The archipelago of Puerto Rico includes the main island of Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles, and a number of smaller islands and keys, the largest of which are Mona, Vieques, and Culebra. Puerto Ricans sometimes refer to their island as Borikén, or the Spanish variant Borinquen, a name for the island used by indigenous Taíno people.

Puerto Rico has 17 lakes, all of which are man-made reservoirs, and more than 50 rivers. The rivers in the island's northern region are typically larger and have higher water flow rates than those in the south. The south receives less rain than the central and north regions.

Get in

By plane
Puerto Rico's main airport is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan. Jet Blue, Continental and Delta Connection also fly to smaller airports in the cities of Aguadilla and Ponce.

As Puerto Rico is part of the US commonwealth, U.S. Immigration and Customs Laws and Regulations apply. However, U.S. citizens flying back to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico do avoid passing through Customs before boarding their flight.

By boat
A commercial ferry service connects the west coast city of Mayaguez and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. This service is a very popular and convenient way to travel between both cities. Also, more than a million passengers visit the island on cruise ships every year. No passport is required for U.S. citizens who use this service.

Get around

Public transportation in Puerto Rico is fairly bad: there are no scheduled buses or trains outside San Juan. Most travelers choose to rent their own cars, but intrepid budget travelers can also explore the shared cab (público) system.

By car
If you explore outside of San Juan, renting a car is by far the most convenient way to get around. Rentals are available from the airport as well as larger hotels.

Parking in the Old Town of San Juan is virtually non-existent and traffic in all major cities is bad during rush hour (8-10am, 4-6pm), so give yourself plenty of time coming and going.

In addition to the regular free highway (carretera) network, there are three toll roads (autopista) on Puerto Rico. They're much faster and less congested than the highways, and it's worth using them if in any kind of hurry. Tolls for a 2-axle car range from $0.70 and $1.50. The lanes on the left are reserved for people with RFID toll passes, which you probably won't have on your rental car. If you need change, head for the lanes marked with a "C", usually the furthest to the right.

By público
A público is a shared taxi service which is much cheaper than taking a taxi around the island, and depending on your travel aspirations, might be cheaper than renting a car. Públicos can be identified by their yellow license plates with the word "PUBLICO" written on top. The "main" público station is in Río Piedras, a suburb of San Juan. They're also known as colectivos and pisicorres.

There are two ways of getting on a público. The easiest is to call the local público stand the day before and ask them to pick you up at an agreed time. Your hotel or guesthouse can probably arrange this. While convenient, it will cost a few dollars extra. You still must wait as the car collects all the other departing passengers. The cheapest way is to show up at the público terminal (or, in smaller towns, the town square) as early as you can (6-7am is normal). Públicos taper off in the afternoon and stop running before dark.

Prices vary depending on the público's size and the distance being traveled. For example, a small three or four seat público from Ponce to San Juan will cost roughly $15. A 15 passenger público traveling between San Juan and Fajardo will cost about $5 per person.

By ferry
Ferries depart from San Juan and Fajardo. 

Attractions

• El Yunque, Puerto Rico's rain forest is a must see. It spreads out over a mountain, so if you walk uphill from the road you're in a cool to cold rain forest. At any altitude you'll see numerous varieties of plant and animal life. There are tons of hiking trails and the Yokahu tower is a great spot to see the forest from above. 1-800-260-2050.
• EL Morro, is a historic fort located in San Juan. The six-story fort withheld numerous English and Danish attacks during its 500 year history and features a number of barracks and prison cells. Admission $3. Dec-May: Daily 9am-6pm. Jun-Nov: Daily 9am-5pm.
• Luis A. Ferre Performing Arts Center, Ponce de Leon Avenue, Parada 22 1/2, San Juan, (787) 725-7334. There's always something to watch on one of the site's four stages. The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra performs in the 760-seat hall.

Activities

Whether you're dreaming about spectacular surfing waves, a challenging golf course, or the perfect sunbathing beach, Puerto Rico offers the active traveler a tremendous array of opportunities. Surfing and golf compete with tennis, fishing, kayaking, scuba diving, and horseback riding, not to mention windsurfing and parasailing. The island has more than 15 championship golf courses on the outskirts of the San Juan metropolitan area.

Drink

Unlike most U.S. territories and states Puerto Rico's drinking age is 18. Coupled with the fact that the U.S. requires all U.S. residents to have a passport before leaving and re-entering the U.S. means Puerto Rico is becoming increasingly popular during spring break.

Puerto Rico is obviously famous for its rum and rum drinks, and is the birthplace of the world renowned Piña Colada. Several rums are made in Puerto Rico, including Bacardi and Don Q. Although not as common in the U.S., the national rum of choice in Puerto Rico is Don Q.

Most of the beers sold vary from 10 to 12 ounce bottles or cans. The portions are small compared to the Mainland so that they can be consumed before the beer gets warm. Tap water is treated and is officially safe to drink.

Regions

• Culbra
• Vieques

Stay safe

Statistically, Puerto Rico has a crime problem. As of 2002 the island's murder rate was twice that of New York City, but less than Washington, D.C..

Most of the crime is concentrated in the big metropolitan cities of San Juan and Ponce, and is mainly connected to the drug trade. The tourist areas of both cities are heavily patrolled by police and violent crime directed against tourists is very rare. The main problem is theft: don't leave your belongings unattended on the beach. Car theft is also an issue.

Stay away from public housing complexes known as caseríos. These are frequently the location of drug dealers and other see their share of violent crimes. If you must venture into such a location, avoid doing so at night and do not take pictures or film the locals without permission. Avoid drawing a lot of attention to yourself and be polite at all times.

The crime rate outside the metropolitan areas are much lower. Cities like Arecibo, Aguadilla and Mayaguez are generally very safe.

Climate

Puerto Rico has a tropical marine climate: it is mild and has little seasonal temperature variation. Temperatures range from 70˚F to 90˚F (21˚C to 32˚C), and tend to be lower at night and up in the mountains. Hurricane season spans between June and November. Periodic droughts sometimes affect the island.

Dining

Authentic Puerto Rican food (comida criolla) can be summed up in two words: plantains and pork. It is usually served up with rice and beans (arroz y habichuelas) and is rarely if ever spicy.

Plantains (plátanos) are essentially savory bananas and the primary source of starch back in the bad old days, although you will occasionally encounter cassava (yuca) and other tropical tubers.

The main meat eaten on Puerto Rico is pork (cerdo). Surprisingly, seafood is only a minor part of the traditional repertoire: the deep waters around Puerto Rico are poorly suited for fishing, and most of the seafood served in restaurants for tourists is imported.