Cueva Del Indio - Arecibo, Puerto Rico

If you’re looking for some history with your beach adventure, you’ll definitely want to check out Cueva del Indio, just outside of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Right along the coast, you’ll find a string of magnificent sea caves that fade into beautiful beaches on both sides. This outcrop of sea cave holds one of the most amazing historic finds on the island, Cueva del Indio.

This specific cave has dozens of pre-columbian petroglyphs carved into the walls, still visible from hundreds of years ago. These markings were left by the Taino people who peacefully lived on the island prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. These petroglyphs are pristinely preserved and visible in many parts of the cave.

Prior to the hurricane, there was a ladder extending down into the cave, so that you could descend and see all of the beautiful markings on the walls. Now, you may need help from a guide to squeeze through a small crevasse into the cave. Wear comfortable shoes that have good grip.

Inside the cave, there is a large hole in the ground where the sea rises up and down with the crashing waves. You can explore little tunnels throughout the cave and find something new each time. There is also a large hole in the roof of the cave, letting in streams of sunlight during the day. This is actually where a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. When Jack Sparrow is in a cave, holding the gold coin up to the moonlight, that was filmed in this cave.

There are lots of adjoining sea arches that stretch on both sides of the cave and fade into beautiful beaches. You can walk along the arches and explore. We even found an iguana friend while exploring…

This is an excellent experience. Do be careful for bees. There is a massive bee colony in the ceiling of the cave that is hundreds of years old, I was told. As long as you don’t approach the hive, they leave people alone.

There is a parking lot where you can leave your car right at the cave. It costs $5 to enter. Again, wear comfortable shoes, as this is rough terrain in and around the caves. Enjoy!

Arrecife 681, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Looking for a fun restaurant with a twist outside of San Juan? If you find yourself near Arecibo, Puerto Rico, you’ll want to try Arrecife 681.

Arrecife 681 is a Caribbean restaurant with a twist! Their combination of traditional and unique makes this place an excellent fusion! The restaurant seating is mostly outdoors, along a beautiful stretch of beach with fantastic sunset views.

This restaurant boasts some amazing drink specials for a great night out, such as their dragonfruit or passion fruit mojitos. But I was most impressed with their food! First, I tried their fried cheese. This was a paneer-like cheese fried perfectly on the outside. It came with a sweet sauce that was the perfect complement to the cheese. Sweet and savory!

Next, I tried the creamy fish tacos. This was a fish taco topped with spicy crab with a sweet and sour sauce and some chives. It was delicious! The spicy crab reminded me of a spicy California roll, giving this a unique twist on a traditional taco.

Finally, in sticking with the spicy crab theme, I got some loaded french fries, covered in spicy crab, sweet and sour sauce, and green onion. This was the real winner of the evening. It was like eating sushi and fries at the same time, which for me, was excellent.

If you’re looking for somewhere delicious with some good drinks, I definitely recommend Arrecife 681! They’re just a short trip outside of San Juan and definitely worth a visit. Check out their Instagram page for photos of their amazing drink specials and menu. Enjoy!

Cave River Tubing - Tanamá River Adventures

Are you looking for a more unique outdoor experience in Puerto Rico? How about not just hiking but also a river adventure? We booked with Tanamá River Adventures for a morning of hiking and riding innertubes down a river through a cave, in Utuado, Puerto Rico.

We started by meeting at their main headquarters, where we gathered our equipment for the day. We were suited up with helmets, life jackets, and headlamps for the dark cave. I suggest wearing water shoes and a swimsuit under hiking clothes for this event. From there, our guide took us in a van through some winding roads, deep into the mountains. Finally, we arrived at a small parking area with a few rural homes. Here we began our hike.

It was a very mild and easy hike. Our guide told us about the local plants, which ones to avoid and which ones were safe. He even picked us each an orange from a wild orange tree growing along the trail. Our hike took us to the edge of the river. Here is where we grabbed our innertubes. At this launching point, we could see the mouth of the cave a little ways down the river. On both sides of there river, there was jungle and cliff faces.

We hopped in the tubes and linked our feet onto the tube behind us, forming a chain. Our guide went first, and began to lead us down the river through the cave. We turned on our headlamps as we got deeper into the cave. We could see beautiful cave formations, as well as a few critters on the rock walls around us. It was an exciting and simple pass through the cave. The guide takes care of leading your chain of tubes directly through. Once on the other side, you have some free time.

We began to explore some of the pools of water, calm enough for swimming. We took some photos and enjoyed the jungle around us. Our guide even pointed out a freshwater spring that had water so fresh you could drink from it (and one of our friends did)! Finally, we started our trek back. We hopped into our tubes again and paddled back through the cave. The water is very calm with only a mild current, easy to paddle through. Once we got to the other side, we had the option for some cliff jumping!

Only one of our group was brave enough to make the jump off of the cliffs on the sides of the river. There was a large rock face, about 15 feet high or so. The guide led him up to the top where he jumped off into the river below. You have to be careful to jump past the rocky part of the river, and into the deeper section, but overall, our friend really enjoyed it!

At the end of our trip, we made the hike back to the parking area, and returned to the headquarters. The shop has showers where you can get clean and change into dry clothes. We had an amazing journey and definitely recommend this to anyone seeking some adventure on their trip! We finished that day off with a hearty meal, which you can read about in my last post.

Check out Tanamá River Adventures to book your trip. It really is the experience of a lifetime!