PUERTO RICO > CARIBBEAN >  INDEX

Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles, includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys, which include Mona, Vieques, and Culebra. Only Culebra and Vieques are inhabited.

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico - commonwealth associated with the US

Located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic.

What is Puerto Rico? It is an island teeming with beauty and vitality. Some of it is Spanish, some Indian, some African and some… something else. But somehow it all blends together into a culture that you will find fascinating and one-of-kind.

A rugged mountain range runs across the center from east to west, which often prevents rain clouds from passing to the south. The north side of the island is covered by dense vegetation, karst formations, and rushing streams, while, the south side is sun-toasted terrain, home to tropical dry forests and many species of exotic birds. Puerto Rico is only about 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, so its most distant points are only a three-hour drive apart.

National Capital City of Puerto Rico: San Juan


car hire, hotels, travel agencies, travel guides, transportation / traveling to puerto rico

links


Car Rental Puerto Rico

 Avis
World's second largest general-use car rental business, providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services.
 Budget Rent A Car
 Hertz

Cruises

The following cruise lines run services to San Juan: NCL, Commodore, Royal Caribbean, Costa, Cunard, Chandris, Astor United Cruises, Sitmar, Home Lines, Norweigan Viking and Princess Cruises

Hotels in Puerto Rico

Most of the best-known hotel names are represented in Puerto Rico, including Best Western, Embassy Suites, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Radisson, Ritz-Carlton, and Wyndham. Puerto Rico also has a great variety of moderately priced hotels, usually located a few blocks from the beach and often catering to business travelers.

 Epedia.com

More Hotels? See the page Hotels

National Parks / Historic Sites

 San Juan National Historic Site
San Juan National Historic Site, includes forts, bastions, powder houses, wall and El Cañuelo Fort, also called San Juan de la Cruz–defensive fortifications that once surrounded the old, colonial portion of San Juan, Puerto Rico. El Cañuelo Fort is located at Isla de Cabras at the western end of the entrance to San Juan Bay. Sections of the massive sandstone walls, dating to the 1630s, remain; so, too, do the San Cristóbal and San Felipe del Morro forts.
 Buck Island Reef National Monument
 Caribbean National Forest
 Christiansted National Historic Site
 Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
 Virgin Islands National Park - MPS - Attractions

Travel Agents / Tour Operators

 Changes.com



 Golden Heron Eco Tours
Golden Heron Ecotours invites you join us on a unique experience kayaking through the entire bioluminescent bay ecosystem. The brightest known biobay in the world is here in Vieques. The mangrove canals, the bioluminescent lagoon, the coral reefs and channel to the sea are all integral parts of this magical place, and we offer you a unique opportunity to see it all with our naturalist guides. Kayaking is the only way to enter the secret places, tunnels and channels of the mangroves.
The Bioluminescent Bay in Vieques, often referred to as the 'Biobay', is a magical place. Few natural phenomena in the world compare to the exquisite beauty of this biobay. Our biobay in Vieques may have the worlds most dense concentration of bioluminescent dinoflagellates, with up to 700,000 per gallon!
 Puerto Rico Language Academy - Academia Puertorriqueña de la Lengua Española [ San Juan ]
 Sail Puerto Rico Sailing Charters

