Puerto Rico: From the Coast to the Mountains

Day 1: We meet at our hotel. After checking into our hotel rooms we meet in hotel lobby at 6:00 p.m. and proceed to a local restaurant for our welcome dinner. Overnight in hotel.

Day 2: We meet at our hotel lobby and travel to explore the town of Old San Juan and see the El Morro, a beautiful Spanish fort. We will walk through more than 400 years of history and have lunch. In the afternoon we visit the University Botanical garden. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 3: After breakfast we depart for the city of Ponce on the south side of the island. We will visit a museum or the Serralles palace, makers of Don Q rum. After lunch we leave for the Tainos Indian village and visit the ceremonial grounds. We will check into our hotel and enjoy free time around the hotel’s swimming pool. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 4: After breakfast we leave for the Salinas, a small town near Ponce. There we will rent kayaks to spend some time on the water enjoying kayaking and swimming. In the afternoon we will return to our hotel in Ponce. Lunch, dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 5: Today after breakfast we travel to Adjuntas, a town in the mountains in the central part of the island. We will visit Casa Pueblo, headquarters of an environmental grassroots organization. We will have an informal discussion and learn about local environmental issues. After lunch we will swim in a natural fresh water pool in a mountain stream and visit a suspension foot bridge over a lake. After that we will visit Mount La Olympia, a forest used for an ecological school for children. This moderate optional hike is 40 to 60 minutes with 500 ft of elevation again. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 6: After breakfast we depart for Cabo Rojo, a town in the south-west where we will stay for the next three days. We will visit a sea salt processing site where we’ll learn how the salt is collected, enjoy the dry tropical flora, and view the wildlife refuge. We have lunch and afterwards we will swim on Playuela Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 7: After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit a dry forest designated as a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve and then swim on a secluded beach depending on weather conditions. We will also visit a sunflower plantation. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 8: After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit a natural reserve and the Cartagena lagoon. After lunch we will visit a 19th century coffee plantation. This is one of only five working coffee plantations in the world that still uses water in the coffee production. We will learn how they produced the coffee in earlier times. Return to the hotel for a farewell dinner.

Day 9: After an early breakfast at hotel we will travel back to San Juan's International airport.

Disclaimer: Please remember that our itinerary may need to be altered due to weather conditions or other factors beyond our control, or if the trip leader has any concerns about the safety of the group.

Getting There

There are numerous daily flights to San Juan's International Airport. A taxi will take us to our nearby hotel. Try to arrive no later than 4:00 p.m. Please book return flights after 1:00 p.m. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

Accommodations will be two people per room. Couples will room together and singles will be paired up according to gender and (as much as possible) age. Once on the trip, singles can change roommates if they'd like and if it's agreeable to all those making any changes. If there's an odd number of single participants of either/both genders, we'll share the single accommodation with other single participants. If you want to request a single accommodation, please let the trip leader know and he will see if this is possible; there will be an additional $560 single supplement charge for requested single accommodation.We will have dinner at restaurants (included in trip cost). Our first meal will be dinner on Day 1 and our last meal will be breakfast on Day 9.

Trip Difficulty

Participants should be in good physical condition to enjoy sea kayaking. Some hiking trails are hilly and exposed to the sun, but moderate in difficulty.

Equipment and Clothing

Bring quality raingear, a water bottle, lunch container, insect repellent, a daypack, and personal first aid kit. Expect warm days, with rain in the late afternoon. Sun protection is critical. You will need a long-sleeved "travel" shirt, sandals, light fleece top, shorts, swimsuit, and support walking shoes. Cotton or cotton blend is more comfortable than polyester in the tropical weather. Please bring a camping mug or cup marked with your name.

Please note: most evenings after dinner we will have discussions regarding present and past island life. These will be casual open discussions with time for questions and answers.

The leaders will make every reasonable effort to meet the goals outlined in the itinerary. Please keep in mind that weather or other conditions are beyond the control of the leaders and may cause us to modify the itinerary in order to ensure the safety and well being of the group. 

Transportation from San Juan has little room for luggage. Do not worry about wrinkled clothing. This trip is not a fashion show. If you pack more than you need, you may have to park it on your lap. This will become cumbersome during the 90-minute trip to the western part of the island. Please pack accordingly.

References

• Santiago, Esmeralda, When I was Puerto Rican.
• Ayala, Cesar and Rafael Bernabe, Puerto Rico in the American Century: A History Since 1898.
• Morris, Nancy, Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity.
• Malaver, Pedro, America’s Colony: The Political and Cultural Conflict between the United State and Puerto Rico.
• Sotomayor, Sonia, My Beloved World. The autobiography of the first Hispanic and Puerto Rican appointed to the United States Supreme Court. 

• Lonely Planet, Map of Puerto Rico

Conservation

The leaders will facilitate daily discussions about environmental issues on the island. We will visit the headquarters of a local grass roots environmental organization at Casa Pueblo. We will learn about the efforts of the community with an informal conference.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.