Puerto Rico: An Affordable Adventure Destination

By KAREN SCHALER
Oct. 10, 2008  

For many travelers Puerto Rico is just a transfer stop on the way to another Caribbean destination, but now times are changing. 

This island destination is in the process of reinventing itself as an affordable adventure hot spot. If you want to experience the true taste of Puerto Rico you need to trade in your Bacardi drink for some sturdy shoes, a backpack and an adventure some spirit. 

In the northern part of Puerto Rico, about an hour and a half drive from San Juan, is the Karst region of the island. This is where you'll find limestone hills and caverns, winding rivers and lush forests that make the perfect backdrop for an adventure trip. 

Because some of the most beautiful sites to explore are on private land your best bet is to sign up with a tour group like Acampa Nature Adventures. 

One of the first in the region to offer licensed full-day tours, Acampa runs seven days a week. The guides will pick you up from your hotel and provide all the gear you need for a day of hiking, river wading, cave exploring and zip-lining. 

A word of warning: This is not a tour for the weak-hearted. This trip is rugged and you will be challenged, but it's still doable for a thrill-seeking beginner and interesting enough not to bore an expert. 

For this adventure everyone has to pull their own weight and this means carrying your own gear. You need to wear a rugged pair of tennis shoes or hiking boots that can get wet, a backpack to carry your stuff in so your hands are free, a dry pack for your camera for wading through rivers, suntan lotion, water, bug spray and toilet paper. Wear your bathing suit under your clothes because you'll have a chance to do some swimming.

For each trip, Acampa uses two local certified guides who are extremely knowledgeable about Puerto Rican history. After arriving at the starting point you start off with an easy hike, passing avocado, banana and citrus trees as you trek down the valley to the Tanama River. For much of the trip there is no "set" trail. The guides pick a path and in a single file you follow. 

Hiking and Cave Exploring in Puerto Rico
About a half mile into the trip your first reward is an amazing limestone cave you get to explore while harmless bats swirl overhead keeping you company. The ground inside the cave is cushy and soft, like a fine powder. Then you learn you're walking on years' worth of crumbled limestone and bat poop. Luckily it doesn't smell and the guides are quick to tell you that getting bat poop on you is supposed to be lucky. You're also warned to keep your mouth shut if you're looking up in the caves for obvious reasons. 

After the cave exploration you spend the next 45 minutes hiking to an area where you can cool off and swim in the river. After a brief break the real adventure begins. You spend the next half hour trekking along the riverbed, often walking in the river, negotiating slick boulders and trying to keep your balance. 

At one point you cross the river and depending on the time of year the water can be up past your waist so you have to carry your gear over your head. Dripping wet you then hike up another steep hillside to a narrow cave opening. For the first few feet it can feel claustrophobic but then the cave quickly opens up so you can easily walk through to the other side. 

After another brief hike through the forest you reach the tour's halfway point where you're served a homemade organically grown lunch at the Perez family home that's almost hidden by overgrown foliage. Refueled and ready to go you then follow your guides down another steep hillside until you end up at a platform. 

This is where the real fun begins! You spend the next hour zip-lining across the treetops, dangling over a deep river ravine. After wrapping up the zip-lining you hike back to the van exhausted but exhilarated. This all-day adventure tour, including transportation and lunch runs about $150 per person. 



