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.

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.

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.

A trip into a biobay is one of the best things you can do during your visit to Puerto Rico. Something as fascinating as the biobay certainly qualifies as a Kodak Moment, right? Well, yes and no. It’s really difficult to take even mediocre photos of the bioluminescent glow. You can spend lots of time trying to get the perfect photo, or you can spend your time enjoying this natural phenomenon. If you want to try for the photos, we have some tips for you.

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.

Rain Forest Zip Line Corp is a new zipline company that offers a zipline experience, just seconds off the road that leads up to El Yunque National Forest. While not the largest nor the most modern zip line facility on the island, it offers a zip line experience that the whole family can enjoy. It would be great for kids or those people in your group who are "less adventurous" but who still want to try a zip line activity.

The nighttime sky has been beckoning people for probably as long as man has been on earth. I think most people have fond memories of their grade school solar system projects. If you really want to get a closer look at the night sky, you can go to the observatory at the Humacao campus of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). It’s a fun and educational evening for the star-gazer in all of us.

We had some guests staying with us last week, and I discovered that the husband brought his SCUBA gear and wanted to fit in a couple dives during their stay with us. As it turned out, he was the only SCUBA certified member of the family, and he would need a dive buddy. So I made some calls, and was able to hook us up for a 2-tank dive mid-week with Sea Ventures out of Palmas del Mar in Humacao. It turned out to be a nice morning of diving for both me and our guest.

Carnival — the word itself conjures up images of festivals and fun from around the world! And Puerto Rico is no exception. Almost every town holds a carnival — some big, some small. No matter what the size, you can always count on finding music, dancing and food. Carnival will be held in Rio Grande from June 30 – July 4. Stop by and take part in the fun!

When looking for day trips to do, I sometimes forget to look at places close to home. Luquillo is a great little town in the north east part of Puerto Rico. It is home to diverse natural beauty — both miles of beautiful beaches and acres of rain forest. It has a rich and interesting history and a decently active, modern social life. Most people assume they have "done" Luquillo if they make it to the food kiosks and Luquillo Beach, but there is a lot more for people to do and enjoy. So take some time and come explore Luquillo!

If you are in the Luquillo area and enjoy seeing unusual artwork, a quick stop at Saint Joseph’s Church in Luquillo is worth a visit. Its old and lovely facade holds a rare treasure inside — some of the most beautiful wood carvings. While wood carvings are not unusual for a Catholic church, these ones are — they combine Catholic religious presentations, with nature and symbols from other cultures and religions. This is one of those rare and pleasant finds!

Here is another fun adventure made possible by the rivers that flow down from El Yunque. The Río Fajardo in Ceiba offers two types of fun — mild or rugged. For the mild type of nature lovers, there is Charco Frio, which is a series of pools in the river that you can enjoy cooling off in on a hot day. The rugged part is Las Tinajas, which, after a hike in, has a rope swing, a little rock water slide, pretty waterfalls, river views and some nice pools to enjoy.

Once you decide to venture away from the San Juan metropolitan area, your best bet (and the cheapest way to get around) is to rent a car. You may have heard horror stories about Puerto Rican drivers, but, in reality, it is not that bad! Here are some tips to make your experience driving in Puerto Rico as painless as possible.

We recently had the pleasure to spend another day sailing and snorkeling on the Erin Go Bragh III in the waters around Icacos and Lobos. It was a lovely day weather-wise, the food was delicious (of course), and the day was relaxing and fun. We even shot some nice underwater video while we were snorkeling.

We live on the north side of El Yunque National Forest, and I am pretty familiar with most of the trails and things to see in the rain forest in our area. But I have been on a quest to get to see the petroglyphs located in Rio Blanco on the south side of El Yunque for a long time. We were finally able to find them, along with swimming holes and a water fall.