As our quest to see as much as the world as possible continues, we find
ourselves in Puerto Rico, destined for the Forts of San Juan, the El Yunque
Rainforest, and the small island of Culebra.
Our flight into San Juan arrived late
on the evening of January 8, 2007, so we opted to stay at the Best Western,
which is located right in the airport. I can’t emphasize enough how convenient
this stay made our first night, and then in the morning we enjoyed a really
nice continental breakfast complete with eggs, yogurt, pastries, and breads.
Fueled and ready to begin our day, we picked up our rental car at Dollar and
set out for the San Juan National Historic Site.
Puerto Rico, in
spite of its small size, offers up a tremendous amount of diversity—you
can hike, swim, kayak the bio bays, surf, snorkel, and enjoy a rich historic
past. Seeing as how we were in San Juan, we opted to learn more about the
historic past on our first day.
San Juan is home to more than
one-third of Puerto Rico’s population, making it a bustling island metropolis.
Despite the traffic, getting around in a car is no more difficult than any
other city, so do not be afraid to rent your transportation. We made our way
towards Old San Juan—a community characterized by pastel-colored homes,
cobblestone streets, and laid-back plazas. This spectacular walled city offers
incredible walking and sight-seeing, and is easily incorporated into a hiking
tour of the San Juan National Historic Site.
This impressive historic park
includes forts San Cristóbal, San Felipe del Morro, and El Cañuelo (currently
closed to visitors), plus bastions, powder houses and three fourths of the
city wall. These spectacular historic structures were built by Spanish troops
beginning in 1539 and spanning almost 250 years, despite the long construction
time, you can easily visit the entire site in a single day. We began our
hiking tour at San Cristóbal, made our way down Calle Norzagaray—about 0.25
miles along the city wall, ending with a tour of El Morro. The two forts, and
portions of the city wall, provide the hiker/photographer with endless
opportunities for amazing vistas—particularly photogenic are the old sentry
towers that claim the sapphire blue Atlantic Ocean as their backdrop. Within
the confines of the forts you can explore the many tunnels, towers, plazas,
and batteries—highlights for us included drawings of ships left by imprisoned
sailors on the walls of San Cristóbal, stacks of mortar shells and bronze
cannons complete with detailed engravings, the impressive six levels of
defense at El Morro, which is both a World Heritage Site and a National
Historic Site, and the San Juan Cemetery (adjacent to El Morro and visible
from its ramparts).
Fort San Cristóbal:
City Wall:
El Morro:
After hiking around the impressive
forts, it is a short jaunt to the San Juan Gate where you can add a stroll
along the
Paseo del Morro to your plans. The seaside Paseo del Morro is located
within the boundaries of the San Juan National Historic Site. The walkway,
approximately a half-mile roundtrip, follows the massive sandstone walls,
dating back to the 1630’s, that surround the city of Old San Juan. After
strolling along the scenic Paseo del Morro, continue your exploration of Old
San Juan by walking the old cobblestone streets and picturesque plazas—we
spent half a day hiking this trail, Old San Juan, and the forts of San
Cristóbal and El Morro—quintessential Puerto Rico!
We ended our tour of historic San
Juan in the early afternoon, grabbed some lunch, and headed for the hiker’s
Mecca of the Caribbean National Forest—also known as El Yunque.
The Caribbean National Forest, or El
Yunque, was set aside as a reserve by the Spanish in 1876 making it one of the
oldest protected forests in the northern hemisphere. The forest became part of
the USDA system in 1903, and it remains the only tropical rain forest in the
U.S. National Forest System to this day. Several trails are scattered
throughout this impressive park, and two of the most popular are the
Big
Tree Trail (0.9 miles one-way) and
La
Mina Falls Trail (0.7 miles one-way). These two trails are both a means to
the same end, that end being the 35-foot tropical beauty of La Mina Falls—an
exquisite waterfall that drops over a jumble of huge rocks into a picturesque
pool where hikers can choose to swim or simply rest and enjoy the lush
rainforest. The forest reserve contains more than 23 miles of well-maintained
trails, where plenty of rugged terrain and tropical weather combine to provide
something for every hiker. We wanted to experience as many trails as possible
on our visit, but we held one hike above all the others—the trail to the
summit of El Yunque Peak (3,496 feet above sea level). This incredible
adventure takes you to the lofty summit of El Yunque, where incredible views
of the forest and possibly the coast await the fit hiker. For more information
on this hike, please visit our hiking website,
Natural Born Hikers where we
have a detailed report about our climb to the summit of
El Yunque
and Mt. Britton.
