Being an island, Puerto Rico has more than 300 miles of beaches, including the out-islands and cays. That’s one beach to explore and enjoy for each day of the year. There is a perfect beach for everyone – it all depends your idea of the perfect beach. Luckily, almost all the beaches in Puerto Rico are open to the general public.

A few years ago, Scuba Diving Magazine readers voted Puerto Rico as one of the Top 20 Overall Dive Destinations in the Caribbean. I have done a number of dives here over the past few years and I had yet to encounter a Top 20 -type dive. We were heading out west and I hoped to find one of those WOW dives at Desecheo Island. I was not disappointed.

El Portal Rain Forest Center is the main visitor center in El Yunque National Forest. It features an elevated walkway through the tree tops, educational displays, a short interpretive walking trail, a deli/restaurant and a small gift shop. Though completely optional, the Forest Center is an informative stop for first-time visitors to El Yunque.

Puerto Rico has a long history of Indian cultures that lived here many hundreds to thousands of years ago. The most recent Indian culture, the Tainos, left many petroglyphs on rocks near rivers or in caves. The town of Jayuya has a nice example of a piedra escrita that contains many different Taino drawings.

The Guajataca Forest in Isabela is in the karst region of Puerto Rico and the landscape and plant life is totally different than what we are used to seeing in the north-east of the island. I thought the best part about this forest is exploring Cueva del Viento (Cave of the Wind).

There are lots of waterfalls that can be found throughout the island. Most are in obscure locations and can only be found with the help of a local. We knew about Las Garzas Falls in Adjuntas, but we didn’t really know where it was located. So, one day, we decided to try to find it.

During a recent trip to the south-west part of the island, we found some diving that I would highly recommend. That region is home to "the Wall" and the diving was great! We went wall diving at La Parguera with West Divers, and I thought it was the best diving we have seen on PR.

We were at the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse a couple weeks ago and the panoramic views were simply magnificent. I was surprised to see one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in Puerto Rico. We asked the lighthouse ranger about the beach and, he said lovingly, “Oh – the jacuzzi? That is La Playuela”.

Located on top of 200-foot limestone cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse marks the south-west tip of Puerto Rico. Though the lighthouse is interesting, the big attractions are the dramatic views of the ocean and cliffs.

Waterfalls are facinating — they are beautiful, powerful and natural. With the Cordillera Central that runs through the middle of the Puerto Rico, we get a lot of rain that falls on those peaks, resulting in a number of waterfalls across the island. Many of them require hiking in forests and wading rivers to get to see them. But Dona Juana Waterfall is right along the road. Can it get any easier?