Puerto Rico is a gorgeous Caribbean island and an excellent destination for a girls’ trip. It is affordable and perfectly balances relaxation, adventure, and partying. There are plenty of things to do in Puerto Rico. In 5 days, my friends and I could see and do a lot on the island.

And if you’ve had any hesitations about visiting Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, let me be the first to advise you to throw all of your concerns out of the window! While restoration efforts across the island are not yet complete, the tourist areas and main roads were some of the first things to get rebuilt and are back to normal.

Here’s a comprehensive recap of our five days in Puerto Rico, which will help you explore some of the island’s best attractions and authentic local experiences.

5-Day Puerto Rico Itinerary

Day 1:

Settle in & Have Local Fun

Live Plena at La Esquina Watusi

We arrived in San Juan in the early evening. After picking up our rental car, making a CVS run for last-minute items, and checking in and freshening up at our condo, we headed to La Esquina Watusi in Santurce. La Esquina Watusi is a corner bar and a local favorite. Every Thursday they have a live plena that starts at 9 pm. Plena is a genre of music that originated in Puerto Rico and is a fusion of African, Spanish, and Caribbean cultures. Music is at the heart of Puerto Rico, and there are plenty of opportunities to see live performances.

Here’s a little taste of plena:

We also had the best time soaking up the cozy vibes, exploring stunning street art, and bar-hopping in Santurce.

Pro-tip: For daily things to do in Puerto Rico, follow @dimelomio on Instagram.

Day 2:

Unique Excursions in Puerto Rico

Hiking at the El Yunque National Rainforest

Located in northeastern Puerto Rico, about 30 minutes from San Juan, El Yunque is one of Puerto Rico’s best attractions. Although there are still trails that haven’t been recovered since Hurricane Maria, there is still plenty to see in this luscious tropical rainforest. The USDA Forest Service website is the best place to get the most up-to-date information on which trails are open to help you plan your route. You can easily spend the whole day hiking different trails and exploring the rainforest’s 29 acres of land, but we spent about three hours there. El Yunque opens at 7:30 am, so if you get there early, you will have plenty of time to see a lot.

Pro-tip: It is a rainforest, so expect the ground to be wet from rain or dew, which increases your chances of slipping. Avoid this by wearing shoes with decent grip. Also, bring a poncho or rain jacket in case it rains.

If you decide to rent a drop-top vehicle, make sure you close your roof while you are within 15 minutes of El Yunque. It’s a rainforest, so it rains sporadically throughout the day. We went from cruising in our Jeep Wrangler roofless in sunny skies to making an emergency stop to scramble to put on the top because of the torrential downpour.

We checked out the following spots during our visit to El Yunque:

Yokahu Lookout Tower

The Yokahu Lookout Tower is an observation tour that offers panoramic views of the coast and the rainforest.

Juan Diego Waterfalls

The Juan Diego Trail is an easy 5-minute hike to a small waterfall. It used to be a secluded trail, but because it is now one of the few waterfalls accessible in the forest, it’s become popular.

Luquillo Beach

After El Yunque, we drove 12 minutes to the stunning, palm-tree-clad Luquillo Beach.

Bioluminescent Bay Tour in Fajardo

Visiting a bioluminescent bay is a bucket-list-worthy item as it is very unique. There are only five bioluminescent bays in the world, and Puerto Rico is home to three of them:

• Mosquito Bay, the most popular one, is located on Vieques Island, off the east coast of the main island of Puerto Rico.

• Laguna Grande is located on the north side of Fajardo Island.

• La Parguera is located on the far southwestern side of Fajardo.

The masterminds behind the bioluminescence of a bio bay are dinoflagellates, single-celled microorganisms. These microorganisms give off a brief glow, typically in a blue-green color, whenever touched. Therefore, every splash and every movement in the water causes the dinoflagellates to illuminate the water around you, giving the bay its iconic glow. Although there are dinoflagellates throughout the ocean, they are rarely found at concentrations high enough to produce the glow.

Kayaking in the bioluminescent bay was one of my most memorable travel moments. It felt so surreal that nature produced something so magical. Although I don’t have any pictures of that moment (it’s virtually impossible to capture bioluminescence in water without very special cameras), the memory is vivid. I remember the joy of kayaking into the moonlight, splashing the shimmery water onto my skin.

It’s crazy to think this moment almost didn’t happen. We headed to Bioluminescent Beach Fajardo, hoping we would be able to find someone to take us on a kayak tour of the Bioluminescent Bay. Earlier in the day, we contacted over six major Puerto Rico tour operators to book, and they all said they were sold out for the day. We put “Bioluminescent Beach Fajardo” in the GPS and headed to the loading docks where most tours departed, hoping there would be last-minute cancellations. We parked in the wrong area, which led to the parking attendant telling us we couldn’t park there. We told her we were trying to go kayaking but didn’t have a reservation. What she said next was music to our ears, “I know a guy who can help.” Lo and behold, her guy, who was affiliated with Gio Tour Service, had availability for an 8:30 pm tour, and we negotiated for a price much cheaper than advertised online ($40 PP vs. $55 PP). That shows you that when there’s a will, there’s a way!

I highly recommend going through Gio Tour Service! At first, kayaking in pitch black may seem frightening, but the tour guide was good at making sure everyone was comfortable and kayaking correctly. You can book your tour by emailing gio.biobaytours@gmail.com or calling (787) 503-5952.

