TravelWorld International Magazine Fall 2022
The magazine written and photographed by North American Travel Journalists Association members.
The magazine written and photographed by North American Travel Journalists Association members.
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FOUR Adventures in the Beautiful,<br />
Central Mountains of Puerto Rico<br />
Photos and Story by Jason Rupp and Carla Marie Rupp<br />
Beyond Puerto Rico’s nearly 300 Caribbean beaches and Old San Juan’s cafes and pretty pastel buildings, are endless<br />
possibilities for adventures if you take a road trip deeper inland and explore the beautiful central mountains.<br />
We took that road trip and enjoyed four fascinating experiences.<br />
We explored a large cave of stalagmites and stalactites … and<br />
bats, we zip-lined from cliff to cliff in a jungle, and we visited<br />
two agritourism farms, one a small family farm that supplies<br />
restaurants on the island and the other a cheese and yogurtmaking<br />
business where you may sample the products.<br />
The Hyatt Place Manatí, a modern hotel with a tropical<br />
flair, was our road trip base, which served us tropical<br />
welcome drinks before we had dinner at the Bocaito<br />
Restaurant. The pretty and bright cocktails festively<br />
started off the night and we had fun while eagerly<br />
taking pictures.<br />
The Cavernas de Camuy Park Experience<br />
After a lunch that included<br />
“mofongo” (a local dish made of<br />
mashed plantains) at Del Campo al<br />
Norte, we drove up the mountains to<br />
the cave. Once there, we were given<br />
safety helmets and headsets for the<br />
guided tour. We waited our turn to<br />
board the tram, which took us down<br />
a winding road through the green<br />
jungle. Our guide, Jose, explained<br />
what we were seeing and the history<br />
of the cave. It felt like a surreal dream<br />
world amidst the stalagmites and<br />
stalactites. Once we were deep inside<br />
the cave, we weren’t allowed to touch<br />
any part of it, due to conservation<br />
purposes. We had to be careful<br />
walking, as it was very dark and<br />
slippery. In one section there was brownish<br />
gunk on the handrails, which we were<br />
disgusted to find was actually bat poop!<br />
Thirteen species of bats have been sighted<br />
here, in addition to insects and frogs.<br />
Interestingly, the sounds of bats in a<br />
Batman movie were recorded in this cave.<br />
Camuy Caves are enchanting and<br />
are a picture-taker’s dream.<br />
Camuy Caves<br />
provide spectacular<br />
scenery. It’s cool<br />
and damp. But so<br />
worth the walk<br />
inside!<br />
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