Dear reader,
Here’s a fun challenge: Think of your dream trip to Puerto Rico. What would you do: Hit the beach? Stroll around Old San Juan? Sip piña coladas? (This is where they were created, after all.) If you gave me that prompt at the beginning of this year, I would’ve opted for an itinerary incorporating all of the above, based on previous visits with family and friends. But back in April, I traveled to the archipelago and saw a completely new side of Puerto Rico as part of AFAR’s United Voices program.
In this first-of-its-kind pilot, four AFAR editors partnered with four Boricua content creators to shine a light on underrated, less-talked-about spots of Puerto Rico. In two groups, we spent three days exploring the main island’s southern and central regions. Some of us laced up our boots and listened for the chirps of the San Pedrito bird on a hike in the Guanica Dry Forest, while others learned about the sustainable coffee movement growing across the main island (which, fun fact, used to be the world’s sixth-largest coffee exporter). Over plates of mofongo and morcilla, we shared encounters that led to a deeper understanding of Puerto Rico not only for us editors but also for the content creators.
The result of our experiences? A trove of stories, now live on AFAR.com, about the people and places that captivated us: Travel writer and blogger Jen Ruiz dives into Ponce’s playful Creole architecture and the ultimate road trip for exploring Puerto Rico’s Indigenous history, while AFAR deputy editor Katherine LaGrave gives a firsthand account of her stay at an idyllic mini farm and bed-and-breakfast high in the mountains of Cayey.
Throughout the summer, we’ll continue to share adventures found beyond the well-trod path. (Look forward to tales about Puerto Rico's most celebrated artist and a road known locally as “the Pork Highway.”) While warm water and white sand may still be the center of dream itineraries in this corner of the Caribbean, “Puerto Rico isn’t just for dipping your toes in the water of pristine beaches,” photographer Herson Guerrero says in his recap of our adventures. “It has more than one can imagine.”
Safe travels,
Chloe Arrojado
Associate editor, AFAR
