One of nature’s gifts to us are waterfalls. Power and beauty at the same time. Here is another easy-to-find waterfall in the central/west region of Puerto Rico. Salto Collazo is located in San Sebastian, right along a bridge on the main road as you are going east out of town. It’s impossible to miss, and oh so pretty.

There are a number of small islands and cays off the coast of Fajardo with beautiful white-sand beaches, fringed by reefs with abundant marine life. Imagine spending a half-day piloting a mini-boat to these beaches and snorkeling in the open ocean. You can do just that on the new Island Hop & Snorkel Guided Mini Boat Tour offered by Kayaking Puerto Rico.

For all you lighthouse folks, photographers, or people who want to explore some off-the-beaten-path places — I thought the old lighthouse ruins in Aguadilla (or, as they are referred to here, Las Ruinas) were pretty cool. There is not much left of this lighthouse (only parts of 2 walls, really), but it provided a setting for some beautiful photos.

The Guajataca Forest, in the karst region of Puerto Rico, has 25 miles of trails within its boundaries. Most people will only use 2 of these trails: the Interpretive Trail and the trail to the Cueva del Viento. One can spend an hour or so exploring the Interpretive Trail and learn about what makes this part of the island unique.

Waterfalls are always beautiful, whether you pick the right day to go or not. Salto Curet in Maricao is another example of an off-the-beaten-path waterfall that is not easy to get to. Besides being about ½-hour drive along a small, twisty, turning mountain road, once you actually get to the river there is a hike in and then a walk up stream. But it is very pretty.

For 3 short days in October 1950, Puerto Rico was declared an independent nation called La Republica de Puerto Rico by Blanca Canales and a band of Independentistas. Today, the Canales Museum houses a collection of memorabilia that provides a glimpse of the revolution of that time.

Gozalandia or Las Cataratas Waterfall in San Sebastian is sometimes called the secret waterfall even though it is actually on a couple of the official PR tourism maps. I guess it is not that secret after all! Actually finding the waterfall is an adventure in itself. With the help of some people on the TripAdvisor.com Puerto Rico forum who provided the initial directions, we set off to find this secret treasure!

The Tibes Indian Ceremonial Center is a window into the history of Puerto Rico. At this site, archaeologists have uncovered ball fields, burial sites and ceremonial plazas associated with the pre-Taino and Taino Indian cultures. You can spend an afternoon visiting and learning about one of the most important archaeological sites in the Caribbean.

El Ultimo Brinco in Rincon is a 30-foot waterfall with a small, natural swimming pool at it’s base. The only problem is there is no easy way to get to the pool – you either have to jump or climb down the rock wall. In the afternoon, there are lots of local teens playing in the falls – they showed us the best way to get to the bottom.

Some really nice SCUBA diving and snorkeling in Puerto Rico is in the Luis Pena Reserve on Culebra. We recently went diving with Taz from Aquatic Adventures and had some great dives. An added bonus is that he is able to work around the Fajardo ferry schedule, making this an easy day-trip to do for people staying on the "big island".