. We will depart in our private bus to the town of Cataño, to visit one of the largest wetlands in the metropolitan area of San Juan. The Ciénaga de las Cucharillas Natural Reserve is of great ecological importance as it not only serves as a pollutant filter for the island but it is also home to countless species of migratory and endemic waterfowl.
After the visit, we will rest while enjoying a group lunch at a local restaurant.
We will continue our route with a visit to the Afro-Puerto Rican community, a unique project that highlights the Afro-Boricua branch of the African diaspora.
Day 4
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at the hotel. We will depart by bus to the central municipality of Morovis to visit the Cabachuelas Natural Reserve. A local expert will guide us through this cave landscape, and we will learn about the conservation and education efforts of the locals to preserve it. We will find evidence that pre-Columbian people already used these caves as shelter. We will continue to the municipalities of Vega Baja and Manatí to visit the Tortuguero Lagoon, remarkable for its natural maintenance due to the balance of fresh and saltwater mixtures. We will find marshes, endemic flora, as well as endangered species, siliceous sands and hummocks.
After a break for lunch, we will continue our route to Utuado, city where the Dos Bocas Lake of artificial water is located and is today a place of recreation for the Boricuas. Afterwards, free time to rest in the area.
Day 5
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at the hotel. We will travel to the municipality of Adjuntas to visit an important community self-management project, Casa Pueblo. Since 1980 this community has been working with the objective of appreciating and protecting the natural, cultural and human resources. After this visit and a break for lunch, we will continue our route to Jayuya to discover the indigenous petroglyphs, a sample of their legacy. At this point there is a recreational area next to the river, perfect for a swim.
Day 6
Overnight: Vieques
Breakfast at the Hotel. We will transfer to the small town of Ceibas to hop on the ferry that will take us to the small island of Vieques, located east of Puerto Rico.
Upon arrival, we will visit the Wildlife Refuge and its community, considered one of the most ecologically diverse wildlife refuges in the Caribbean. It contains habitats that include beaches, coastal lagoons, forested upland areas and mangrove wetlands. It is also home to endangered plants and animals, such as the West Indian manatee, the brown pelican and four species of sea turtles.
In the afternoon we will check in at the hotel and enjoy a group dinner at a local restaurant.
In the evening, we will experience the most exciting activity of the trip: a kayak tour of the Bioluminescent Bay.
Day 7
Overnight: Vieques
Breakfast at the Hotel, we will visit the famous Vieques breakwater, an area with abundant marine life, corals, reefs, diversity of fish, turtles and even crabs. Contemplate the vastness of the sea and the greenness of the Vieques mountains. We will continue our visit to Fortín de Girasol where we will have time for lunch on your own.
We will visit the fort, the last fort built by the Spaniards in America. It is located on top of a hill overlooking the town of Isabel, second in Vieques and the nearby cays. The fort was never completed and there are now houses, an art and history museum, as well as the Vieques historical archives and a radio station.
After the visits we will relax with free time at Black beach, a unique beach due to the color of its sand and its volcanic origin.
Day 8
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at the Hotel. We will take the ferry back to Ceiba and our hotel in San Juan. After lunch we will spend some time relaxing on the beach.
In the afternoon, we will have free time to pack, explore or rest.
In the evening, we will have a farewell dinner.
Day 9
Transfer to the airport at a designated time.
Tour Inclusions
- Bilingual staff
- Expert tour coordinator during the entire program
- Expert local guides for the visits included
- Local experts for one lecture
- Private ground transportation
- Entrance fees to San Juan Estuary, Ciénagas de las Cucharillas Natural Reserve in Cataño, Cabachuelas Natural Reserve in Morovis, Tortuguero Lagoon in Vega Baja, Lago dos bocas in Utado, Visit to Piedra Escrita, Wildlife Refuge in Vieques, Rompeolas, Fortín del Conde de Girasol.
- Enriching experiences: Afro-Puerto Rican community of Loiza, Community project in Adjuntas, Kayaking activity in Bioluminescent bay at Vieques
- 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
- Accommodation in 3- 4* hotel at city center in San Juan and Vieques
- Worldwide Health Insurance through CISI for the duration of the entire program
- Tips are included throughout the visits programmed
- 24/7 Emergency support
- Taxes
Additional Experiences
Customize your trip according to your interests by adding any of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.