Walk, Kayak & Snorkel Puerto Rico’s Reefs, Rainforests & Reserves

First, in lively San Juan, the long history of Puerto Rico will surprise and fascinate you…as will its fascinating architecture, sculptures and parks. Moreover, this program takes you south, central and east for far-ranging, immersive experiences on land and sea. Most memorable is the warmth and family spirit of the people, especially as they strive to recover from devastating hurricanes and earthquakes, while genuinely welcoming all who seek to learn.

The sights, sounds and people of Puerto Rico came alive to me. The beautiful complexity of Puerto Rico made a deep impression. The staff was warm and welcoming. My fellow travelers were congenial and fun to be with.

Great tour. Totally enjoyed PR and the ectivities. Our tour guide was fantastic. I will be going on other tours with Andrea (tour guide). Many thanks.

I greatly enjoyed the many outdoor activities of this trip. The walking tour of Old San Juan, snorkeling on the southern coast and Culebra island, walking and the El Bunche National forest and best of all swimming at night in a magical bioluminescent bay on the south coast. Andrea, our guide, did a wonderful job of explaining island culture and history from her experience growing up in Puerto Rico.

I really enjoyed the trip. Andrea , our leader gave us a real sense of the food and culture of Puerto Rico. We had enough time snorkeling. I may go back with my grandson because it was so nice.

This was our first trip with Roads Scholar and it won't be our last.

This was such an excellent program, and our wonderful local guide, Andrea, ensured we enjoyed every day without a hitch. From kayaking and snorkeling in gorgeous bays, to learning about the history and diverse culture of the island and sampling the local cuisine, to instantly bonding with fellow travelers -- I thoroughly enjoyed this trip (my first with Road Scholar) and am inspired to book more!

Highly recommend the Puerto Rico trip to anyone looking for a fun, adventurous week in the Caribbean. Swimming at night in the bio-luminescent bay was worth the trip. Andrea was an outstanding group leader.

While I enjoyed this trip, it did not measure up to my expectations. It differs markedly from previous RS trips as there are no lectures. What education there was was provided during the tours. I would have welcomed expert talks on Puerto Rico’s recovery and the health of the reefs. In addition, it is not a particularly active trip. You need to keep in mind that the snorkeling and kayaking can be tremendously affected by rain, wind/storms at sea. The kayaking is done in rudderless sit-upon kayaks. Because of the weather, we had to basically circle the shore with just a little time in the mangroves. The boat trip to Culebra (which had to be switched to different island due to rough waves) was a on a large group party boat which included many other people besides RS. We were crammed into tables of six. If you do choose this Puerto Rico trip, be sure to bring along any equipment you have that would increase your comfort — snorkel and mask, reef shirt, skins, dry bag, etc as no suggested equipment list is provided. That said, Puerto Rico is truly a beautiful island with fantastic coffee (which was not served in either hotel). The bioluminescent swim was a peak experience for me (no weather issues that night!) and I really enjoyed the mofungo cooking class as well as the rum distillery tour which were not listed on our original itinerary. I don't see a way to provide the stars -- I would give it between ** and *** stars.

The trip was great and our host Andrea and bus driver Nelma were excellent. They really made the trip more enjoyable by their enthusiasm and passion for their country.

Puerto Rico is a amazing part of the United States from a historical and environmental aspect and this program exposes you to the best of Puerto Rico. The leader - Andreas Torres - loves Puerto Rico and wants you to also. She is the rare combination of warm and approachable while being a super professional tour leader.

This was our first Road Scholar Trip, and we had a fantastic time. It was well-organized with a variety of adventures for people of varied capabilities. What made the trip most exceptional was our tour guide, Alberto. He truly loves his home island of Puerto Rico, and his enthusiasm for this lovely island is infectious. In addition, when things beyond anyone's control didn't go as planned, he kept his good humor, kept us apprised of all situations, and did whatever he could to minimize disruption. Our trip was during an abnormally rainy week, which resulted in unexpected challenges. Alberto's calm demeanor and good humor helped the group keep things in perspective while making the best of each situation. Several of us discussed the fact that we were spoiled by Alberto, so much so that we'd prefer to do another trip with him as our guide rather than risk having a different guide! Thank you, Road Scholar, and ABRAZOS, Alberto!

The trip was well organized. There was far less hiking than expected, and far more time on the bus than expected. The guide was wonderful.

I was also disappointed in this trip. I felt the rain forest short hike was uneventful . Most of the hiking took place in Old San Juan. Much too much time was spent there. I had hoped to do more kayaking. The "resort" that we stayed the majority of the time was OK. It was clean and comfortable but it was not a place with an inviting beach or water. I also feel that Puerto Rico is not a good destination for the advertised multi-sport program. Our two guides were terrific but it was one of the least favorite trips that I have taken I would give the trip 2 stars but I don't see the place on the web site to state this.

