The adventurous side of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has some of the world’s best adventure sports on offer. There is something for every kind of adventure lover – from the newly initiated to the hardcore. Here are some of the activities that you can indulge.

Backcountry hiking is rather popular on the terrain here and by far the best place to begin is the El Yunque Caribbean National Forest. You will have to go past the paved trails of the Recreation Center and then go on hiking over the El Toro Trail. This trail passes through the Tabonuco, Sierra Palm, as well as several cloud forests and gives you a brilliant view of the southern coast. This trail then connects to the Trade Winds Trail and circles back to the El Yunque Recreation Center.

Another activity on offer here is rappelling. You can do this in every possible way at the San Cristóbal Cañon, which is one of the largest canyons that the Caribbean has. It is situated amidst Aibonito as well as Barranquitas and is in Cordillera Central. It would be best for you to hire tour operators based in San Cristóbal Hiking Tour and Acampa who will be able to give you expert guidance on the trail. It is dense with vegetation and the canyon itself is 4.5 miles long and goes down 500–800 feet. Your mountain climbing skills will be put to the test.

Spelunking is another activity which Puerto Rico is famous for. It is after all the country with the third largest below-ground river cave system in the world. If you want a mild version of this, you will have to visit Las Cave
as del Río Camuy which is located on the north coast. This is where you can explore Cueva Clara. You will find a room that is stacked with 170-foot-high stalagmites and stalactites as well as an underwater waterfall. You can also test your rappelling skills here.

Wilderness Camping can be really adventurous. How about traveling by boat through the night on stormy waters of the Mona Passage and then setting up camp at the uninhabited Mona Island? This is subtropical island that has a 20 mile coastline and is primarily filled with vertical cliffs that don’t go higher than 200 feet high. All along the hiking trail you will come across feral pigs as well as goats and even the Mona Iguana. This creature can grow up to four feet. Snorkeling and diving can be done with rented equipment here.

You can also indulge in diving and kiteboarding at several places in Puerto Rico.