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.

We get asked lots of questions through this web site. One of the most frequently asked questions is "What are the must-do activities and must-see places for my visit to Puerto Rico?" Check out this article for our Top 10 in Puerto Rico list.

If you want to experience something fun that will get your blood and adrenaline pumping, try a zipline adventure trip. One of the newest zipline courses here in Puerto Rico is Unique Outdoor Experience in Cubuy. This adventure has everything that you need to make a memorable vacation experience – zip lines, rappeling, and hanging bridges.

When someone says Piña Colada, you immediately picture a frosty drink with tropical fruit hanging off the edge of the glass. It is cool, delicious, and sweet. It is the "national" drink of Puerto Rico, and is available just about everywhere here — beaches, roadside stands, restaurants, and bars. Here’s our recipe for this favorite, vacation-time drink.

San Cristóbal Canyon has been named one of the top 10 Natural Wonders of Puerto Rico. With that high distinction, I needed to see it for myself. It is not the easiest place to get to (being at the bottom of a 500+ foot descent), so it does require some planning and, for best results, a guide! Montaña Explora, a family-run tour company, offers an extreme adventure that includes hiking and rappelling in the canyon. It was tough, but it was so worth the effort!

The Northeast Ecological Corridor is a wonderful stretch of about 6½ miles of coastline, from Luquillo to Fajardo. We had never been in that area, so after some recent guests told us about the long walk they took along the beach there, we decided we needed to see it ourselves. It really is a wonderful, natural place. We hope that more awareness of Puerto Rico’s natural wonders will encourge people to want to preserve it.

When touring Old San Juan, no visit would be complete without a visit to at least one of the forts. Recently, we had the opportunity to take the Outworks Tour at Fort San Cristobal. This tour highlights just how much of a military engineering marvel this fort is, and how it is designed with all sorts of boobie traps, and visiual deceptions, to really mess with the heads of any invading enemy’s troops.

If you enjoy adventure tours — those with ziplines, rappelling, hiking, caving, and other fun things — and you also enjoy going to special, off the beaten path places — then this tour is for you. Batey Zipline Adventure, in beautiful Utuado, offers all of that in a nice half-day package. The majority of the activities are on, around, and above an organic farm near the Tanama River, making this the most eco-friendly adventure tour we’ve taken in Puerto Rico.

Culebra has always been a popular island, with its beautiful beaches and easy snorkeling right from the beach. The problem is, the amazingly beautiful Flamenco Beach has also become so popular that it can be a bit crowded at times. For people who are looking for a quiter beach that still offers great snorkeling, Playa Carlos Rosario may be just right for you.

When you are on vacation on a large island like Puerto Rico, which has so many things to see and do, it’s often the case that you don’t get a chance to do everything you would like to. Usually, something gets missed. If you are interested touring some of the Puerto Rican countryside and doing an adventure tour — now, don’t have to choose. Tropical Adventure Guides has a "culture and adventure tour" that offers a little of both!

Walking and hiking in El Yunque National Forest is one of our favorite things to do. On my brother’s recent visit, we decided to go to the south side of El Yunque and walk the Waterline Trail to Los Prieto Falls, and then to continue past the falls to the end to see the view. We have done this trail a few times, and we really like it. It’s an easy hike, the trail is mostly flat, and there are some great views along the way.

Puerto Rico is known for its coffee, and the best coffee comes from ripe beans grown high in the cool, moist mountain regions of the Toro Negro mountain range. There are a number of coffee Haciendas in the towns of Jayuya, San Sebastian, Ponce, Adjuntas, Las Marias and Lares. Most of larger coffee plantations are not open to the public, but some of the smaller, specialty/gourmet places are open for tours, and purchases. Our tour at the small, gourmet coffee plantation Hacienda Pomarrosa was informative and enjoyable.

Sometimes, finding off-the-beaten-path things to do leads to great discoveries. And, other times, it doesn’t work out as planned. Lots of our adventures come about from some serious research for basic information and the general location of possibly interesting things on my part, and lots of stopping for directions and U-turns on Ray’s part. One recent Sunday, we took a drive in Naranjito to find some exciting new waterfalls and amazing views. It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.

I love it when you explore some place new and you are happily surprised with the outcome. That is what happened to us on a recent visit to the Centro Histórico Turístico del Cibuco (Cibuco Historical Tourist Center) in Corozal. We had heard that they offered a tour of this park, but we had no idea what a gem this place was. There is something for every family member packed into this lovely place, where you can spend a couple hours or the whole day.

On a recent, sunny Sunday, we decided to take a drive down the east coast of Puerto Rico. It is a nice drive if you go along the coast, with some great views along the way. At the south-east corner if the island is the town of Maunabo, in which you can find the Punta Tuna Lighthouse (Faro Punta Tuna) and beach. While you can’t enter the lighthouse itself, the park and beach area are worth a stop.