My husband and I have been on over 30 RS programs. This one is billed as a multi-sport adventure, with activities listed as hiking, snorkeling, and kayaking. Hiking does not mean walking around in a city. On this program, we spent 30 minutes walking in the rainforest. For kayaking, we did not expect that we would be given high quality equipment, and we were right. Our kayak was so uncomfortable that my husband could not sit in it for more than a few minutes, and the outfitters made no attempt to adjust the seatbacks for anyone. It was difficult for people to sit up straight. Here's a rundown of the time spent on advertised activities for the entire week: Snorkeling: 90 minutes, hiking: 30 minutes, kayaking: 60 minutes. We spent 8 days, and over $3,000 each to participate in these three activities, and we did not think the time or money was well spent. We personally think that Puerto Rico is not a good destination for this multi-sport adventure. We did a Road Scholar Costa Rica trip in March of 2020 that was a lot better. The guide Alberto Melendez did a great job, which is not easy when "herding cats".

My wife and I were interested in the activities of the Puerto Rico tour. We found that the Road Scholar program far exceeded our expectations. We met like-minded people from all over the country, had wonderful, dedicated guides that took us on challenging and fun educational experiences that widened our world views. We are looking forward to attending future trips.

I am just back from the Road Scholar trip to Puerto Rico. It was wonderful and significantly better than I hoped! We got to see the diversity and beauty of the country, actively enjoying the water and the land in many ways. The trip was carefully planned and smoothly implemented, and our guide was the absolute best! I come back blessed with a working sense of what makes people love this island so much!

This was a great introduction to Puerto Rico with outside activities to enjoy. We learned and enjoyed so much about the people and the history as well. Highly recommend!

You will get an extensive experience of the beauty and culture of PR on this trip and enjoy diverse opportunities to enjoy it's natural beauty.

Alberto and Andrea were great trip leaders. This was a wonderful Road Scholar trip. The itinerary was very well planned. The food was amazing. The kayaking, snorkeling and hiking were great. Excellent trip!

This program is a great way to see a lot of Puerto Rico and experience the culture and history as well as participate in water activities of kayak and snorkeling. A fun-filled energetic trip!

This program provided a great way to experience Puerto Rico through activities that were not overly strenuous while learning much more about the country. The balance between guided and free time was appreciated.

Thoroughly enjoyed all the sites. Our guide was very entertaining too. Only issue I had was the selection of food was not very good nor healthy.

Puerto Rico was my first trip with Road Scholar but it will not be my last. I had such a wonderful experience.

Great experience. Alberto outstanding guide in every way. Andrea the guide at El Yunque also outstanding and inspiring.

This program was a delightful mix of education, activity, new experiences and a little time for shopping!

The Puerto Rico tour offered by Road Scholar is a great balance of activity and quiet. There is a lot of motion from one place to another, always informed by a great guide who brings us from one place to another, and lets us know what is about to appear and what just appeared. There are a couple of afternoons where we could explore, or just sit in comfort and read whatever. Every overnight stop provided some time for reflection, exploration, or pretending to be vegetation under the stars or clouds. I would do this again. Rather, I would do another Road Scholar trip in a New York minute.

This was a great program that did an excellent job of exposing participants to many different places and experiences across the beautiful island of Puerto Rico! I loved the entire trip and met some wonderful people who enjoyed the program with me. Our guide was great and obviously held a deep pride for his island and the wonderful friendly people of Puerto Rico. Thanks for a great trip!

This small group to the south of Puerto Rico as well as north and northwest was a real treat for active outdoors lovers interested in a genuine PR experience. Alberto the guide was superb in every way, especially in responding to the pandemic challenges when schedule adjustments were needed. He also knows all the best places for meals and local guides who were entertaining. Could not have asked for a better experience.

Good: Thank PR to share he beautiful island with us Alberto is an excellent guide Pre-order dinners and lunches in a great time-saving method. Plate dinners at different local restaurants are great. Excellent food. Tour guides for the cave and old San Juan are very knowledgable. Copamarina is a great resort Room for improvement: 1. Check-in process at Copamarina (a great resort) can be improved. The check-in forms can be distributed in advance to be filled out so people do not need to stay in line to wait for other people to fill out the forms. It takes 8-10 minutes for each person to complete the check in process. With 5 couples in front of me, I waited in line for 40 minutes, the time I can use to enjoy the resort. 2. Hampton inn is marginal, but adequate.

