Best Day Trips from San Juan, Puerto Rico

It’s been two years since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Dominica and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Puerto Rico has made an incredible recovery.  San Juan and the resorts on the Island are open for business and are welcoming the tourists that are visiting.  We visited Puerto Rico last summer and ventured out to other cities outside of San Juan.  In this blog, I will write about two of the best day trips from San Juan.  Both day trips are perfect for a family outing or road trip while visiting Puerto Rico.

Our family stayed in San Juan, Puerto Rico and rented a car for our day trips.  Driving in Puerto Rico is the same as driving in America.  You do not need a special international license.  Just bring your state drivers license.  Our minivan had a GPS included.  If you do not have one included with your car, make sure you have an updated maps app.

On our first day trip we went to El Yunque National Rainforest.  El Yunque is less than an hour drive from San Juan.  It features mountain hike paths, waterfalls, watering holes, and nature trails.  We took PR 3 South to PR-191 .  This road takes you inside El Yunque all the way up to La Coca Waterfall.  We parked our rental in a parking lot and went out to explore the falls.

Tip #1-   Wear sneakers or shoes with good traction.  The hike was not too difficult for us, and that’s with a couple of 2 year olds.  Watch your step when crossing the water rocks and stay on the trail.  Bring a water bottle and wear sunscreen.

If you go on a weekday like we did, there shouldn’t be a large crowd.  We were able to hike on a trail that led us to a watering hole.  The water was warm and the kids enjoyed swimming.  I took off my shoes and got my feet wet and the water felt so good.  Wish I had brought a swimsuit.  My husband and I relaxed on a large rock and watched the kids swim and splash around for an hour.  Then we made our way to the trail and headed back to San Juan.

My next stop will please all foodies and fans of authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine.  Our second day trip, we drove to Pork Highway in Guavate.  First we made a stop in Caguas to pick up my Uncle Ruben.  He was our designated tour guide for the day.  From Caguas we drove east on Highway 184.  Guavate is a barrio in the campo (mountain region) of Cayey, Puerto Rico.  This road is home to several Lechonera’s (Roasted Pork Restaurants).

I first heard about Guavate when the late Anthony Bourdain visited Los Piños  in one of his episodes of No Reservations.  Los Piños is most famous for their slow-roasted pig, but also a lot of Puerto Rican delicacies and side dishes.  The menu includes: Roasted Pork or Chicken, Arroz con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas), Arroz Blanco (white rice), Bacalao Guisado (cod stew), Pasteles de Masa (Puertorican pastel), Longaniza de Pollo (chicken sausage), Morcilla (blood and rice sausage), Ñame (yams), Empanadas (meat turnover), Batata (sweet potato), and Platanos Maduros (sweet plantains).

Tip #2- If you visit during the weekend or a holiday, be prepared for crowds.  The restaurants in this area usually have live music on the weekends.  The most crowded time is around 3pm.  We went on a Tuesday for lunch and there were no crowds and plenty of parking.

It was hard to decide what to get, so we got a little of everything. The seating is family style on picnic tables.  The pork was tender and the skin crispy.  The Arroz con Gandules taste just like my grandmother use to make it.  As I was eating my food, it brought so many memories from my childhood back to me. It’s fascinating  how food can trigger certain memories.  We all enjoyed the pork, chicken, sides and the atmosphere.  After lunch, we walked around the area and visited a few shops.  A couple of stores have handmade purses and jewelry.  We bought a few souvenirs for our home then made our way back to San Juan.

Puerto Rico is thriving after Hurricane Maria.  I’m so proud to be Puerto Rican and see how the island has bounced back after that devastation.  If you’ve ever wanted to visit, do not hesitate.  Go now!  Puerto Rico is full of hidden gems and there is so much to see outside of San Juan.  I just touched the surface with the two places mentioned above.  Have you visited Pork Highway or El Yunque Rainforest?  Leave a comment below with your favorite memory.