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Getting away from San
Juan - central and western coasts...
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![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Arecibo%20observatory%20dish%20400.jpg)
Central Puerto Rico - Arecibo Observatory dish |
This page is a combination of photos from two brief
trips I took to Puerto Rico in July and September of
2014. Having been to Puerto Rico many times before, I
concentrated on exploring the island's central and
western coasts, neither of which I had visited before.
The experience was rich and despite traveling in the
middle of the Caribbean's hurricane season, the weather
was nearly perfect throughout both of my stays. Puerto
Rico's recent elevation as a US capital gains tax haven
has brought dramatic growth, a building boom and lots of
traffic. |
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July, 2014 - Central Puerto Rico
Just a couple hours west of San Juan it seems like a different
place altogether. I took in three sights in central Puerto
Rico on this day trip; the Arecibo coast, the Arecibo
observatory and the Camuy caves. Heading west from the
Marriott on Condado Beach, the 22 toll road zipped me
right into the city of Arecibo. From there I wound my way to
the coast where a large waterpark fronts the
Arecibo lighthouse (first and second pictures below). The
lighthouse was worth the trek and a quick visit.
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![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Cabo%20Roja%20lighthouse%20and%20limestone%20cliffs%20500.jpg)
Southwest coast - Cabo Rojo lighthouse & limestone cliffs |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Arecibo%20lighthouse%20coastline_small.jpg)
Central coast Arecibo lighthouse |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Arecibo%20lighthouse%20wm_small.jpg)
Central coast Arecibo park |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Arecibo%20observatory%20wm_small.jpg)
Arecibo Observatory dish |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Camuy%20rainforest_small.jpg)
Camuy rainforest |
Heading inland (south) from Arecibo city, I traveled on
smaller mountain roads to the
Arecibo
observatory (large picture top of page left and third
picture above), which was an interesting place. The
observatory was built in the early sixties and remains, at
1000 ft. diameter, the largest single dish radio telescope in
the world. It was funded under the auspices of the department
of defense, but it's real purpose has always been to study
extraterrestrial life, energy and atmospheres. The newish
visitor center has a lot of displays oriented toward
science-minded kids and a theatre that plays an informational
movie. Numerous Hollywood movies and television shows have
used the dish for location shoots.
Heading back down the mountain and west, still in the island's
interior, I arrived at the Camuy rainforest (fourth picture
above). Nearby is the
Camuy River Cave Park, covering 268 acres with a network
of limestone caves and waterways carved out by the third
largest underground river in the world. The tour was
impressive and very worthwhile. I also got to test my
photographic skills, as caves are an inherently difficult
environment. The four shots below were taken handheld with no
flash using my Nikon D800E with my 16-35mm f4 lens.
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![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Camuy%20caves%20sinkhole_small.jpg)
Camuy caves sinkhole |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Camuy%20caves%20lightbox_small.jpg)
Camuy caves lightbox |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Camuy%20caves%20opening_small.jpg)
Camuy caves opening |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Camuy%20caves%20group_small.jpg)
Camuy caves tour group |
September, 2014 - Puerto Rico's west coast
Returning to Puerto Rico in mid-September I took on the west
coast of the island. From San Juan I headed west past Arecibo
where the fast toll road (route 22) ends and continued on the
much slower route 2 to Aguadilla on the northwest corner of
the island. Winding down an access road I came to the often
photographed Crash Boat beach (first picture below). The name
comes from past boat rescues of airplane crews from the nearby
US air force base. Continuing south along the west coast of
the island I went the town of Rincon, which is rapidly
becoming a mainland tax haven community, to Domes Beach
(second picture below), named for the decommissioned nuclear
reactor dome at its northern end.
Domes Beach is just below a nice new park built around the
Rincon lighthouse (third picture below).
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![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Shipwreck%20beach%20boats_small.jpg)
Playa Crash Boat |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Domes%20beach_small.jpg)
Domes Beach from Rincon park |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Rincon%20El%20Faro%20park%20lighthouse_small.jpg)
Rincon park
lighthouse |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Boqueron%20Crescent%20Beach_small.jpg)
Boqueron crescent beach |
Continuing
south along the west coast through the historic town of
Mayaguez, a storm passed through dumping a lot of rain in a
short time. Some roads partially flooded making the drive
slow. I arrived in Boqueron nearing the southwest corner of
the island mid-afternoon. Boqueron has a huge park and large
crescent shaped beach that is very popular on weekends. After
the storm, the flat terrain of the park was filled with small
pools of water. I walked over to the deserted beach (fourth
picture above) as an army of mosquitoes descended. I snapped a
few shots and beat a hasty retreat to my car. |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Cabo%20Rojo%20salt%20flats_small.jpg)
Cabo Rojo salt flats |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20El%20Combate%20beach_small.jpg)
El Combate beach |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20Los%20Morrillos%20lighthouse_small.jpg)
Cabo Rojo lighthouse cliff |
![](images/Travel/Puerto%20Rico%20coasts%207_14%20and%209_14/PR%20room%202014%20with%20a%20rainbow%20view_small.jpg)
Room 2014 with a rainbow view |
Continuing a short distance farther south
toward the southwest corner of the island, I stopped and
climbed the lookout tower above the
Cabo Rojo salt flats (first picture above). From there I
drove to the 1800 acre El Combate wildlife refuge and took the
short hike to the beach (second picture above). It was late
afternoon by then, so I headed south to the Cabo Rojo
lighthouse to make sure I arrived before it closed.
Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, known locally as El Faro is a
much photographed spot with a colorful lighthouse built above
limestone cliffs (third picture above). It's about a mile hike
up a dirt road from the parking lot to get to the lighthouse
itself. I had read that the best views were all from the water
or the air, but I found by walking toward the cliff edge and
away from the lighthouse that I could get a pretty good shot
from the lighthouse grounds (large picture top of page right).
Although the lighthouse was remote and hard to get to, in the
end it was very worthwhile.
I returned to my hotel in the early
evening by completing a full circle around the island, driving
east along the southern coast of the island, then picking up
the fast toll road (route 52) at Ponce into San Juan. On my
last morning in Puerto Rico I relaxed on my balcony and caught
a rainbow shot (fourth picture above) as a parting wave. |
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