Sometimes, finding off-the-beaten-path things to do leads to great discoveries. And, other times, it doesn’t work out as planned. Lots of our adventures come about from some serious research for basic information and the general location of possibly interesting things on my part, and lots of stopping for directions and U-turns on Ray’s part.

One recent Sunday, we took a drive in Naranjito to find some exciting new waterfalls and amazing views. It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.

But, I guess, a day exploring a pretty mountain town is better than a day working in an office!

Our Quest

We set out for the town of Naranjito to find Las Cataratas, a waterfall not far from the road. On this Sunday, driving north on Route 152, at about KM 14 or 15, we found some very popular and busy lechoneras (where you could stop and get some delicious roasted pig with all the trimmings). But we wanted beautiful sites, not food, so we pressed onward.

We knew you could see the falls from a restaurant with the same name at KM 18.2 on Route 152.

Unfortunately, it turns out, the falls are only visible from the restuarant (and a few other beside it) and in their parking lot. We talked to the bartender, and he said there really isn’t a way down to the base of the falls. So we could only stand inside the building and catch a distant view of the waterfall.

We knew there was a mirador only a minute farther down Route 152, just past the falls. We figured we might be able to see the falls and the river from there. So that was our next stop.

Called Mirador Las Lagrimas, it seems to have a view of … wait for it … nothing. Kind of odd.

Maybe, years ago, the trees were smaller and you could see something. But now … it is just some tree tops and the back of the restaurants! But it has some picnic tables, so we sat and ate our lunch, while we watched the traffic on Route 152.

We then tried in vain to find the Mirador Los Anones. The bartender told us it had great views of the northern coast. He gave us the general directions, and from there, we went back and forth trying to find something. After stopping for directions about 4 times, we think we found it (GPS coordinates below). But the building was closed, so we couldn’t go in to see the view.

But there are some great views of the north coast up in this area, if you can find a safe place to stop on these small roads to snap some pictures.

The town has a few other sites — they have a neat looking new bridge, and, in the main plaza, the church has beautiful statues. But we had to get home, so we couldn’t do everything. Getting out of Naranjito and back to the San Juan area is a bit of a trek, so resign yourself to it and just enjoy the scenery!

Though this day was kinda a bust, it doesn’t dissuade us from continuing to find new things to do on the island!