After several years with Puerto Rico on my radar, I finally took the leap and paid this beautiful little island a visit in April. And after just a week exploring its gorgeous beaches, mountains, and cities, it’s no surprise that Puerto Rico is nicknamed the Island of Enchantment.
While San Juan wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, Puerto Rico as a whole is an absolutely incredible experience. From the vibrant culture to the delicious food and stunning landscapes, there is so much to discover and enjoy here! It’s easy to see why so many people choose to stay despite the hurricane risks and why so many mainlanders want to move there (but more on that later).
If you’re interested in taking your own trip to Puerto Rico, I wholeheartedly say do it! But before you go, there are some rather important things to know. A few of these we knew in advance and were able to prepare for, but others we learned while we were on the island, and I felt that they were important to share to help you with your planning.
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Puerto Rico Doesn’t Feel Like Part of the U.S.
Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. Territory, it has a very different vibe from mainland USA. From the gorgeous old buildings in San Juan and Ponce to the traditional food, festivals, and music, it feels much more like stepping foot in Costa Rica or Ecuador. And that’s because the vibrant culture that was in place when the United States obtained Puerto Rico is still very much alive! It doesn’t hurt that much if the island is still rugged and wild, with plenty of unspoiled mountains and beaches to explore.
I particularly love this because it means any U.S. citizen can experience this authentic culture without needing a passport! So if you’re hoping to introduce yourself to international travel but don’t want to jump right into going through customs and being an American abroad, Puerto Rico is a fantastic place to try it out. And if you are already an international traveler like me, you’ll still have a fantastic time, as there is plenty to see and experience here that sets it apart from mainland USA.
Spanish is a Very Useful Tool
While Puerto Rico is technically part of the U.S., Spanish is the primary language! Many Puerto Ricans are bilingual, but Spanish is their first language, and some people don’t speak any English at all. So if you’ve been looking for a chance to use your Spanish skills, this is a great place for it. And if you don’t speak Spanish, I highly recommend an AI translator to help you communicate, especially outside of San Juan.
There’s More to Puerto Rico than San Juan
If you go to Puerto Rico and only visit San Juan, you’re making a huge mistake! While San Juan is fun (especially Old Town), there is so much more to experience on this island. And because Puerto Rico is so small, you can easily visit a lot of them in a short amount of time or just take day trips from San Juan.
Within just an hour or two from San Juan, you can go hiking in El Yunque National Forest, take a bioluminescent bay kayaking tour, book a snorkeling trip to Vieques or Culebra islands, soar along the longest zip line in the United States, go horseback riding on the beaches of Isabela, and so much more!
So especially if you love nature excursions and want to see a more authentic side of this beatiful island, you’ll be so glad you got out of San Juan to see what’s out there.
If You Rent a Car, Choose Something Small
Because Puerto Rico is so old, most of its infrastructure is not designed for large vehicles. I definitely think you should rent a car so you have more freedom, but be sure you get something compact so you can manuever the narrow streets of Ponce, San Juan, and other towns. If you plan to go into the mountains, I highly recommend an SUV or something with 4-wheel drive that can handle steep mountains and lots of curves, but you still want a small vehicle.
The Food is Fantastic
Alcapurrias, empanadillas, mofungo, bifungo, quesitos–Puerto Rico has absolutely no shortage of delicious local dishes that you have to try! A lot of it is fried, so you might have to throw your diet out the window for the duration of your trip, but it’s so worth it!
The dishes heavily feature plantains, particularly in mofungo (and absolute must-try), tostones, and many frituras, which have fried plantains stuff with meat. But you should also check out the local pastries–we tried just about anything with guanabana (soursop) and guayaba (guava)–the extensive sandwich scene, and their takes on cordon blue and risotto.
And if you happen to find yourself on Ponce, swing by Enlaspapas, a food truck that serves up monster burrito creations with a layer of plantains or potatoes around meat, cheese, and fresh veggies.
Puerto Rico Has Multiple Regions and Biomes
I touched on this briefly, but Puerto Rico is so much more than the San Juan beach scene! This tiny island is full of different regions and biomes with very distinct landscapes and characteristics: white sand beaches, rocky beaches, deserts, salt flats, rain forests, mountains, caves, and bioluminescent bays. It’s especially cool when you realize that you can see multiple different ones in such a short period of time! So you can start your morning on a white sand beach, drive through lush mountains and rainforests that turn to desert, and end your day walking along a completely different kind of beach.
Colonization and Gentrification are Problems
Puerto Rico has a pretty complex political history that I can’t fully dive into here. But there is a lot of ongoing controversy over its place and rights in the United States and how the government is handling them. Due to the hurricanes, a lot of native Puerto Ricans were forced to leave the island, and the territory has had a lot of financial trouble.
In 2021, 43% of Puerto Ricans were living below the federal poverty line, and their problems have gotten worse as mainlanders have moved in, buying up land and driving up prices.
Tourism does help the economy, but you may encounter some issues with individuals who view colonization and tourism as interconnected problems. We didn’t have any, but it’s a hot topic in a lot of social media comment sections and discussion boards.
