Looking for what to do in Puerto Rico and only getting results for El Yunque? Nothing against, El Yunque National Forest, in fact I recommend you visit and you can read about it here, but there is much more to on the island! Even if you just stay in the eastern area, which is all within about an hour to two-hour drive from the San Juan Airport, there is a huge variety of activities in Puerto Rico.

From mangroves to mountaintops, the island really does have it all. There are over 300 bird species in Puerto Rico (~20 endemics), which always makes any trip more exciting. Most of what I suggest below I have personally done. For the one I haven’t, I let you know.

If you’re looking for places to stay, be sure to check out my recommendations!

Humacao Nature Preserve is about 1.5 hours from the San Juan airport on the southeast coast. It is a birding hotspot and I saw a Mangrove Cuckoo here! There are hiking trails around the park, but we opted to rent a kayak for an hour and do a little loop around part of the lake.

This was a fun little half-day activity and you could easily spend more time here. In fact I recommend you spend the day and I’d love to come back here.

Not too far from Humacao is the Las Tinajas hike. The trail is on the southern edge of El Yunque National Forest (but nowhere near the entrance). The hike is moderately difficult and mostly flat. I recommend sturdy shoes or even just hiking in your tennis shoes (it’s not that bad wet, I promise!) since you will be in and out of the river throughout the hike.

At the end of the trail, you’ll be rewarded with a swimming hole and rope swing!

It was mostly locals here and we had a great time on this short hike! Please remember to leave no trace and pack in what you pack out. Also, anytime I’m getting in the water, I am cognizant of what I put on my body: natural (a physical) sunscreen, deodorant, and bug spray. The best way to protect yourself from the sun and bugs is to wear light long layers (but this hike was shady and I don’t remember encountering any biting bugs).

The tour starts in San Juan, but the actual hike is near Caguas so they will also pickup there. We stopped at a store for anybody that needed to use the bathroom and then we were on our way!

You start immediately walking through the river, which is refreshingly cool. I recommend you wear a pair of old sneakers or trail runners. I love my Altra Lone Peak shoes. The hike is fun and there are portions where you climb up with a rope.

After hiking through the water, you get to the zipline portion! My husband had never ziplined before so he had a blast.

After the ziplines, you get to end with rappelling down an 80-foot waterfall! After finishing the hike, you get to eat lunch and a community member’s home before returning to San Juan.

Overall, this was a fun day! It is more expensive than the type of tours I usually do, but it was something my husband had never done before and we definitely enjoyed it. I don’t recommend bringing your binoculars due to all the time in and around water.

This nature reserve is out at the point in Los Croabas, a bit north of Fajardo. It is free to visit but closes to the public at 3pm. I’d recommend going in the morning so you don’t melt in the afternoon like I did (but it wasn’t too bad). Security will not let you in if you’re in a bathing suit or see-through coverup.

The hike is mostly along a road closed to vehicular traffic, but there are a few trails through the forest where I saw a ton of hermit crabs. Watch your step!

A long boardwalk will take you through mangroves and over marshy ponds. It was really cool to see the huge brackish lake and there are several beautiful viewpoints. You can walk around the lighthouse, but cannot go up it.

The highlight of the day here was seeing an Antillean Crested Hummingbird! It was a male and I got to see its beautiful shimmering blue-green crest. I also saw several Pearly-eyed Thrashers, an Adelaide’s warbler, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers, and of course many Bananaquits.

I hardly ever do organized tours, but on this trip ended up doing two. The second was a boat trip out to Culebra, a small island to the east of the mainland. It is possible to take a ferry or fly here if you want to stay on the island.

The boat ride was about an hour long across pretty rough water. I definitely don’t recommend going if you get seasick. The boat anchors in a calm bay to allow everyone to get out to snorkel.

My husband loved this and I enjoyed it, but I could definitely see the signs of coral bleaching and other damage. I have snorkeled near Roatán off the coast of Honduras and there was just no comparison. I was also really disappointed that the tour did not talk about the effects of chemical sunscreen on coral reefs. It hurt my soul to see everyone spraying themselves before jumping in the water.

I wouldn’t go on this tour again, but it is a unique experience if you’ve never done something similar. Instead, I would check out a bioluminescence kayaking tour. There are some on the mainland, but if you have time, Vieques is the best place to see it.

This tour goes to Las Tinajas River Hike that I mention above and has a bio kayaking tour that evening. This would be a long day, but sounds fun!

I honestly did not do much in San Juan. I was very sunburned after snorkeling and so I felt like I was on fire and I hopped from shady spot to shady spot. That being said, it is pretty to walk around.

I didn’t get to go here, but it was recommended to me by my Uber driver and my hostel. It is a rock formation / waterfall that you can slide down near the town of Luquillo!

As always, please take care to leave no trace. Pack out what you pack in and try to use natural products (physical sunscreen, deodorant, non synthetic clothing).

I didn’t even touch on the western part of the island since I haven’t had the opportunity to visit. But some other places I recommend you research are the towns Aguadilla, Rincón, Ponce and the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge.

Let me know what else I missed! Hope this helps you plan your next trip and reach out with any questions!