Exploring Puerto Rico with Higuaca Adventours

Recently, we had the opportunity to venture out to this breathtaking, enchanted, Caribbean island. Tasting exquisite foods, touring hidden gems with Higuaca Adventours, and soaking in the history of the land and its people. It was the relaxation and revitalizing experience everyone deserves.   Ashley Somoza, Managing Director of Higuaca Adventours, provides set tours, as well as customized unique and intimate experiences. They can assist anywhere from 2-50 people but specialize in more intimate events. 

While on the trip, we drove through the many terrains of the island. “Puerto Rico is home to many different terrains. The Dry Forest terrain particularly makes great soil for agriculture, like honey mangos, papaya, passion fruit, and even coffee!” Ashley explained to us, “In the rainforest, the leaves are longer to protect the ground and animals from being over watered by rain.”,  

 The first 2 days we were there it rained. We asked Ashley if that was typical. “It rains almost daily on the east side of the island because of the precipitation from the rainforest. Get past it to the south side and it’s clear skies!”   

And that it was! We passed through the central mountain region, a metamorphic region, beautiful coast lines, and we even had the opportunity to see a shifted fault line.

 We headed to the southwest side of the island, a town called Lajas, were we visited “La Parguera”, a boardwalk style waterfront promenade. From there, we docked a boat with 50-year sea veteran, Johnny, to head over to Cayo Mata La Gata. This is an exclusive uninhabited mangrove island where you can explore, snorkel, and relax on the coral sandy beach area, or go for a dip in the man-made “pool”. We stopped for 3 hours, which initially seemed like forever, but we honestly could’ve stayed all day! We went snorkeling in the mangrove channels and saw crystal blue waters with thousands of fish swimming in and out of the long-grounded branches. Higuaca Adventours provided us with snorkel gear and even a light lunch while there.  

We headed back to land for a snack and a passion fruit and mango mojito from a local spot that Ashley recommended to us! Normally, for me, mojitos are not a go-to, but this one changed my mind about mojitos. 

We finished the tour with the once-in-a-lifetime, rare, and exclusive chance to go swimming in the bioluminescent bay. We headed back out to the unknown darkness of the sea, sailing away under the stars. The bioluminescent organisms had me so enthralled that the black 20 foot deep waters seemed to be a fairytale sea. The bursts of light blue light blasted with elegance as my hands brushed through the water to swim. It was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced. The dinoflagellate microorganisms attached to my swimsuit and you could even see them while back on the boat.   

Booking an experience with Higuaca Adventours is essential when visiting Puerto Rico. Some of the other tourists we talked to did not have an extensive tour and it was quite clear that booking with a Local Expert; such as Ashley and her team, was the right choice for a well-rounded all-inclusive experience. We definitely highly recommend booking with Higuaca Adventours for hassle-free Island Adventures and Cultural Immersion experiences.  

In all honesty, Puerto Rico would not have been the same without Ashley and the Higuaca Adventours team. We learned so much from everyone we encountered and the Mata La Gata and Bio Bay experience was absolutely amazing and enchanting. Make the opportunity to travel to this magical and lush island, let Higuaca Adventours be your guide, and immerse yourself in the culture. 

Make the plans, book the trip, take the tour. ¡Asi que, relájate y disfruta!  

More photos available in our print issue. 

Connect with Higuaca Adventours. 

https://www.higuacaadventours.com/

https://instagram.com/higuacaadventours/ 

Written By: Candice Christian