We split our exploration of this
beautiful forest up over a two-day period, with an extra half-day added at the
end of our trip. On our first day, we stopped at the El Portal Rainforest
Center where we acquainted ourselves with the layout of the park and its flora
and fauna—this is also one of the few places to buy maps and reference books
within the forest boundaries. Continuing along scenic Highway 191, we drove to
the end of the road—take note, some maps suggest that you can traverse the
forest via this route, but Hwy 191 has been closed by landslides just south of
the Palo Colorado Visitor Center—enjoying the many roadside features such as,
La Coca Falls,
Baño Grande, and Yokahú Tower. As the sun began to set, we made our way to
our hotel in Fajardo. Our choice was the
Fajardo Inn, and it would be our home for two nights.
Our next day was spent entirely at El
Yunque, hiking the Big Tree Trail, La Mina Falls, and of course, El Yunque
Peak. After a hike in the rainforest, nothing hits the spot like a cold drink,
especially when you can enjoy a delicious piña colada smoothie—just head for
“Yuquiyú Delights” food concession at Km 11.6, where you can get smoothies,
cola, water, and the best burgers this side of the rainforest!
Back at the Fajardo Inn, which we
highly recommend, we enjoyed dinner at the Blue Iguana—a great little on site
Mexican Restaurant. Stuffed to the gills with fajitas and tacos, we retired to
our room to prepare for our ferry ride to Culebra the next morning.
Early on the morning of January 11,
2007, we left the Fajardo Inn for the Port Authority Terminal, about 5 minutes
away. Our goal was a ticket on the passenger ferry that departs at 9:00am on
most mornings, we opted to park our car at the secure parking lot and then
rent another car once we arrived at Culebra, and this all worked out fine. We
parked our car and headed for the ticket booth, where we bought a one-way
ticket to Culebra for $2.25 per person—next stop paradise.
The ferry to Culebra was right on
time, and boarding was uneventful. Once on board there is plenty of room for
luggage and dive gear, either inside or at the stern of the boat—depending on
which ferry you happen to board that day. The voyage across the Caribbean Sea
takes approximately one hour from Fajardo to Culebra, depositing the passenger
at the small town of Dewey.
Culebra, one of the Spanish Virgin
Islands—the other is Vieques, is smaller and quieter than its counterpart.
Geologically speaking, Culebra is more a part of the Virgin Islands than it is
of Puerto Rico, and it lives up to the beauty associated with that island
chain. In particular, you will note the similarity when approaching by
ferry—lush, jagged peaks fringed by beaches and offshore cays await the
visitor. We had arranged for a rental car while on the island—a Jeep Liberty
from Carlos Jeep, and
a shuttle was waiting at the ferry dock when we arrived. The white van whisked
us down the narrow streets of Dewey, past the obligatory souvenir and dive
shops located at the cheery little dock, towards the rental lot located near
the airstrip. Check-in was smooth and fast, which was great because we were
eager to explore the island.
Armed with a map, sunscreen, and our
hiking boots we set off down the first road we could find—route 250 towards
Zoni Beach. On the far eastern end of Culebra, just past the road’s end, you
will find one of the jewels of the Caribbean—the mile long stretch of white
sand called Zoni Beach. Zoni is long and straight, with spectacular views of
several offshore islands—such as, Cayo Norte, Isla Culebrita, and on a clear
day, St. Thomas. The isolated beauty of this beach makes it the perfect place
for a hike, especially since its natural splendor is best enjoyed by a quiet
seaside stroll. We made our way down the beach towards a cliff with large rock
outcroppings, admiring along the way the stands of coconut palms that offer
shade to the visitor. When we arrived at the rocks, we could see colorful reef
fish swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean. After a
brief sojourn along the rocks, we made our way back to our car, once again
basking in the warm Caribbean sun and the pristine landscape that lay before
us. Back at our car, the clock and our stomachs were telling us it was
lunchtime, so we aimed the Jeep towards Dewey and El Batey—a small roadside
bar and grill, with outside seating, that serves up amazing burgers and fries.
