If you think Puerto Rico is all beaches and rum drinking, think again. Puerto Rico can be a great spot for a day trip filled with adventure. The Rio Camuy Cave Park can provide you with guided tours into a 45-million-year-old cave, not to mention the third largest underground river cavern in the world. You don't have to be a geology buff to appreciate the stalactites, stalagmites, sinkholes and craters.
As an added bonus, the Arecibo Observatory, located nearby, contains the world's largest radio telescope.
Rio Camuy Cave Park and Arecibo Observatory
San Juan
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If you're looking to see Puerto Rico from a different perspective, try the Puerto Rico Sky Adventure. This 2-hour trip will leave time for you to explore the areas around the Humacao airport. Bring a picnic lunch, or enjoy local food nearby. The Sky Adventure will take you 1,000 feet above Puerto Rico in a small aircraft. You'll see all of Puerto Rico's beaches, forests and lakes, not to mention the beautiful tropical ocean waters. Bring your camera for some potentially spectacular shots of the island.
Puerto Rico Sky Adventure
Humacao Airport
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Rincon, located on Puerto Rico's beautiful western coast, contains not only a historical lighthouse open for touring but also the best surfing Puerto Rico has to offer. Surf enthusiasts will want to schedule their day trip for the winter season due to the massive waves that hit the Rincon shore.
Or, if you'd rather watch the surfers, take a tour of the Rincon lighthouse, built in 1892, and enjoy the panoramic views from the top. The lighthouse sits atop a bluff and offers spectacular photo-ops and sea-watching.
Rincon and Rincon Lighthouse
Route 4413
Punta Higuero, Puerto Rico
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Ponce, known as the Pearl of the South, offers more than enough to see and do for a day-trip in Puerto Rico. The oldest city in Puerto Rico besides San Juan, Ponce holds a variety of mansions, castles and stately buildings perfect for the cultural enthusiast. With many restored to their original beauty, the Ponce mansions are a study in neo-classical architecture. While in Ponce, you can also visit the Tibes Indian Ceremonial Park, ancient grounds from the land's natives. You'll also want a photo-op in front of Ponce's world-famous red and black painted firehouse.
Ponce
Puerto Rico
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For the adventure-minded, a day trip to El Yunque National Forest is a mini dream vacation. Since El Yunque is the only U.S. National Park to be designated a tropical rain forest, you'll not only explore the scenery but also learn about the forest life by spending some time in the visitor's center. Past the visitor's center, you can drive an additional 7 miles (11 km) to reach the La Coca Falls, Yokahu Observation Tower and park recreation area. From here, trail maps are available to guide you through a forest hike, or you can arrange for a ranger-guided tour of the forest. For added fun, try the Yunke Zip-line Adventure: for $99 each (as of 2010), you'll experience the forest with an adrenaline rush.
El Yunque National Forest and Zip-line
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