Day 3:

Explore the Southwest Coast

Finca el Girasol in Guánica

Sunflowers are my absolute favorite flower! I was excited to visit a sunflower farm for the first time. We walked through the fields and took loads of pictures. The farm sold cut flowers, seeds, and other locally grown produce. It’s free to enter but $2 for parking.

Pro-tip: Ahead of your visit, check their FB page or call 787-677-2141 to confirm their schedule because they will close due to rain/mud or if there aren’t enough flowers in bloom.

Las Salinas Salt Flats

If you are active on Instagram and look up pictures of Puerto Rico, you will undoubtedly see tons of photos of the pink salt flats in Cabo Rojo. Las Salinas is a must-see eco attraction in Puerto Rico. The area has the highest number and most incredible diversity of birds in the Caribbean.

The day we visited, it was raining and cloudy, so the hypersaline lagoons weren’t as vibrant as the pictures I saw. The color of the salt flats varies with the amount of sunlight, water, salt, and organisms in the water (brine shrimp help contribute to the reddish color of the flats). Although the water wasn’t electric pink during our visit, it was still beautiful to see in person. The clouds and rain made the lagoons look like a scene out of a romantic comedy.

A torrential downpour cut our visit to Las Salinas short and caused us to rearrange our original plans of visiting the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse and relaxing at La Playuela beach.

Faro de Los Morrillos Lighthouse 

Faro de Los Morrillos, also known as “El Faro,” is the most beloved sight in Cabo Rojo. It is located at Los Morrillos Peninsula, sitting elegantly on top of limestone cliffs that drop 200 feet into the Caribbean Sea. You can climb the stairs to the top of the lighthouse for a panoramic view of the Caribbean Sea. If you walk west on the hiking trails surrounding the lighthouse facing the ocean, you’ll come across limestone cliffs with hidden caves and natural bridges. 

La Playuela

La Playuela is a 10-minute hike from the lighthouse. It’s known for its beautiful water tones that range from turquoise to emerald green.

La Parguera Cabo Rojo

After Las Salinas, we went to the boardwalk area of La Parguera Cabo Rojo to grab dinner. It was very lively and filled with people of all ages.

Day 4:

Beach Day at Piñones

Piñones is located on the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico in the town of Loiza. It is the heart of Puerto Rico’s Afro-Caribbean heritage. We had the best time relaxing and eating authentic local food from the kiosks along the beach. Kiosk Boricua is the kiosk to visit. Their food is worth the long lines and wait.

Pro-tip: Leave an hour or two before 5:30 to avoid getting stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours getting out of Piñones.

Salsa Dancing at La Factoria

I was happy to use my months of salsa dancing lessons at La Factoria, located in Old San Juan and a good starting point for bar hopping.

Day 5:

Explore Old San Juan

Our final day was spent exploring Old San Juan in the morning before we departed in the late afternoon. We started our day with breakfast at Cafeteria Mallorca, a simple yet charming diner. They are known for their Mallorca bread, which is sweet with powdered sugar. I had delicious bacon, egg, and cheese there!

After breakfast, we went souvenir shopping and casually roamed the beautiful cobbled-stoned streets, exploring the El Morro National Monument and surrounding street art.

Pro-tip: Old San Juan has a free trolley system that can help you make the most of your day exploring the city.

If you’re interested in spending more time in San Juan, check out this detailed guide on things to do in San Juan.

Know Before you Go

Where to Stay in Puerto Rico

We stood in Condado, a ritzy neighborhood in San Juan, just across the bridge from Old San Juan.

Transportation in Puerto Rico

Car rental

Our primary way of getting around Puerto Rico was with a rented car. We decided to rent a car to explore the island on our terms in a cost-effective way. When renting a car in Puerto Rico, it’s important to note the following:

• Make your reservation before you arrive at Carrentals.com. This will allow you to secure the cheaper daily rate advertised on the website.

• All main highways in Puerto Rico have unattended tolls. Rental units and their license plates are registered within the toll system.

• Opt-out of paying for insurance online. When you arrive at the counter, the company will add insurance, E-ZPass, and other add-ons.

• Car rental pickups are available at San Juan airport (SJU) or Carolina, Puerto Rico, since there are shuttles to that area, less than five minutes from the airport. Be sure your location is open at your arrival time.

I ended up renting a Jeep Wrangler from Allied Car Rental. Although my friend did all the driving, I added myself as a second driver as a safety precaution. Also, because I received auto rental collision damage insurance from my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, we only added partial insurance to provide us with full coverage. We decided to include the E-ZPass because we would drive on many main highways that were likely to have tolls. The E-ZPass gives you unlimited daily use of the toll roads.

We had a lot of fun riding around in our purple drop-top Jeep Wrangler, Purple Reign, but it was not without its tricky moments. There are many unexpected sharp exits/ turns in Puerto Rico. Driving outside San Juan at night requires a lot of precision and alertness because there are many narrow two-way roads and limited light. Drivers usually have their high beams on, making seeing in front of you nearly impossible.

Pro-tip: Have a designated GPS person to help you navigate while you focus on the driving.

Uber

When we weren’t driving, we used Uber. Uber in Puerto Rico is highly reliable and cheap. We could get to Condado’s hotspot areas for less than $10.

If you plan on spending 7 days in Puerto Rico, check out this guide for additional things to do!

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