Let’s explore beyond the usual tourist stops to experience the whole island of Puerto Rico from coast to coast. This active trip highlights the lesser-known spots as well as offers unique interactions with its endemic flora and fauna. We’ll hike the karst region to explore caves, look for a 1000-year-old tree in the Guánica Dry Forest, and admire a nursery full of young coral and sea urchins. There’s a stop to learn about leatherback turtles and a chance to see turtles in the wild on a snorkel trip in the mangroves. Along the way, we’ll meet park rangers and research scientists who are making a difference every day in protecting the biodiversity of Puerto Rico. Don’t worry, we’ll enjoy the ever-popular El Yunque National Forest on an all-day bird adventure to search for those endemics, too.
- Small group travel: No more than eight adults will participate, plus two trip leaders.
- Our itinerary is subject to change. Participants will receive updates before departure.
- Please note that inclusions, the cancellation policy, and payment terms are described following the itinerary. You may secure your spot today with only a deposit.
- Questions: Email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.
Day 1: Friday, May 1
Welcome to San Juan! Check in to your room any time after 3 pm. Settle in, then let’s get acquainted.
5 pm – Welcome Meeting at our hotel. We’ll meet up in the front lobby of our hotel for introductions. From there, we’ll walk to dinner as a group.
Day 2: Saturday, May 2
8:15 am – Meet in the lobby with luggage ready for the van. Remember to check out and pay for any incidentals. Have your day pack ready with any supplies you may need for the day, including your refillable water bottle, snacks, walking shoes, and a lightweight rain jacket.
We’ll head out for our first stop of the day, a 9 am tour of Old San Juan and the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Castillo San Cristóbal. As the largest Spanish-built fortification in the New World, San Cristóbal was constructed between 1634 and 1783 to defend against land-based attacks. The site covers 27 acres and features complex tunnels, moats, and bastions, protecting the city from English and Dutch invaders. Please note that we will not have enough time to visit its sister fort, El Morro. There may be time on our last day of the tour, or you can add an extended stay to your trip to allow time for a visit on your own.
We will also wander the streets of Old San Juan to admire the architecture and history that range from native archaeological finds to modern construction.
Finishing our tour around midday, we’ll grab some lunch, then hit the road for our drive west to the small beach town of Carrizales. We’ll take the scenic route along the ocean, then move inland to experience Cueva Ventana, or Window Cave. We’ll see stalagmites, stalactites, and other cave structures, and we’ll discuss the flora and fauna in this tropical setting. Our walk ends with a picture-window view from the 700-foot-high cliff, gazing out into the forest below.
After arriving at our hotel for the evening, you are welcome to walk to the beach, a short distance away, and eat dinner at your leisure. Shop for lunch, snacks, and drinks for tomorrow’s hike, too.
Day 3: Sunday, May 3
7 am – Let’s meet in the lobby with your bag and day pack with lunch, water, and snacks ready for the van. Yesterday’s cave was a bite-sized sampling of today’s adventure. We’re up early to meet our guides and leader, Angel Acosta-Colon, for an all-day hike through the karst hills and valleys to explore four caves in this special section of the island. Breakfast will be at a nearby bakery and at your cost.
The limestone mountains in this region of the island have dissolved over time due to rain and groundwater. This creates a characteristic landscape full of caves, rivers, and springs. We will explore four of these limestone caves as we hike through the karst forest. We will see and learn about cave art created by the Taíno people, view speleothems such as stalactites and stalagmites, and admire a crystal cave. We’ll look for endemic and common plants, trees, and birds along the way, too.
Our hike will be guided by staff from the Cabachuelas Project, a community-based education and ecotourism project created for the Las Cabachuelas Nature Reserve. Safety equipment provided includes a helmet and flashlight.
About our Leader: Angel Acosta-Colon works as the Interim Director of the Physics and Chemistry Department at the University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo campus. He has an environmental geophysical background and currently works in the characterization of karst and cave systems in Puerto Rico. His main interest is in LiDAR and photogrammetry applications in geosciences. His projects have been sponsored by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the EPA.
After our hike, we’ll relax in the van while we make our way to visit the Museum of Natural History and Conservation of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla. The museum is the first natural history museum in Puerto Rico in more than 100 years and is newly opened. We’ll take a tour with the museum founder and several members of the team, who are all very excited about our visit.