Exceptional adventure full of new experiences that you cannot have anywhere else. Many opportunities to go at your own pace and learn new and interesting facts. The activities, accommodations, food and travel companions add up to many memories that will keep you smiling. Make sure to pack water shoes that are also good for light hiking.

I learned so much about Puerto Rico while having a great time!

Our leader and guide each had a depth of knowlege and love for their beautiful island home that they willingly shared with us. Much to be learned about this US territory, its history and our fellow citizens- the beautiful and welcoming people of Puerto Rico. In spite of hurricanes and earthquakes, Puerto Rico is open for business.

Fabulous trip! Everything from activities to group leader to other participants combined to make a wonderful, fun learning experience in an area where I was more comfortable traveling with a group. Highly recommended!

Our Road Scholar trip to Puerto Rico was our first for both and we will likely look into other Road Scholar trips. The trip was well-organized and gave us an authentic taste of Puerto Rico. It was led by Alberto, a Puerto Rican who was positive, experienced, calm and warm. He introduced us to many off-the-beaten path restaurants and artisans. Since earthquakes struck just a week before our trip, Road Scholar's dexterity in rescheduling our itinerary to avoid the impacted part of the island was particularly impressive. It made for a relaxed vacation too, to have someone else figure out all the transportation, activities, restaurants, tour guides, etc. Good value!

Great program overall. Leader Alberto is outstanding. Guide Moira is incredibly knowledgeable and animated.

My favorite trips include lots of activities (hiking, kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, beaches, sailing) and water. This one was just what I wanted, combining it all. I also wanted to spend some of my travel dollars in Puerto Rico to help it recover from the hurricanes. The hiking was in a jungle, climbing up into a cave, out to the farthest Western point of the island to the lighthouse, through a botanical garden. The kayaking was on an amazing body of water that was smooth and very navigable. Ocean kayaking is not my favorite thing to do (rivers are more my speed), but this was easy. We snorkeled in pristine waters, lots of fish. There were no crowds anywhere. The best part was the night swim in the bioluminescent bay. Ours was the only boat. It was dark. The stars were out, the water was warm and then the plankton made you sparkle when you moved. It was like being a sequined creature. And not that Road Scholar can take any credit for this ... but the water was warm and really wonderful and the beaches so clean. Our guide Roberto was a wonderful gentleman, knowledgeable and always helpful. I appreciated his emphasizing patronizing small establishments, almost farm to table, with the owners present. I travel to learn and he immersed us in the culture. The lodging at Copamarina Resort was luxurious and comfortable, hot tub, pools, beach, fire pit, bar on the beach ... Suggestions: I would love to have done some more cultural activities and spend more time in San Juan. Although I read several books about PR ahead of time I'd have liked to learn more about the history, arts and culture. On our own we visited Santurce. Not sure how that could be incorporated into the trip, but it was fascinating and fun. Although the Hampton Inn was really wonderful I'd have loved to stay in the city farther, near walkable restaurants and shopping. Time off in the Hampton district meant not much to explore. I'm not looking for "down time", just more adventures. Thank you.

This was our first Road Scholar tour and our first trip to Puerto Rico. This trip was the perfect opportunity to have fun, exercise, visit beautiful locals and learn about the island, its culture, food, music, people, geography, flora and fauna.

This program was amazing! Guides were above and beyond all expectations. If you are considering this trip, just book it now. It is an extremely enjoyable immersion into the culture, nature, and history of Puerto Rico.

If you enjoy being outdoors and participating in a variety of activities, this program is a good bet. Puerto Rico is a gem and I'm glad we selected this program.

The overall guide, Alberto, was fantastic! He was humorous, approachable, introduced us to wonderful foods, enriched the program by adding the Arecibo Observatory as an activity, slightly altered the weekly schedule to do kayaking in Parguera, and made everyone feel welcomed. The other guests were interesting to talk with and very accomplished in their fields. My favorite activity was swimming in the bioluminescence water at night. It was magical to see the microorganism glow on my hands. I loved the physical activities-snorkeling, kayaking, walking and swimming. This was my first Road Scholar trip, but not my last!

We had a good time in Puerto Rico, a beautiful island to be outdoors in for the “outdoor classroom”. Alberto has a wonderful guide, sharing the perspective of a native. The changes made to the program due to the hurricanes of 2017 were minimal and we were all glad we could now help the tourism industry of Puerto Rico recover.

Many of us on the trip came to help Puerto Rican tourism while enjoying the 3 major physical activities. As a result we were understanding that we could not hike as much in the rain forest or see the original caves that were planned..but disappointed. We had a good time thanks to fellow travelers, Alberto, Moira, our excellent bus driver, etc