What It's Really Like to Go on a Ecotourism Adventure in Puerto Rico

This one time I went to Puerto Rico and here’s what I did: wake, eat, drink, beach, sleep, repeat. Somewhere along the way I watched a pretty sunset or two, fought with a boyfriend, and had a small war with a crab. That crab lost an arm. I'm sorry, crab.

Upon returning to the
island recently -- this time without the drinks -- I saw that Puerto Rico has enough natural beauty to rival any of its Caribbean neighbors. With that same thought in mind, the Puerto Rico

Tourism Company (PRTC) established the Ecotourism Certification Program in 2014 to

help visitors responsibly enjoy the island’s natural gifts, which consist of

six different ecosystems and hundreds of wildlife species.

It would be unfair to compare Puerto Rico’s developing ecotourism infrastructure to ecotourism behemoths like Costa Rica, where nearly a quarter of the country is protected forest. Nevertheless, the PRTC is investing heavily and says, “Puerto Rico was the first destination in the Caribbean to develop its own certification program.” That, coupled with the easy flight from most of North America -- plus no need for a passport or foreign currency transactions for many of us -- is incentive enough for most travelers with adventurous inclinations.


There’s too much to see in Puerto Rico in just one long weekend, so we're using Puerto Rico’s less-developed western region as the home base for this trip. You’ll need to rent a car once you land in San Juan or Aguadilla, but the island is small and its highways are good.

Travelers begin with a short hike into the rainforest, with stops along the way to learn about local ecology and biodiversity. The guides are a wealth of knowledge about the history of the area, natural and otherwise. After that, visitors repel 120 feet down a cliff and into the roiling Tanama River for body-rafting. Think of body-rafting as a combination of whitewater rafting and body-surfing, but with your face up so you can take in the stunning scenery composed of dense jungle and limestone cliffs. Yes, you will get a few bumps from the many boulders jutting out of the water along the way (and the water's cold), but all of the likes the experience will score you on social media will be your reward in the end.

After drying off, it’s

back in the car to refuel. While coffee plantations historically devastated the

island’s original forests, many of today’s small haciendas are leading the charge in responsible agritourism. The focus on locally

produced, locally sustainable, and ecologically responsible agriculture is a

major component of the ecotourism movement. Puerto Rico’s coffee region is

about an hour south of Explora PR. There are a handful of small-scale coffee

growers that combine sustainability with maintaining the island’s legendary coffee reputation -- in fact, Puerto Rican coffee was once

the choice of the Vatican. Coffee growers like Hacienda San Pedro, in Jayuya,

offer tours on weekend afternoons and -- of course -- there’s plenty of

caffeinated goodness on hand to sample. Other local growers that offer tours

include Hacienda Tres Angeles, which is PRTC certified for its ecological stewardship, and Hacienda Pomarrosa. It’s even possible to

spend a night at some of them, so check ahead.

There are a handful of

great hotels in Rincon, including the upscale Horned Dorset Primavera, but it

doesn’t get much more natural than spending a night in a tree house. The

eco-friendly hooches at Tropical Treehouse, just a 10-minute drive outside of Rincon,

are exactly what the hotel’s name implies. The hooch building technique, with

almost no forest-floor footprint, disturbs the surrounding forest as little as

possible, and the bamboo construction materials and solar energy are

eco-friendly as well. At night, under the mosquito nets, there’s not much else

to do but fall asleep to the exuberant chirping of Puerto Rico’s coqui frog.

The area is home to the

Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge and sits within Puerto Rico’s dry forest

belt -- a striking contrast to the lush green north and mountains in the center of

the island. There are nearly 2,000 acres to explore -- most of which are

dominated by salt flats and estuaries -- and over 100 species of birds

pass through the area throughout the year, especially during migration season.

To cool off in the afternoon, head to La
Playuela, between Bahia Salinas and Bahia Sucia -- the latter’s name translates

to Dirty Bay, but the waters here are exactly the opposite. 

This is the
Caribbean that most travelers have in mind when they arrive -- an unspoiled crescent bay with cliffs at the

headlands and the turquoise sea breaking soft on white sand.

From here it’s a two-hour

drive back to San Juan or a little over an hour to Aguadilla. 

If you’re not
ready to leave the shore and have an extra night to spare, make the 20-minute

drive to Playa El Combate. The small town sits adjacent to a tranquil beach with

some spectacular sunset views. 

There are also a handful of locally owned,
humble hotels in the area. Parador Combate Beach is a fine choice, where a

handful of units are constructed out of repurposed cargo containers and solar

power is used to heat the water.


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