Puerto Rico – 10 amazingly fun things to do!

Puerto Rico is a gorgeous, underrated and affordable warm escape when it gets cold in many parts of the US. US Citizens and permanent residents do not need passports or visas to visit. For anyone with a valid visa, such as work-visa, the same applies. It is considered domestic travel from anywhere in the US!

If you are planning to visit Puerto Rico, here are ten super fun things for you to do in this Caribbean paradise!

1. Wander around the colorful streets of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico

Old San Juan is full of history, forts, vibrant buildings, live music, beautiful sculptures, great restaurants and an overall happening place.

Simply walk around the city, get Instagram worthy pictures in front of colorful buildings and enjoy some great food.

Here is a list of Insta-worthy spots in Old San Juan that are totally worth the visit.

• Fortaleza Street
• Walk along Calle Norzagaray
• Callejon de la Puerta Bandera
• Plaza de Armas
• Paseo de la Princesa

2. Fly a kite at Castillo San Felipe del Morro

Aka “El Morro”, this is a solid piece of history in Old San Juan. El Morro served as the most important military outpost for Spain and US. The fort contains 6 levels and will take about 1.5 hours to explore at a relaxed pace. Be prepared to climb stairs and narrow spiral staircases which makes this place all the more interesting.

The Atlantic Ocean breeze enveloping the fort does give all the island vibes while you are soaking in the rich history of this fort.

El Morro is open between 9.30am to 4.30pm on all days, so plan your visit accordingly. The minimal $10 fee also allows you to visit Castillo San Cristobal, so if you go earlier in the day, you can cover two different forts.

You will see a lot of people flying kits in the green lawn outside the fort. Kids especially have lots of fun doing this. This was the most exciting part of the trip for me as well personally as we bought a big kite and had so much fun flying it 😀 and I would do it again if I visit in the future.

3. Visit the only tropical rainforest in the US in Puerto Rico

El Yunque is one of the crowning jewels of Puerto Rico which is located on the NorthEast side of the island. It is the only tropical rainforest in the US national forest system so you can imagine the amount of biodiversity that this forest has to offer.

Due to hurricane damage, many trails were closed when we went but I highly recommend checking for the latest alerts here before your trip to plan your hikes.

This forest required a permit when we visited in Feb 2023, but as of August 2023 you do not need a permit. Yay!! That’s something to celebrate!

4. Enjoy a unique Airbnb experience

You will be surprised by how many amazing Airbnb experiences are offered in Puerto Rico and several of them are very highly rated. There are experiences related to history, culture, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, waterfall sliding, cooking, dancing and the list is endless.

For those of you looking to immerse yourself in an activity with a guide or expert, this is a valuable experience to spend your money and time on.

Me and my husband chose this “Into The Mountains-Hiking” experience and I can say for sure that it was one of the best adventurous hikes that I have done in my life. The guide had laid down his own hiking path in a private nature reserve area of the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, which is stunning and often overlooked due to the popularity of El Yunque. We were a small group of 6 people all alone in the mountains, got to eat delicious tropical fruits, hiked in muddy trails amidst dense trees, got to see a 300 year old native tree and also hiked a few steep sections where our guide had installed ropes. It was just absolutely amazing!

5. Experience bioluminescence and night kayaking

Aka “bio bays” are water bodies that are bioluminescent due to the presence of large populations of these organisms called “dinoflagellates”. There are only five places in the world where you can see this and Puerto Rico is home to three of those places!!

• Mosquito Bay
• Laguna Grande in Fajardo
• La Parguera in Lajas.

The BEST place to see this phenomenon is Mosquito Bay in Vieques but it’s not that straightforward to get to. You may need to take a short flight from Isla Grande in San Juan which takes about 25 minutes or get to Ceiba in East Puerto Rico and take a 45 minute ferry ride to Vieques.

We could not go to that one because of the distance and so instead we did a bio bay tour in Laguna Grande in Fajardo. This one is not as impressive because you need to splash the water with a tarp over your head and the boat in order to see bioluminescence. But the experience of kayaking into sunset and through eerie mangrove forests at night was an experience of a lifetime. Some tour companies also offer a kid-friendly version which leaves much earlier in the evening and is a shorter trip.

6. Snorkeling and boat tours in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican islands are home to some incredibly beautiful and diverse marine life. Culebra, Vieques, Icacos are some of the most popular snorkeling destinations. Many companies also offer a boat tour package along with snorkeling.

If you are looking for something in the mainland, Escambron beach has a lot of snorkeling operators too.

7. Spend a day relaxing on a beach

Puerto Rico’s beaches are warm and beautiful when most of the world is freezing. Although there are several beaches in San Juan such as El Escambron, Condado, Ocean beach etc. some of the best white sand beaches are a little far away from the city. If you plan well, you can definitely enjoy a day out in one of these beaches. But if you are staying in the city with family and need to go somewhere close by, the beaches above are good options! Expect crowds in mainland beaches though.

Some of the picturesque beaches are Flamenco Beach in Culebra (you can combine this with a snorkeling tour in Culebra), La Playuela in Cabo Rojo, Cayo Icacos in Fajardo , Domes in Rincon etc. Or if you have a tour planned in Vieques, you can visit Sun Bay beach early before starting the tour.

8. Enjoy one of the annual festivals of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is known for its vast array of annual, colorful and vibrant festivals full of art, culture, music and great food. Check this page to see if there are any upcoming festivals around the time that you visit or even better, plan your visit around one of them.

9. Experience America’s longest zip line

America’s longest zip line (equal to 28 football fields!!) is in Toro Verde Adventure Park. You can literally fly through the forest at a speed of 95mph while hanging at 380m above ground if this is your type of thrill.

The park also has various other activities, packages for families, couples etc. so be sure to check that out if you are interested in multiple activities.

10. Explore the caves of Cueva del Indio

This is one of Aricebo’s most popular destinations with amazing views, cultural history, rock paintings, and carvings etc. Cueva del Indio is a natural cavern that was used by the Taino people indigenous to the area. It was made all the way between 1200 and 1500. Aricebo is also famous for its observatory if the hike is too much for you.

You can find tours and tickets here.

I hope you really enjoyed this article. Puerto Rico is a fantastic vacation destination full of amazing things to do. If you found this post useful, please leave your thoughts and subscribe for more such travel posts 🙂