After the museum, we’ll head to our hotel in Mayagüez, about a 40-minute drive. The hotel is located near the historic center of town, and you are welcome to spend the evening exploring on your own or as a group.
Day 4: Monday, May 4
8 am – Let’s meet with our gear, ready for a day exploring the coast. We’ll drive about 40 minutes to our first stop, the Institute of Socio-Ecological Research, known as ISER Caribe. This marine nursery, located on a nearby island, focuses on restoring coral reefs through an ecosystem-based approach. It is part of the Center for Research and Restoration of Marine Organisms. We will tour their coral nursery as well as their long-spined sea urchin and Caribbean king crab nurseries to learn how to raise these herbivores, which are released onto reefs to control algae and promote coral health.
After our time on the island, we’ll have a short drive to our next hotel situated on the Caribbean oceanfront. We’ll settle in for a bit, then grab our snorkeling gear and head to the dock on site. We will take a quick boat ride out to snorkel and explore Gilligan’s Island for the rest of the afternoon. No, this isn’t the set for the ‘60s sit-com, but it is famous for crystal-clear shallow lagoons ideal for snorkeling and for exploring a protected mangrove forest.
Back at the hotel, you are free to eat dinner, rest, swim, and enjoy the hotel property.
Day 5: Tuesday, May 5
7:45 am – Today is all about the Guánica Dry Forest. We’ll meet with all our gear and day packs, ready to take a short drive back to town to meet up with our guide. From there, we’ll drive to the trailhead to begin our two-hour hike through the Bosque Seco de Guánica. This 10,000-acre forest tract was designated as a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve in 1981 and is both the best preserved subtropical dry forest and the best example of dry forest in the Caribbean.
Our hiking destination is to view the Guayacán Centenario, an old-growth guaiacwood tree, estimated to be 1,000 years old. In addition to this historic tree, other plants, animals, and birds thrive here. We will learn about the last remaining natural population of Puerto Rican crested toads, found here in vernal pools. More than half, 9 of 16, of the endemic bird species also occur here, including the Puerto Rican vireo and the Puerto Rican nightjar. Endangered plant species include the sebucan cactus, the violeta tree, and the critically endangered bariaco.
After our hike, lunch will be fast food on the road as we head out for our longest drive of the week to Centro Educativo Amigos de las Tortugas Marinas, about two hours away. This facility has been dedicated to protecting sea turtles since 2001. We will meet the leatherback turtles and, hopefully, new hatchlings in their care, learn tagging methods, and walk the beach to see nesting sites.
We’ll say goodbye to the turtles and head to our hotel for the night, it’s just down the street. You are welcome to relax this evening or hang out with the group. There are several restaurants within walking distance.
Day 6: Wednesday, May 6
7:45 am – Grab your gear and hop in the van: it’s time to shift our focus to tropical forests. We’ll drive for a bit over an hour to the Sabana Field Research Station in El Yunque National Forest. This research station, managed by the US Forest Service, is part of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry. We will learn about the different research projects being conducted in the area, including the Luquillo Experimental Forest. At 28,516 acres, it is the largest tropical forest within the experimental forest and the only experimental forest with the same boundary as a national forest (El Yunque National Forest).
The Sabana team will share presentations and take us to visit one of their experimental sites as well as give us a tour of the station setup, complete with a demonstration of their field equipment.
After our tour, we will head to the seaside village of Luquillo for two nights’ accommodation next to the beach. Your afternoon is free. But you may want to take a nap for tonight’s adventure.
After dinner, we’ll head out to boat the bioluminescent waters of Laguna Grande on an all-electric boat out of Fajardo. We’ll learn what makes the water glow in a one-hour excursion. Please note that the intensity of the bioluminescence directly corresponds to the intensity of moonlight. For this evening, the moon phase will be waning gibbous, not a full-moon bright, but not a waning crescent moon. While the water may not glow as brightly as wished, we’ll enjoy an evening boat ride and learn about the phenomenon.