Travel Guides Puerto Rico / Related books

Travel Guides Puerto Rico

 Puerto Rico / Lonely Planet - Virginia Otis
Widely considered the best Puerto Rico book on the market. Dedicated Music & Dance chapter provides expert insight where best to partake Puerto Rico. Outdoors chapter covers best of island's diving, hiking, surfing & windsurfing options. Expanded coverage of Vieques, the 'next big thing' in Caribbean. Puerto Rico tourism ascending, and increased emphasis has been put on family, food & resort travel, and ecotourism in this guide. The surfing mecca of Rincon has a thriving expat community and winter whale-watching. Cavernas del Rio Camuy is the third largest cave network in the world. Carnival in historic Ponce, in February, is among the Western Hemisphere's most outrageous. Rum is the unofficial national drink the island. A US commonwealth since 1951, Puerto Rico is sometimes called the 51st state
Paperback 300 pages (September 23, 2005); Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; Language: English; ISBN: 1740597818 
 Insight Guides Puerto Rico - Barbara Balletto (Editor)
Paperback 290 pages (December 2003); Publisher: Insight Guides; Language: English; ISBN: 9812349499.
 Explore Puerto Rico - Harry S. Pariser
Travellers can only find this kind of detailed, comprehensive information in Harry Pariser's travel books! He includes practical facts on hundreds of web sites addresses, e-mail addresses, fax numbers and telephone numbers. In addition to extensive coverage on the main tourist destinations, Pariser's ecologically-aware perspective provides a refreshing look and an amazing depth of information on Puerto Rico's: geography and geology; history, religion and related attractions; cultural customs and tourist conduct; little-known towns, parks, and offshore islands; archaeological sites, preserves and rainforests. Each region is covered extensively in separate chapters, with details on where to stay and eat, sports and nature activities. Here is absolutely everything any traveller -- extreme athletes, cruise-ship retirees, luxury tourists -- could ever need to appreciate Puerto Rico.
Paperback 344 pages (November 2002); Publisher: Manatee Press; Language: English; ISBN: 1893643522

Transport / How do I travel to Puerto Rico

 San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International

 Airline Tickets / Discount Flights - price comparison possible

You can fly to many of the cities and towns within Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra, by chartering a small plane or taking one of the regularly scheduled commuter-type flights from the Ribas Dominicci Airport in Isla Grande, San Juan, or other local airports.

 Las Americas Expressway - Bus / Coach
 Metropolitan Bus Authority (or AMA, its Spanish acronym)
Operates in the San Juan Metropolitan area.

 Map of Puerto Rico [ Uni Texas - Perry-Castañeda Library - Map Collection ]


Links 

 Travel Insurance - online travel and holiday insurance

 Puerto Rico Tourism Company - Travel Guide to Puerto Rico

 Government of Puerto Rico - Gobierno de Puerto Rico

 Meet Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico Convention Bureau
What to do, Where to stay, Where to eat, Where to meet, And more

 San Juan - capital city of Puerto Rico - Ciudad Capital - Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico
Located in the northeastern part of the island of Puerto Rico. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521 and is regarded as the oldest city in the United States of America.

 Adjuntas
 Aguadilla
 Anasco
 Boqueron
 Cabo Rojo
 Carolina
 Cayo Largo
 Ceiba
 Condado
 Culebra
 Dorado
 Fajardo - Municipio de Fajardo
 Guanica
 Gurabo
 Humacao
 Isabela
 Isla Culebra - information on the people, history, economy and attractions of the island of Culebra
 Isla Verde
 Lajas
 Las Croabas
 Luquillo
 Maricao
 Mayaguez
 Mercedita
 Old San Juan
 Patillas
 Ponce
 Quebradillas
 Rincon
 Rio Grande
 San German
 Santurce
 Utuado
 Veja Baja
The town of vega Baja was founded in 1776. Its first name was Vega-Baxa del Naranjal de Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Don Antonio Viera, Settler Captain, initiated the recognition of Vega Baja as a town.
 Vieques - Vieques Travel Guide
La Isla Nena is one of the few islands that remain like the Caribbean of the past; tranquil, lush, un-crowded, with natural beauty all around.
 Yabucoa

 University of Puerto Rico - Universidad de Puerto Rico
 University of the Sacred Heart - Universidad del Sagrado Corazón

Cuisine - Puerto Rican Cooking recipes

Beans and rice are common, and a favorite is platanos fritos, or fried plantains, similar to a banana but much less sweet and firmer. When fried they have an almost nutty taste

