Biking Puerto Rico

I took a trip in December with Sushita to Puerto Rico. It was the first visit to the island for both of us. We spent about half the trip exploring San Juan and the other half was a short credit card bike tour on rented hybrids. We rode through Loiza and Luquillo and spent a few days exploring the northeast corner of the island around Fajardo. The climate was terrific, the people were welcoming and the food was excellent as well. I wasn't sure how bike friendly it would be but found it a rewarding place to cycle. There were plenty of scenic roads to explore with views of mountains and the sea. I'd like to come back and see more of the interior and maybe the eastern coast of the island as well. This post contains some of the photos from our trip that hopefully give an idea of what it's like to travel and bike in Puerto Rico.

We spent the first 4 days in San Juan, exploring the forts and getting acquainted with the city. Old San Juan, the historic center, was beautiful and very well preserved. It is one of the oldest colonial downtowns in all the Americas and is a treat to explore. It does get very busy with tourists and the prices can get pretty steep especially for accomodations (we stayed just outside in Santurce).

After riding out of San Juan we rode through the Pinones bike path towards Loiza. It was scenic with loads of empty tiny beaches. The riding was completely car free for a long time and very enjoyable. We finished the ride on the outskirts of the el Yunque rainforest and arrived in Luquillo just around sunset. It was a laid back beach town with a local feel to it. We ate at a very swanky restaurant and stayed in a high rise b&b. We spent a little time at the beach even though neither one of us is particuarly a beach enthusiast.

The next day we rode the rest of the way east to Fajardo. This town is known for a bioluminescent bay, a small colonial downtown and a few ferrys and large resorts along the coast. A slightly lesser known place is a nature preserve called Las Cabezas de San Juan which has a mangrove walk, hikes, a lighthouse and beautiful beaches all around it. We took a day to explore it and it was one of the highlights of the trip. We did a kayak tour of the bioluminescent bay at night, which is how it's usually visited. The moon was almost full so we didn't experience the glow in its full glory but the moonlight made the kayaking part more interesting.

We attempted to do an organized tour of el Yunque but it was cancelled due to terrible weather. Instead we did a couple short rides into the rainforest on our own. We visited a natural water slide called Las Paylas on our way to Fajardo. We also explored a little stream in the hills leaving Fajardo. The experience of riding through the rainforest was magical with all the lush greenery and puffy clouds all around us.

These two towns were much less touristy than the days prior. We briefly rode through Naguabo and Sushita got a taste of being chased by overly enthusiastically barking street dogs for the first time. Luckily no one was bit and we carried on to Punta Santiago which was a quiet beach town on the eastern coast. It was nice to have the beaches and facilities largely to ourselves.