Arenales River Caving, Waterfall &Tropical Forest Secret Spring
Description
A fun and adventurous day hiking, river trekking and floating through caves and beautiful greenish blue pools (optional cliff jumping too). Swim through breathtaking limestone canyons, stunning caves and unique rock formations carved by the passing of the river, surrounded by beautiful, lush tropical forest scenery and a waterfall. An early start (to avoid the crowds) and smaller groups guided by an experienced and Certified Tour Guide provides a safer, more intimate and immersing experience with insightful information of the island. Later enjoy some authentic delicious puertorrican food at a local restaurant. End your day hiking a short trail to a small hidden natural spring with pristine water, while learning about the local plants and trees. An unforgettable experience for adventurers seeking less touristic favorite local spots. Tour requires GOOD PHYSICAL FITNESS, balance, flexibility, river trekking skills and BASIC SWIMMING SKILLS. Closed sturdy water/hiking shoes required.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Get ready to be amazed, get wet and enjoy some adrenaline almost as soon as this adventure starts. After a few minutes of walking downhill, we will encounter the river where it forms beautiful greenish blue pools and start swimming through a breathtaking small canyon carved by the passing of the river for thousands of years. The rock formations are amazing, unique looking and there will lazily float through the canyon admiring this nature’s gift and later do some river trekking. The more adventurous will have a chance of some optional cliff jumping in areas ranging to 8 to 20 feet and rock boulder to access the upper part of the canyon. Afterwards we will hike through an off the beaten path trail to access some incredible caves where we will swim through them surrounded by stunning flowstone rock formations, bats and a beautiful waterfall. Good physical condition and basic swimming skills are required to complete these activities.
Lunch stop at a local restaurant which offers a great selection of local and authentic puertorrican cuisine at reasonable prices. (cost not included).
Will visit a Nature Reserve to hike a short trail leading to a small hidden natural spring, while learning about the local plants and trees of the area. The spring Is a beautiful oasis in the middle of a forest where the water is just pristine and completely clear, for sure refreshing and a great way to end your day before heading back.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick-up only on selected hotels from the San Juan touristic areas of Condado, Miramar, Old San Juan and Isla Verde. Old San Juan guests will be picked up at "Plaza Colón" (Colón Square). For alternate meeting points for guest staying outside San Juan please contact supplier.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
Reviews(1,740)
This is the best tour I’ve ever had in PR. Yamile took really great care of us. We had hiking, swimming, climbing, water-jumping. We had so much fun with her. And she is a good “paparazzi”, capture so many great moments during the tour. And the restaurant she brought us to was delicious. If anybody ask me for advice in Puerto Rico, this is my first thing to recommend. Words can’t express the experience, you have to do it yourself.
Puerto Rico As a Local offers some of the most amazing excursions we’ve ever experienced! We did the Arenales River Caving adventure, and it was hands down the best excursion we have ever done on any vacation. Yamile, the owner and tour guide, is by far the best guide we’ve ever had. I love supporting a woman-owned business, and it was clear from the moment she picked us up that she takes great pride in what she does. She arrived in a beautiful, comfortable, spotless, newer van, and her English is excellent. She was easy to understand and spent the drive sharing fascinating Puerto Rican history, culture, and local information. One thing that really stood out was how she brought the group together. She encouraged everyone to introduce themselves, share a little about who they were, and learn each other’s names. Within minutes, complete strangers felt like friends, and by the end of the day, it felt like we were one big family. Every detail of this excursion was planned and executed perfectly. This is not an easy tour—it requires a good level of physical fitness. There is a lot of hiking over steep, uneven terrain, climbing over rocks, and navigating through the river. Yamile carefully guided us through every challenging section. She demonstrated exactly how to climb or descend, pointed out where to place each hand and foot, and made sure everyone understood before moving on. There was never any guessing involved, which made the experience much less intimidating. I felt completely safe the entire day because I knew she was watching out for every single person in the group. I highly recommend wearing quality hiking water shoes, such as Keen sandals or shoes designed for rugged water adventures. I also recommend wearing biker shorts and a long-sleeve sun shirt over your swimsuit for added comfort and protection. Another bonus is that Yamile is also an excellent photographer. Although I brought my phone and took plenty of pictures, she captured incredible group photos and action shots from angles that none of us could have gotten ourselves. Cliff jumping is optional. I chose not to do it, but several people in our group did and had a blast. Life jackets are provided, which adds another level of safety and comfort. The excursion includes two different river locations with a lunch stop in between. The food was absolutely delicious. Yamile explained the menu, helped everyone order, and made recommendations. I definitely suggest saving room for dessert—they were fantastic! The restaurant accepts credit cards. I cannot recommend Puerto Rico As a Local highly enough for anyone visiting the San Juan area. Whether you choose this adventure or another one of their tours, you’re in excellent hands. I will absolutely book with Yamile again on my next trip. In fact, I would happily do this Arenales River Caving adventure all over again—it truly was that incredible
Great experience with Yamille. I would highly recommend her as your tour guide. Great personality and very informative. She was an awesome tour guide.
Yamile picked us up from an agreed location. Once in her van, we could feel her energy until she dropped us off; great positive energy! She kept us entertained, informed, and made us feel at home as a part of her family. The tour was guided entirely by Yamile. She made sure to give us all the details and guidance we needed to truly enjoy the tour... and boy oh boy she did great to tell you that she knew the exact locations of where to grab and hold yourself when climbing over rocks, she knew how to present an entertaining and safe adventure, and was very confident. I felt really at peace with her and absolutely recommend her. At the end, she took us for lunch and had delicious local food and at a very good price too. Before ending the review, don´t worry if you don´t bring a camera on the tour - she is your personal photographer.
Unforgettable experience. Lots of climbing so I would suggest being physically able to climb and swim. Yamile was great super friendly and informative.
Overall, I HIGHLY recommend doing any tours in Puerto Rico with Yamile. She has such a vibrant energy, passion for her work, and a way of bringing people together that will make your experience truly unforgettable. I went with a small group of about 9 people (including Yamile herself), and it felt like we entered as strangers and left as friends.
Best experience I had during my whole trip in PR. Yamile is amazing tour guide. She is very informative of the area and culture. She was so much fun. All the water falls we visited and the caves are just plain beautiful! Totally recommend this experience. Yamile recommends and take you to a wonderful restaurant. Food was so delicious!
Yamile was very kind and very welcoming. She said we were apart of her family and she treated us like one. She kept us safe, and made this experience a blast. I highly recommend you book this experience with Yamile.
We had an amazing experience with Yamile. She was funny, entertaining, and very knowledgeable. Loved every second of it! If you get to visit PR this is a must!! Early morning excursion was a great choice. Thank you Yamile for being our tour guide and our paparazzi! If we ever come we would do it again!
This was an amazing experience. Yamile was a great guide and she had us cracking up the whole time. It was worth going early to avoid the crowds. The lunch was tasty then the walk to the crystal clear swimming hole after was fun. Definitely recommend this tour and we’ll book it again next time we come back.