Day 7: Thursday, May 7
5:30 am – Early bird gets the worm, rather, it gets the bird! We’ll meet early for an all-day birding tour of two sites with staff from the nonprofit organization Para la Naturaleza. As a part of the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust, this group manages more than 40,000 acres of protected natural areas and historical spaces on the island. Our first stop is Medio Mundo y Daguao, the most extensive Natural Protected Area under their management and the second largest mangrove forest in all of Puerto Rico. The area’s varied ecosystems provide habitats for some 26 species of rare, endemic, vulnerable, and endangered species, including the West Indian Manatee, yellow-shouldered blackbird, Puerto Rican boa, and several species of sea turtles.
After our hike, we’ll eat lunch at a local restaurant, then make our way to our second stop, Estación Palo Colorado in El Yunque National Forest. Here we will bird along the trails and some sections of the road.
Endemic birds that we can potentially see are the Puerto Rican oriole, Puerto Rican woodpecker, Puerto Rican flycatcher, Adelaide’s warbler, Puerto Rican tody, Puerto Rican emerald hummingbird, green mango hummingbird, Puerto Rican tanager, Puerto Rican spindalis, Puerto Rican bullfinch, and yellow-shouldered blackbird. Other birds of interest are the scarlet ibis, American flamingo, Caribbean elania, green-throated carib hummingbird, Antillean or Hispaniolan mango hummingbird, and other migratory birds.
After ending our bird tour, we will head back to our hotel. You are free to enjoy the evening on your own or with the group.
Our birding tour guides: José Pedrogo has a Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communications and is working toward a Master’s degree in History. He started exploring the island by himself and then pursued a certification as a tour guide. After working in the industry, José decided he needed to offer something more than recreation to the public. He learned about environmental interpretation through his tourism professor and completed the training, leading to his position as an environmental interpreter. He enjoys learning and fulfilling his dream of teaching. Our second guide is José Torres. He graduated from Agricultural Sciences with an emphasis on Entomology. He has been associated with Para la Naturaleza for many years, starting as a volunteer with the Summer Immersion Workshop, and then as a mentor. He’s always been involved with nature and has extensive background, knowledge, and experience. José has been a pioneer in the work that has been done by the organization in El Yunque, such as the creation of tours.
Day 8: Friday, May 8
7:30 am – We will meet with luggage and gear ready for another hike in the tropical rain forest of El Yunque. Our trip leader will take us through the rainforest, on the lookout for potential birds, plants, flowers, orchids, amphibians, and fungi on this short hike, ending at the Rio Mameyes. If you choose, wear your swimsuit under your hiking clothes, and bring water shoes and a towel for a cooling dip in the river. After our swim, we’ll walk back up to the El Portal Visitor Center to purchase lunch.
We’ll spend our early afternoon at the visitor center, learning about the endangered Puerto Rican Amazon parrot with the project leader of the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program, Marisel Lopez. Marisel will explain the program and introduce us to three rehabilitated parrots living there that are unable to live in the wild. Unfortunately, we are unable to tour the aviary this time of year due to the parrot’s breeding season. The aviary is a part of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Our El Yunque hike leader: Mónica Rosario, or Momo, was born, raised, and still lives on the island of Puerto Rico. Originally from San Juan, she now resides in Guaynabo. Momo has a double Bachelor’s in Visual Arts and Education and is currently a full-time art teacher at a private school. Her love of nature is a hobby that gives her an overall sense of peace. She enjoys exploring a place to find the little hidden gems, like fungi, flowers, small critters, and birds; those are all things she loves to see on walks. She draws and paints botanical illustrations, which is why she concentrates on observing flora. She collects specimens when the opportunity arises, too.
Our Amazon parrot leader: Marisel Lopez manages the El Yunque National Forest aviary and oversees critical efforts to rebuild the wild population, including managing captive breeding, monitoring releases, and ensuring the survival of this endangered species
From here, we will head back to San Juan for the final night of our journey together. The afternoon is free. Later, we will meet up for a farewell dinner in the evening.
Day 9: Saturday, May 9
One last breakfast together, then we can arrange ride sharing to the airport. No activities are planned for this day, but you just never know what may be calling us to check out, depending on our flight schedules. Perhaps we can organize a morning tour of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, if there is enough interest, at the participants’ expense.
