Julio Enrique Monagas Park in Bayamon offers both a unique nature respite for families, and amazing adventure opportunities. It is a great place for bird watching, walking trails, picnics and playground fun, without having to go too far from San Juan. For the more active person, it also has bike (MTB) trails and lots of karst (limestone) rock walls, perfect for rock climbing.

We managed to snorkel, hike, explore white sand beaches, hunt sea glass and shells, play in the water and relax all in one day on a recent trip in Culebra when we kayaked over to Cayo Luis Pena. This little island is rarely visited, but it really is worth the effort to experience this beautiful nature reserve.

What do you do when you get tired of lying on a beach on Vieques? You go for a hike! There aren’t that many places for hiking on the island, but Cayo de Tierra, at the western end of Playa Sun Bay, offers a challenging uphill walk that has some great views at the top.

I love exploring the karst region of Puerto Rico. The landscape is ruggedly beautiful, the caves hold many secrets from the past, and there is a great diversity of plants and animals. Tierra del Encantos Eco Tours offers a hiking adventure that allows you to get up close and personal with nature in the area.

I really love visiting the small out-islands around Puerto Rico. They are so pretty – just spits of white sand and palm trees surrounded by clear blue water. But with a name like Isla Ratones (Rat Island), this one kind of scared me. But then I finally got to go, and it’s a cute little island. It’s a nice place to visit for a couple hours (or a day) if you are in the area.

When you think of Puerto Rico, wine might not be your first thought for a local beverage – but it should be. Yet another great example of the island’s diversity is the Bodegas Andreu Solé vineyard and winery in Guánica. The coastal Guánica region has just the right weather conditions for growing grapes, and the winery is serving up some really nice local wines and liqueurs, and live music, in a beautiful waterfront setting.

Culebra is a small island off the east coast of PR, that offers some great water-based activities. There are some even smaller, less-visited islands surrounding Culebra that are just begging to be explored. But, to get to those, you need a boat. Captain Bill Penfield offers charters to all areas around the waters of Cuelbra on his Pez Vela sailboat. It is a great way to spend a day!

Vieques is probably most well known for its beaches, many of which have beautiful white sand. But there is one little beach that has black sand, called Playa Negra. Now, if you have read a few other of my blog articles, you know this little oddity would require a looks-see! This beach is a hidden site, so it takes some time and effort to get there to see it. It’s a cute beach, once you find it.

When it comes to beaches, I like white sand and clear, blue water. Most of the beaches on the big island are cream or beige colored, with the occasional black sand beach. So imagine my surprise when we went to Playa Los Machos and Playa Media Mundo … and discovered two more white sand beaches on the big island!

We recently did an adventure trip that seriously tops all others we have done – Canyoning the Rio Blanca and Rio Icacos in Naguabo with Montana Explora. Not for the faint of heart (nor body), this trek was extremely beautiful and extremely difficult. Words, photos, and video do not do justice to this trek – but we’re going to try!

I am all for a one-stop place that has lots of fun things to do for the whole family that is in close proximity to a number of other natural attractions. So when Junglequi Rainforest Eco Adventure Park opened in Spring 2012, we went first thing. It is located right off of Road 191, on the way into El Yunque National Forest.

Palominitos Island is a white sand beach east of Fajardo, with a handful of palm trees, that is very popular with the local weekend boating crowd. But something is happening to Palominitos Island – it looks like it is disappearing back into the ocean from which it was born.

I don’t mean to state the obvious, but you have to look to the west if you want to see great sunsets. Weather permitting, almost every evening somewhere in Puerto Rico you can see an amazing sunset. We’ll tell you some of our favorite places in Puerto Rico to watch the sun set. Where are you favorite Puerto Rico sunset spots?

There are a number of trails inside the Guanica State Forest and Bioshpere Reserve that lead through the dry forest. There is also the Meseta Trail that leads along the southern coast in Guanica. It is a wonderful hike that offers cliff and beach views in a unique sea-side setting.

The Rio Sabana Trail is the newest trail in El Yunque National Forest. Officially opened in April 2011, this trail connects the Rio Sabana Recreation Area, at the end of Road 191 South, to the Trade Winds Trail. This trail is rated difficult, so it is not for everyone. It is the only official trail on the south side of El Yunque National Forest.