Summary of Top Tours in Puerto Rico
Thinking about what to do while you’re in Puerto Rico? These tours bring you the best of the island’s cultural, natural, culinary, and adventurous attractions. These aren’t in any particular order, as they depend entirely on where your interests lie; but they all offer something special.
Night Tales of San Juan
One of the best tours in Puerto Rico is an entertaining, informative nighttime walk through the Old City section of the nation’s Capital, San Juan. This captivating journey provides insider access to the walled city, cobblestone streets, and centuries-old buildings of Old San Juan, enabling you to delve into its rich history. As the tour’s website notes:
“The imagination of thousands of travelers have awakened while listening to what happened before, during and after the battles at the strongest Fortress City built by Spain in the Western Hemisphere.”
Night Tales is just one of numerous tours run by Legends of Puerto Rico, which include walking tours of the city during the day, Thanksgiving culinary excursions into the countryside, and nature tours.
Flavors of San Juan
If you’re more in the mood for an excellent Puerto Rican fare, the Flavors of San Juan tour gives you the chance to experience the country’s delightful food and culture in an easy three-hour walking food tour in the heart of Old San Juan. The tour takes you to several great restaurants and landmarks, and the journalistic skills of its tour guides ensure you’ll learn at least a few new things about the local culture.
Erin Go Bragh
Feel like going sailing? Enjoy an unforgettable tour with Erin Go Bragh, a 50-foot ketch sailing from Fajardo to tiny islands and snorkeling spots along Puerto Rico’s east coast. Captain Bill and Ingrid are wonderful hosts, and they might even let you play your own soundtrack during the trip. One reviewer on Trip Advisor raved after the excursion: “Such an amazing treat to have a private sailing experience with a wonderful crew.” The day trip also offers snorkeling in the sparkling Puerto Rican waters.
Team Spirit Hang Gliding and Paragliding
Combine the picturesque natural beauty of Puerto Rico’s subtropical rainforest, El Yunque, with the chance to go hang gliding in near-perfect conditions; you’ll find that Team Spirit offers an exceptional experience. If hang gliding seems like an unnecessarily risky activity, you might consider paragliding instead. “I found this as something unique to do in Puerto Rico for my husband and teenage travelers,” noted one reviewer. “The setting was amazing in a remote part of the rainforest.” Team Spirit also offers a kayaking trip to Cayo Santiago, better known as “Monkey Island.
Carabali Rainforest Adventure Park
You can embark on an exciting journey through lush, forested areas at the Carabali Rainforest Adventure Park nestled in the foothills of the El Yunque rainforest. Choose between a four-track vehicle, mountain bike, or horse ride, and take off on a fun, relaxing, or invigorating adventure through the forest to a tranquil spot where you can even swim in the crystal clear waters of the Mameyes River.
Bio-Bay Tours
There are three bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico, but not all bays are the same. Mosquito Bay in Vieques stands out as the most incredible, and there are two guides who run excellent trips to this natural wonder: Abe’s Snorkeling & Bio-Bay Tours and Island Adventures. If you can’t make it out to Vieques Island but still wish to experience the bioluminescence, you can head to Fajardo, where Yokahu Kayaks offers great tours.
Rio Camuy Cave Park and Arecibo Observatory
This tour features two totally different destinations, with many companies offering excursions to the spectacular Camuy Cave system, a million-year-old cavern, and the Arecibo Telescope, the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. These destinations rank among Puerto Rico’s best attractions, allowing you to visit both in a single-day, nine-hour trip.
El Yunque for Thrill-Seekers
If caving, rappelling, canyoning, zip lines, and free jumps sound like your idea of a perfect day out, you’re going to enjoy adventures with companies like Acampa and Aventuras Tierra Adentro, both of which will introduce you to the more daring side of the El Yunque rainforest. Be sure to visit Toro Verde, a rainforest eco-park featuring one of the longest zip lines in the world, a thrilling ride 600 feet in the air, securely strapped into a custom harness.
Culebra Divers
While many dive companies operate in Puerto Rico, Culebra Divers shines as one of the best. The waters off Culebra’s Cayo Norte provide a perfect opportunity to witness Puerto Rico’s stunning underwater sites, including:
- The Wit Power, a sunken tugboat resting just 40 feet below the surface. This accessible shipwreck has been here since 1984, allowing divers to discover an abundance of coral, turtles, fish, and other marine life.
- A vibrant coral reef just off of Carlos Rosario is cherished by both divers and snorkelers for its rich display of coral and fish.
- The Geniqui Caves, which offer a chance to explore underwater tunnels and admire a unique underwater vista illuminated by lamplight.
- Many cayos — or keys — around Culebra are also well worth exploring.
Casa Bacardi
The only free tour on this list (which includes a complimentary sample of Bacardi rum at the end) is Casa Bacardi’s guided tour of its distillery in Cataño, near San Juan. This informative experience covers the history of the founding family behind the rum’s most recognizable brand, along with the story of the bat logo, making it a delightful visit for anyone eager to learn more about both the rum and the island behind the piña colada.
