The center of the island is full of mountains, and the views from these peaks can be breathtaking. If you want to get to a these views, and not get out of breath doing it, consider going on horseback at Hacienda Madrigal in Cidra. Not only do you get to enjoy a horseback ride, you enjoy the cool fresh air of the Puerto Rican countryside.

The mangrove cayos in La Parguera are really something to see. They are tiny specks of green in middle of the blue ocean. Most are nothing more than clumps of mangroves and broken coral. However, there is one in particular – Mata de Gata – that has the facilities that you need to make a perfect setting for a picnic. Being an island, you will need a kayak, boat or another type of watercraft out to it. But once there, you may never want to leave

The Cambalache State Forest (Bosque Estatal de Cambalache) offers a lovely oasis for picnics and gatherings, and it has several miles of trails designed for enjoying nature via mountain bike or walking. This is one of the few places in Puerto Rico where you can mountain bike along cool and shaded forest trails.

For a great drive along the north coast, take Road 681 in Arecibo instead of Route 2 or Route 22. This coastal road allows you to stop off and enjoy a number of amazing views and beaches. While the Atlantic Ocean can be too rough to swim during much of the year, it provides a great backdrop for a nice afternoon or quick stop by the beach.

The Condado Lagoon is a nice, calm body of water in the tourist area of Condado in San Juan. It is a perfect place to spend a few hours enjoying different types of water sports. One that the whole family can enjoy inexpensively is pedal boating. We went pedal boating there recently. It was easy and fun!

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.

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!

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 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.