After lunch, we decided to see if our room was ready for check-in at a quaint
little guesthouse called Casa Ensenada.
To our enjoyment, the room was ready
and one of the owners, Jackie Pendergast, showed us the layout of the property
and offered tips on where to eat and what to see on the island.
Casa Ensenada,
a waterfront guesthouse located on Culebra’s main harbor, Ensenada Honda, has
a pier with free kayaks for guests and boat rentals for anyone. The property
is owned by a sweet couple named Butch and Jackie Pendergast and their dog
Cocoa, and has available for rent three units—a Pequeño,
an Estudio, and the Grande Room. Our island home
would be the Estudio, complete with a kitchen and private bath. The room
consisted of a futon, and two twin beds pushed together, a television,
refrigerator, microwave, ceiling fan, and air conditioner—perfect for our
three-night stay. The only issue we had with the stay was the fact that you
only get one set of towels—a bath towel and washcloth each—for the entire
three-day stay. You do also get two beach towels though, but even with that
addition, things get a little gamey towards the end of your stay, but other
than that, we greatly enjoyed our time there.
Satisfied with
our accommodations, we set off once again to explore Culebra, this time
heading for Playa Flamenco and the hike to Carlos Rosario Beach.
Two of the best
snorkeling spots on Culebra are found offshore of Carlos Rosario Beach and
Tamarindo Beach, both of which are located on the northwest side of the
island. The only way to reach these secluded beaches, barring boat access, is
by foot—the mile long dirt path can be accessed via the Flamenco Beach parking
lot. Once you have made your way to Flamenco Beach, a 1.5 mile crescent of
sand perfect for walking, look for the trailhead to Carlos Rosario near the
southwest corner of the parking lot—you will see a large green sign welcoming
you to the Luis Peña Canal Nature Reserve and a chain link fence with an
opening that marks the entrance to the trail. Before you begin your hike, take
note of another sign found near the entrance, this one warns of the danger of
possible unexploded military ammunitions—a reminder that you do not want to
wander off the trail on this hike. Once you have read the signs, begin your
hike by entering through the opening in the fence where you will then follow
the path as it begins to climb uphill to a crest. At this point, you can see
the ocean. Continue hiking along the trail, admiring the cacti and the scenic
views, until the trail turns north and then heads back down into the scrub
towards the beach. When you reach the bottom of the hill, after about a
20-minute hike, you will finally come to a beach, but don’t get confused—this
first beach is Playa Tamarindo, another great snorkeling destination, but alas
it is not Playa Carlos Rosario. To reach Rosario, head north from Tamarindo
across the narrow Flamenco Peninsula until you find the entrance to
Rosario—just another 5 minute walk from Tamarindo. On our first hike to
Rosario (it was so nice we hiked it twice), we made that very mistake, but the
snorkeling and scenery at Tamarindo was certainly nothing to be disappointed
about—but, unfortunately, when we returned to correct our mistake the wind had
kicked up making snorkeling at Carlos Rosario impossible. Nonetheless, the
hike was still worth it, as the beach at Rosario is stunningly beautiful—would
have been even more beautiful if we wouldn’t have carried all our snorkel
gear—c’est la vie! Anyway, we did get to snorkel at Tamarindo on that first
day, and it was really nice—all the usual suspects showed up, including
parrotfish, blue tang, trumpetfish, angelfish, sergeant majors, squirrelfish,
butterflyfish, surgeonfish, needlefish, snapper, and even an octopus. The reef
itself is also vibrant, with a variety of hard and soft corals to keep you
entertained. Both of these beaches can easily eat up an entire day, so be sure
to bring snacks and beverages along with you on the hike, as there are no
services at either destination. When we returned to Flamenco Beach on that
first evening, we took the time to walk down the beach at sunset.
Playa Flamenco, listed as one of the Caribbean’s best beaches, is a
great place to take a stroll, either pre or post Carlos Rosario. At the
northwestern tip of the beach, you will find an old tank rusting away in the
sand. Pershing tanks have been part of the Culebra landscape for half of
century—they were originally used for target practice by the military, but
have now been adopted by the islanders as defense against unregulated
development.
