Puerto Rico (the rich port) has so much to see, do and explore that is hard to fit into one trip. If you want to explore beyond Old San Juan, check out the list below for day trip ideas!
El Yunque
Located on the far east side of Puerto Rico, El Yunque is the only rain forest that is part of the US national parks system. Home to many species of birds, the famous coqui, and a wide variety of flora, there are many ways to explore El Yunque. We love the miles of self-guided hiking trails leading to stunning peak overlooks! The hiking trails do not start at the Visitor’s Center, and while the Visitor’s Center charges an entrance fee, the trails are free. Drive past the visitors center, and you will see the signs to trail entrances within a slow few miles of mountain driving. There is a great local food place right before the main hiking trails, so you can easily grab lunch right after your hike!
Ron de Barrilito Distillery
Barrilito is a Puerto Rican rum that is better than any other rum you’ve ever tasted! It is distilled in small batches in a small, historic facility. This rum is not exported, so being in Puerto Rico is your only chance to experience Barrilito. If you are interested in distilling and history, the tour of this family owned facility is amazing. The rum tasting is also fantastic and insightful. I’m a whiskey person but Barrilito won me over to their rum world. Before or after your tour, be sure to leave time for one of their Barrilito rum cocktails. My favorite is a smoked cocktail…using a cinnamon stick for the smoke…amazing!
Coffee Farms
We went to Sandra Farms. It is small and run by passionate, coffee people. The drive is treacherous! (Don’t say we didn’t warn you…but they do have a t-shirt you can buy to brag about surviving the drive.) Andrew (the coffee guy) will tell you it is totally worth it. Leslie is afraid of heights and would probably choose one a little lower down the mountain. Another expert tip before you explore the world of coffee farms: some facilities are said to just be mechanisms for moving Caribbean coffee from a variety of islands up and down the mountain so that it can be labeled as coffee “from Puerto Rico.” If you love coffee, visiting a farm is worth the freshest coffee possible to drink on the spot and some to take home. Just be sure to do your homework and pick a good one. Sandra Farms is the real deal.
Ferry to Cataño
This ferry is less than $5 per person to ride across the bay to Cataño. This is how many workers commute to and from Old San Juan each day. The ferry port is right by the cruise ship ports, with building where there is a seating area to wait for the next ferry. It runs every half hour until around 6pm, so if you decide to go for dinner, you’ll need to catch an Uber back. Old San Juan definitely has more charm than Cataño, but there is a really pretty bay walk with a few good restaurants across the street, all right near the ferry port. Waiting for the boat can be as fun as the trip itself, as the locals often break into songs together. While Cataño isn’t an attraction in and of itself, we enjoy the ferry and the change of scenery. (The huge Bacardi distillery is over that direction as well, but we recommend Barrilito instead.)
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a story teller.”
— Ibn Battuta
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