Choose Your Own Adventure in Puerto Rico

Sure, you could spend your vacation in Puerto Rico slurping pina coladas by the hotel pool, then return home crimson-faced, a few pounds heavier and with no exciting tales to tell.

But those yearning for more than a run-of-the-mill resort experience can explore caves, dive with sea turtles, swim in bioluminescent bays, hike through the rainforest and still get good cocktails. Few Caribbean islands offer as many outdoor adventures as this popular destination.

Rappelling and Caving

Put on a life jacket, harness, lamped helmet and get ready to explore the Camuy Caves, the third largest cave system in the world.

Rappelling down 250 feet (about the height of a 25-story building) into the mouth of an enormous cave is no amateur stuff, so you'll need an experienced guide. Aventuras Tierra Adentro organizes group expeditions, leaving from a central location in San Juan. Inside the caves, after you're done admiring the stalagmites and stalactites, jump on the underground rivers for a cool body-rafting experience.

Surfing

Rincón, on the western coast, is the island's surfer hangout. Catch the best waves from October to February, on beaches surrounding the Punta Higueras Lighthouse. You can sign up for daylong classes with Rincón Surf School, an established company that also runs a small guesthouse. If you're in a splurging mood, stay at the Horned Dorset Primavera, a chic, Mediterranean-inspired hotel with suites starting at $600 a night.

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