 Welcome to Puerto Rico - Cocina Criolla - 
Do you wish to fill your kitchen with the aroma of herbs and spices that give to the Puerto Rican cuisine a distinctive taste and color? Here you will find a wide variety of Puerto Rican dishes that will guarantee your family and friends mouth will be watering for days.
 Puerto Rican Cookery - Carmen Aboy Valldejuli
As bewitching as an off-shore breeze, the recipes in this book plumb the mysteries of native dishes in accurate and easy-to-follow details that assure the success of every recipe. In her book, the author traces the development of traditional native cookery (cocina criolla) and reveals secrets of the essence of Puerto Rican cookery -- keymark to fabulous island delicacies. The book is divided into the following sections: Soups; Meats; Poultry; Fish and Shellfish; Eggs and Vegetables; Fritters and Croquettes; Pasta Dishes; Salads and Cold Dishes; Rice Dishes and Legumes; Cakes and Icings; Pies, Custards and Creams; Coconut Desserts; Preserves and Other Desserts; Ice Creams, Sherbets, Sandwiches and Beverages; Rum Drinks.
Hardcover 389 pages (November 10, 1998); Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company; Language: English; ISBN: 0882894110
 Puerto Rican Cuisine 
 Tables Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico's Guide to dining
Everything you need to know about the restaurant scene of Puerto Rico; articles, Island recipes, and restaurant reviews.
 A Taste of Puerto Rico - Yvonne Ortiz
Introduces Puerto Rican cuisine and gathers recipes for appetizers, fritters, sauces, soups, salads, vegetables, plantains, fish, shellfish, poultry, meat, rice, beans, pasta, breads, and desserts.
Paperback 273 pages (April 1997); Publisher: Plume; Language: English; ISBN: 0452275482

History of Puerto Rico

The first inhabitants of Puerto Rico were Archaic Indians who most likely arrived from Venezuela around 4500 BC. They were followed by the Igneri tribes, beginning about 200 AD, who were replaced in turn by the Taínos around 800 AD.
Christopher Columbus landed on the island, which the Indians called Boriquén or Borinquén, in 1493 and claimed the land for Spain. He named it after San Juan Bautista [ St John the Baptist ]. In 1508 Juan Ponce de León founded the first settlement, Caparra, and in 1521 moved it 4 miles away to a small peninsula along a beautiful bay. He called it Puerto Rico (Rich Port).

Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony from 1493 until 1898, when it became a part of the United States as a result of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War.

 African Heritage Museum - Museo Nuestra Raíz Africana in San Juan
 Puerto Rico's History - Wikipedia
Pre-Colonial Puerto Rico, Spanish Rule 1493-1898 [ Colonization Begins, European Threats, New Rights, Piracy, Culture Flourishes, Political Reforms, Invasion of 1898 ], Rule under the United States of America (1898 -Present) [ Military Government, Foraker Law of 1900, Jones Act of 1917 ], Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (1952-Present).
 Remedios: Stories of Earth and Iron from the History of Puertorriquenas - Aurora Levins Morales
Rich with medical folklore and the healing tales of heroines whose work and words have sustained generations, Remedios presents the history of the many women - and cultures - who have met at the crossroads of the island of Puerto Rico. Beginning with the First Mother in sub-Saharan Africa more than 200 ,000 years ago, Aurora Levins Morales takes readers on a poetic journey through time and space. This historical memoir revives connections to legends and lore, and bears witness to oppression and resistance.
Paperback 244 pages (February 2002); Publisher: South End Press,U.S.; Language: English; ISBN: 0896086445
 Conquest of Eden, 1493-1515: Other Voyages of Columbus - Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Virgin Islands 
By Michael Paiewonsky
A collection of letters and journal entries from Columbus and members of his exploration parties describe the new land, encounters with Indians and cannibals, and more.
Hardcover 176 pages (July 1991); Publisher: Academy Chicago Publications; Language: English; ISBN: 0926330039
 Puerto Rico Indian Museum - Museo del Indio de Puerto Rico in San Juan
 Museum of Anthropology, History, and Art
The Museum's vision is to keep collecting, maintaning and prerserving the Puerto Rican historic, anthropological and artistic legacy.

Music, Culture & Entertainment

 Puerto Rican Culture - Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Archivo General de Puerto Rico, Arqueología y Etnohistoria, Artes Plastiqás, Artes Populares y Artesanías, Biblioteca Nacional de Puerto Rico, Museos y Parcos, Musica, Teatro y Danza, And more
 Puerto Rican Jam: Essays on Culture and Politics 
Frances Negron-Muntaner, Ramon Grosfoguel
Paperback 256 pages (October 31, 1997); Publisher: University of Minnesota Press; Language: English; ISBN: 0816628491

Web Portal / Search Engine / Directory

 Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association
Represents the shared interests of its more than 500 corporate members, including hotels, restaurants, tour companies, suppliers of hospitality goods and services, airlines, cruise lines and educational institutions
 Jibaritos - The son of JIBAROS.COM, the most Boricua site on the WEB!
 WEPA! - Puerto Rico's most complete web directory and search engine.


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