In Puerto Rico there are different destination routes. There are roads full of restaurants to sample, others that have multiple beaches but there’s one route that’s full of outdoor adventure opportunities. Route 10 starts in Arecibo and crosses the island from north to south.
Why do we call it the outdoor adventure road? Well to put it simply, geography. Route 10 cuts through the karst region. For millions of years this area was the bottom of the ocean and all sorts of marine deposits landed on the seabed making it a kilometers thick layer that rose out of the water. Once out of water the rainwater dissolved the softer calcium carbonate and left behind hills, valleys, sinkholes and even more impressive caves and underground rivers.
Take an outdoor adventure tour
Today, the caves and the rivers have become one of Puerto Rico’s natural outdoor adventure parks. Río Tanamá is just off Route 10 and there are various companies that offer tours through the river. The river offers outdoor adventure opportunities for cave tubing where you float down the river and through underground caves. There’s rock slides, rappelling, hiking and other adventures offered through the different operators.
The river’s name “Tanamá” is thought to come from the Taíno Indian word for butterfly. A visit to this area is an intense nature experience with hundreds of trees, plants and birds surrounding you on all sides. There are even Taíno petroglyphs carved in the rocks.
Go underground
Another feature of the karst region is the caves that abound. Some of the largest (El Morro Castle can fit inside) are the Camuy Caverns. Tours are available but reserving them is a bit cumbersome. A cave with easier access and an even more spectacular view is Cueva Ventana or “window cave”. This cave features an opening with a spectacular view of the valley below. There’s a bit of hiking involved but it’s not too strenuous. Reserve your tickets online at cuevaventana.com.
If you’re into outdoor adventure and nature the more you explore this area the more fascinated you’ll be. We’ve just scratched the surface but stay tuned we’ll soon be sharing even more places to go.
