Guanica Travel Guide, Puerto Rico

The resorts on this part of Puerto Rico are more popular with the locals but it is starting to get on to the foreigners who prefer more low key destinations, less touristy and those who have a local feel. This doesn’t mean you will lack many of the things offered by the more popular resorts maybe there’s less luxury but there’s definitely good taste, excellent accommodation as well as great local dishes that are based mainly on seafood.

The resorts abound in activities and one of the most appreciated is scuba diving. The water is so clear the you can see 30 m and in some places even deeper in the water. Scuba divers have already found out about the place and come to see the great variety of marine life and corals. The best place for diving stretches from La Parguera to Ponce. But 33 miles from Ponce to the west is the beautiful beach called Boquerón Beach. It is a quiet beach that provides all the necessary facilities: lockers, showers and places where you can rent equipment for water sports. It gets crowded only in the weekend when people from San Juan come here to relax. The water is excellent for swimming and locals regard Boquerón a perfect destination for both families and singles.

If you want to visit the area you should know about Boquerón Forest Preserve which is close by. Balneario de Boquerón which offers beautiful sights of palm trees is together with the town bearing the same name an important stop for holiday makers.

There’s another forest called Guánica State Forest that is great for bird watching but also for those who just want to lie on the beach or the more active snorkelers who can marvel at the beautiful coral reef and marine life. The beauty of the area and its richness in wildlife led to the place being declared by UNESCO a protective area. Here you can see the greatest number of birds in Puerto Rico and hiking in this area is absolutely magnificent. You can hike here most of the year and don’t have to worry about the rain as in this Dry Forest as it is also known falls very little rain a year. You can also visit Guánica a little town bearing the same name as the forest, situated just 21 miles from Ponce. Besides the great natural preserve the possibility to find a beach all for yourself is great and this is seen by many as a great attraction.

For a view that is above the water head towards El Faro de Cabo Rojo or Cabo Rojo Lighthouse located in the southwestern part of the island and south of Boquerón. What you can see from there is a panoramic view of the Caribbean coastline. The lighthouse itself is nice to see as it dates back to 1881.

Another great attraction for the area is the town of LA Parquera that besides its nice beaches lures people with its Phosphorescent Bay. It’s a marvelous sight: the water lights up from beneath during the night. What makes it light up are little planktons that turn up like little light bulbs. Trips are organized during the night and the light is even more vivid on moonless nights. The area is also great for diving and the visibility offered is above 100 feet.

If you really want to see them all go to Caña Gorda, a pleasant beach not far from Guánica. It’s a quite rustic place full of bird life.

Other beaches like Playa Sucia, Playa Tamarindo, Bahia Sucia, Playa Santa, Rosado Beach are all worth seeing even if they do not have all the facilities you’re used to in more popular beaches but these are really unspoiled and this might be seen as an advantage by many.

Plenty of beaches, great diving, great marine life, corals, and unique experiences are what this area has on offer for all those who want to land on its shores!