We recently had the opportunity to re-visit the biobay in La Parguera, after having visited it for the first time 18 years ago. The health of this biobay has declined immensely, to the point of the biobay glow being hardly noticeable. But they still take people out into the biobay nightly. If nothing else, it’s a cheap nighttime boat ride.

The Carite Forest is located just up the road from the Guavate area in Cayey. The forest encompasses over 6000 acres and is maintained by the Departmento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales as a recreation area. The forest has some nice picnic and camping areas, some great natural pools and waterfalls.

If you like natural swimming pools, Charco Azul (blue pond, in English) is one of Puerto Rico’s most famous ones. Located in the middle of the Carite Forest, about 10 minutes up the road from the lechnarias in the Guavate region of Cayey, it’s the perfect spot for a picnic and swimming.

Playita del Condado is a small, public beach located on Ashford Avenue next to the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Condado Lagoon, it has shallow, calm water, a golden sand beach, rinse showers, and beach chairs and umbrellas available for rent.

Whether you have just a couple of hours or a couple of days, there are plenty of things to keep you busy and entertained in the northeast part of Puerto Rico. From the rain forest to beaches to biobays, we’ve put together a list of activities sorted by the amount of time you need to do each.

Get some exercise on vacation and take a tour of the San Juan area at the same time. Rent The Bicycle, in Old San Juan, offers bike rentals and guided bike tours in the Old San Juan, Condado and Piñones areas. They offer options that are great for cruise ship visitors, tourists and locals alike.

Enjoy a 1 or 2 hour horseback riding tour in the foothills of El Yunque at Hacienda Carabali in Luquillo. They have over 70 horses ready to take you through the trails that criss-cross their 600-acre property. These tours are good for beginners and less experienced riders.

What do you do once you’ve hiked on all of the official trails in El Yunque National Forest? You start looking for unofficial trails … which is exactly what we did. We found a new trail (currently under construction by the Forest Service) that leads from the north side of El Yunque down to the south side. Though it’s not for the casual hiker, it does provide some nice views and an exhilarating workout.

If you are a birdwatcher, then Puerto Rico needs to be added to your must-visit bucket list. Puerto Rico has so many different geographical regions, all within a small 35×100 mile area — rain forests, dry forests, and forests in-between, seaside, mangroves and mountains. You have a pretty good chance of seeing at least a few of the 17 endemic birds and many of the 300 different types of bird species that call Puerto Rico home at some time throughout the year.

Visiting Vieques is usually best done as a multi-day trip — when you have time to rent a car and explore the most remote beaches. But what do you do if your vacation schedule only allows time to spend one day on Vieques? Head on over to Vieques and spend the day at Sun Bay, one of the many beautiful beaches on the island.

For reasons that I can’t figure out, of the trails right along Road 191 in El Yunque National Forest, La Coca Trail is seemingly unknown. It is as if someone found out how beautiful it is and decided to keep it a secret! We invested some time and effort in hiking this trail, and were handsomely rewarded with rivers, waterfalls and swimming pools galore!

One of my favorite things about going on vacation is the opportunity to try food that is different than I can get at home. Tropical fruit has become somewhat of a passion of mine, and it’s always something I seek out whenever we travel. Luckily for me, we can grow a bunch of different types of tropical fruit right in Puerto Rico. Luckily for you, there are many different places you can get a taste of the tropics!

Rocaliza’s Half-Day El Salto Adventure in the Carite rain forest crams a whole-day of hiking, waterfall climbing and ziplining into a half-day excursion. It’s perfect for cruise ship visitors or other people who don’t want to spend a full day on an adventure excursion.

If you are looking for some nice diving, head over to Vieques. Good visibility and a plethora of sea life, you are sure to have a great day underwater.

Have you ever wanted to learn to surf but never had the chance? People staying in the north-east part of the island can easily get a private surfing lesson without having to travel very far. Bob Roberts, a NSSIA-certified surfing instructor, offers lessons right in the Luquillo area. He can have you catching a wave long before your vacation is over.