OUR NHSM LEADERS:
Jayne Ash, NHSM’s Field Trip Coordinator, designed this trip to reflect the diversity in landscapes, flora, and fauna that is often overlooked when traveling to Puerto Rico. Her love of all things nature inspired her to fill an itinerary with learning opportunities from experienced leaders on a diversity of topics. Her travel style has been honed over the last 15 years, during which she has extensively traveled to more than 40 countries, often for a month or more at a time. This will be our first trip off the continent for NHSM. She welcomes all those with a spirit of adventure to join her on this new avenue for NHSM.
Our second NHSM leader is Dave Webb, an editor with Maryland Biodiversity Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cataloging the flora and fauna of Maryland. An avid birder for many years, Dave has broadened his interests to anthropods, especially those found in soil. Dave also edits BugGuide.net, vetting the identifications of arthropods photographed by other outdoor enthusiasts, including his own photos.
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- All accommodations in two- to three-star hotels. Double rooms will be shared by two people, with two beds available. For two nights in Luquillo, a couple of us will share a common room with single and bunk-style beds, which may include mixed genders. No upper bunks will need to be used unless a top bed is preferred. Single supplements are not available. Hotel costs are very high, and this is an attempt to keep your price point lower.
- All activity fees, including guiding fees. Tips will be paid through our tip kitty. See details in the “What you Need to Know” section below.
- All entrance and admission fees to sites visited.
- All transportation during the trip is in an 11-passenger van driven by a private driver.
- Meals included: four breakfasts only. All other meals are at the participant’s expense.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:
- Airfare
- Airport transfer to and from the hotel
- Food, snacks, water, and drinks
- Any items of a personal nature
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- NHSM requires everyone to have valid travel insurance covering personal injury, medical expenses, and emergency repatriation (minimum $200,000) for the entire duration of the trip. Proof of insurance, including the policy number and 24-hour emergency contact, must be printed and given to the group leader at the Welcome Meeting or you cannot join.
- Every participant will be required to sign a Terms and Conditions Agreement before arrival. It will be provided in advance for you to read.
- A tipping kitty will be created at our Welcome Meeting on Day 1. Every participant will need to add $100 in cash to be used for tipping hotel and restaurant staff and trip leaders, including our driver. A running tally will be kept of expenses, and any leftover funds will be divided equally between participants on the final day of the tour.
IS THIS TRIP RIGHT FOR YOU? Moderate Activity Level
- This itinerary contains many early-morning starts and full-day activities that include moderate hiking, up to three hours a day of van transportation, and snorkeling in tidal waters. Please note that participants may choose not to participate in an activity; however, no refund or alternative activity will be available. Passing on an activity may result in you waiting in the van for the group’s return. The pace for all activities, especially hiking, will be set by the slowest member of the group. You must always remain with the group while in the field. No one will be allowed in front of the leader.
- As with any travel experience, participants must be open to changes to this itinerary, food options and costs, less-than-ideal toileting situations, and any other modifications that may become necessary due to weather, time constraints, or unforeseen circumstances. Being flexible and adaptable to new and changing situations remains a key component to successful travel, even with the best planned vacation.
CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY
- NHSM must receive cancellations in writing – email to JAsh@marylandnature.org.
- Deposits are nonrefundable.
- Cancellations received by March 31, 2026, will forfeit 50% of the final payment and 100% of the deposit.
- No refunds for cancellations received after April 1, 2026.
- Your travel insurance plans should cover your cancellation costs.
- Paid participants who cancel may substitute another individual in their spot. NHSM is not responsible for filling the vacancy.
- No refunds will be issued for missed group activities on the trip, including meals, transportation transfers, tours, and other services voluntarily not taken.
- If, for any reason, NHSM cancels this trip, NHSM will use reasonable efforts to work with travelers to refund all recoverable funds, but does not guarantee that a full refund will be available. NHSM reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or reschedule the trip for any reason and at any point in time, up to and including during the period of travel.
Registration
Levels:-
Member - Payment in Full: $3600
Guest names must be listed on your family membership to qualify for this discount. Extra adults with individual memberships should register independently. -
Member- Deposit only. Balance due by March 20: $1000
Guest names must be listed on your family membership to qualify for this discount. Extra adults with individual memberships should register independently. - Member - Balance Due, to be paid in full by March 20: $2600
- Non Member - Payment in full: $3800
- Non Member- Deposit only, Balance due by March 20: $1200
- Non Member- Balance Due, to be paid by March 20: $2600