So I just encourage you to visit respectfully and be informed before you go. Do your research, and when possible, book tours and stays with locals instead of big chains or mainland businesses so you’re actually supporting the local economy, rather than a big business that’s just there for the tax breaks (which natives don’t get, btw).
If you want to learn more, here are a few articles to check out:
- https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/puerto-rico-us-territory-crisis
- https://time.com/5955629/puerto-rico-tax-haven-opposition/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/us/puerto-rico-gentrification.html
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/financial-struggles-in-puerto-rico-bite-deeper-than-the-rest-of-the-united-states/#:~:text=1.4%20million%20people%20in%20Puerto,medical%20treatment%20because%20of%20cost.
Driving is Its Own Adventure
Aside from the previously mentioned problem of narrow streets (which often have cars parked on one or both sides, leaving only a few inches between your side-view mirrors), driving in Puerto Rico poses a number of other challenges.
In many cases, roads that I thought were one lane were actually two. And in a lot of towns, there’s a complex system of one-way streets, which are often unmarked. So definitely follow Google map (or the cars in front of you), or you might wind up going down the wrong way!
In the mountains, those narrow roads are often combined with hairpin turns, large potholes, and unmarked speed bumps that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat for more than one reason! And don’t even get me started on the crazy angles you’re driving up or down, hoping you don’t scrape the front of your car when the roads suddenly level out!
We also encountered several traffic lights that were not functioning. In some cases, people came to 4-way stops. But most of the time, they just went right on through, so it was a game of who was going fastest, got there first, or was generally the most aggressive.
The last thing to be aware of is the wildlife. As far as we could tell, iguanas were the top source of roadkill across the island. But there’s also a surplus of wild dogs and cats who will roam beside roads or even sunbathe right in the middle of them, plus free-roaming horses and goats.
Altogether, it’s a little insane. But I have to say it’s completely worth it for the epic views you’ll get.
Storms are No Joke
I’m typically the kind of person who won’t let a little rain stop me from going on an adventure. In fact, getting caught in a tropical storm just adds to the thrill. But that’s not usually the case in Puerto Rico.
While visiting a small waterfall, a local warned us about the dangers of hiking in the rainforests during rainstorms. Apparently, a lot of tourists get seriously injured or killed because they don’t realize how much water the storms push down from the mountains, flooding the rivers, trails, and roads. I’m so glad she warned us because we had plans to visit the popular Gonzolodia waterfall despite the rain, and that’s one of the most dangerous spots.
So when the storms come, find a safe place to wait them out, and don’t put yourself in danger.
The one exception to this is apparently at Toro Verde, where they’ll keep running their zipline tours as long as there isn’t lightning, lol. It’s cold and wet, but you’re safe from flash floods that far up in the tree tops.
Puerto Rico Has the Most Biobays in the World
Did you know that there are only 5 bioluminescent bays in the world–and 3 of them are in Puerto Rico? If you’re interested in seeing this incredible phenomenon, Puerto Rico is the place to be! You can visit the world’s only bioluminescent lagoon, Laguna Grande, in Fajardo, plus the famous Mosquito Bay at Vieques Island and La Parguera in Lajas.
It’s pretty easy to find bioluminescent kayaking tours or boating excursions that will take you to the best spots to see the waters glow blue. This is a chemical reaction that occurs when the water is disturbed, so don’t expect to see the whole area glowing. The glow is pretty concentrated, and it’s easiest to see on a moonless night.
It’s also really hard to get pictures because any light dulls the glow. It’s amazing to see in person, but unfortunately, you probably won’t have great pictures to show your friends.
Parking in San Juan Can Be Crazy
Lastly, be aware that parking in San Juan can be a significant hassle. Wherever you choose to stay, I would double-check that it has its own parking, because if not, you might struggle to find any. Street parking fills up so fast in the residential neighborhoods because few people have driveways. Thankfully, we always found a spot or two near the apartment or homes where we stayed, but sometimes we had to park a little ways away, and other streets were far more crowded.
Old Town San Juan is its own monster. Street parking is largely permit-controlled, and anything that’s left fills up very quickly, leaving tourists to the parking lots and garages around town. The prices aren’t bad, but they can fill up in the late morning and afternoon, leaving you with literally nowhere to park. We ran into this on our last day, and spent nearly an hour circling Old Town in search of a lot with a single open space.
Thankfully, Old Town is super walkable. So if you find a spot, I recommend you leave your car there and just get those extra steps in while you explore.
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Closing Thoughts on Visiting Puerto Rico
If Puerto Rico is on your vacation radar, do it! Just book that flight! I regret that we waited so long to visit, especially when tickets were so cheap and flights are so short, particularly from the East Coast.
This was one of our favorite trips ever, and it’s a place I definitely plan to revisit, as there’s so much more to see and it’s incredibly accessible for U.S. citizens. It really is such a beautiful blend of culture, nature, thrills, and great food–all the things I think make up a fantastic vacation!
If you’re planning to visit Puerto Rico soon, make sure you hit subscribe to the blog because I’m about to drop a bunch of blog posts, videos, and social media posts with tips, hidden gems, and reviews.
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Until next time, happy travels!
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