La Parguera offers natural beauty above and below the water. Going out in the afternoon and into the evening gives you some of the best of both worlds — clear blue water, green mangrove islands, colorful sunsets, and later, after dark, the sparkling Parguera Biobay lagoon water and thousands of stars above. We recently did a sunset snorkel and biobay tour with Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling and it was an enjoyable end to a great day.

When people come to Puerto Rico, they are often bummed to find that fresh seafood is not all that readily available. It really is kind of shocking, being that we’re on an island surround by vast oceans. But there is one area in Puerto Rico that should be known as the seafood heaven — the seaside community of Joyuda, in Cabo Rojo. We stopped in for lunch recently, and were pleasantly surprised.

Located on the southwest coast of the island, La Parguera boasts about 30 tiny mangrove islands just 1 to 5 miles off the shore. Once you get to those mangrove cays, you can swim, snorkel, and ride the currents in the crystal-clear, warm water. We went kayaking there recently with Excursions Ecoboriken. It was a great experience, that was both fun and educational.

What does a town do when they have a beautiful waterfront area, but no natural beaches there? Enclose the ocean, build decks around it, and make an ocean pool. That’s just what the town of Lajas did to create Playa Rosada — it boasts a nice ocean swimming area without the sandy beach, and without the risk of any "big critters" to bother you while swimming!

If you are a fisherman you know how enjoyable it is to spend time out on the water, especially when you catch something. While no captain can gaurentee a catch, Captain Marcos of Light Tackle Paradise in Fajardo is known to have lots of luck. Our friends Wally and Anton recently had a productive morning of fishing, that included tarpon, king mackerel, grouper, and snapper.

Have you ever considered being a pilot? Do you want to get some amazing views over the northern coast of Puerto Rico? If your answer to either of these questions is Yes, then an ultralight First Flight Training Lesson might be just the thing for you! Fly 4 Fun offers ultralight First Flight Training Lessons that go out over the coastline in Arecibo, and you can even fly the plane yourself if you want.

Balneario Punta Salinas, in Toa Baja, is a Blue Flag Beach that offers a wide, crescent-shaped beach. Being a Blue Flag Beach means that it has restrooms, showers, life guards, water-quality testing, along with other facilities and amenities. Though it’s not the prettiest beach on the island, it is only about 20 minutes from the San Juan area, so it a just a short drive to get to a beach "out of the city".

Though Puerto Rico is full of all sorts of neat things to do, one of the few things we don’t have here is river rapids for tubing or rafting. We did find an adventure that offers "lazy river" tubing through a cave, along with some hiking and Taino cave exploration. Those are some of my favorite things all rolled into one day, and all in beautiful Utuado. So, when some family members came to visit, we decided to check it out.

If you are at all interested in the workings of the human body, then a trip to Body Worlds: The Cycle of Life & A Trip into the Heart will really intrigue you. This touring exhibition is currently open, for a limited time in Old San Juan. It features a number of whole human bodies, and numerous body parts and organs that have undergone a plastination process. It is an enjoyable experience for everyone.

If you have always dreamed about riding a horse on a beach on a tropical island, then Tropical Trail Rides in Isabela is just what you are looking for. They have combined a few of my favorite things — beautiful horses, the amazing scenery of the rugged north coast of Puerto Rico, and plenty of sandy beach riding time — into a reasonably-priced, great riding experience.

Some people spend a lot of time and money coming to visit Puerto Rico and explore its natural beauty. But did you ever wonder what local folks feel are the most beautiful places to visit on the island? Let us introduce you to some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring spots in Puerto Rico!

I am not a camper, but I know a number of people who are, so I am always looking for places where they can camp in Puerto Rico. I can’t say I have been too impressed with most of the campsites around the island, but Monte del Estado in Maricao gets my vote for probably the nicest, cleanest camping facility.

Since we first wrote about the Lionfish invasion, about a year ago, this fish species has continued its expansion in the waters of Puerto Rico, and throughout the Caribbean. In order to really make a dent in the population explosion, more people need to get involved in the eradication effort. Here are some things that you can do to help.

Many people come to Puerto Rico and are surprised to find that there are not that many good snorkeling spots that you can access directly from the beach on the big island. If you go to the west coast in the summer, Tres Palmas Marine Reserve in Rincon offers great snorkeling at Steps Beach. We went recently and found a healthy forest of Elk Horn coral, along with a bunch of marine critters.

The Central Mountain range that runs through the middle of Puerto Rico is full of canyons, caves and waterfalls. We recently took a hike, sponsored by the local chapter of the Sierra Club, into Canyon Las Bocas to see the Cascade Grande waterfall. It was an enjoyable, and challenging, day of hiking and river-trekking.