Must-see attractions in North Coast

  • Worlds largest single-dish radio telescope, the Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico. (Photo by: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

    Observatorio de Arecibo

    North Coast

    Puerto Ricans reverently refer to it as ‘El Radar’; to everyone else it is simply the largest radio telescope in the world. Resembling a spaceship…

  • Birth of the New World Statue

    North Coast

    Undeniably Puerto Rico's biggest, most bizarre attraction, the 362ft likeness of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) navigating toward the Americas is…

  • Playa Mar Chiquita

    North Coast

    An anomaly among Puerto Rican beaches, Playa Mar Chiquita isn’t alongside a main thoroughfare, has no long strand and isn’t good for swimming or surfing…

  • Playa Survival

    North Coast

    Even the surfers rarely make it to remote Playa Survival, best reached by a 45-minute walk west from Playa Shacks. The narrow strip of sand found…

  • PUERTO RICO , Cordillera - view over Lago Caonillas from near Casa Grande

    Lagos Dos Bocas & Caonillas

    North Coast

    These two lakes – each more than 2 miles long – fill a deeply cleft valley at a point where karst country gives way to the jagged spine of the central…

  • Bosque Estatal de Río Abajo

    North Coast

    This 5000-acre forest just off Hwy 621, halfway between Arecibo and Utuado, sits amid some of the island's most rugged terrain. In the bosom of karst…

  • Puerto Rico, Vega Alta, Cerro Gordo, Waves on the beach

    Playa de Cerro Gordo

    North Coast

    Lying at the end of Hwy 690, this charming palm-dotted expanse of sand has had several million dollars pumped into the expansion of its tourist facilities…

  • Parque Ceremonial Indígena Caguana

    North Coast

    Like the archaeological site at Tibes near Ponce, this Taíno ceremonial site, sometimes dubbed the 'Puerto Rican Stonehenge,' has no monumental ruins; the…

  • Laguna Tortuguero

    North Coast

    This lagoon is one of only two natural lakes in Puerto Rico, making its protection extra precious. It is also one of the most ecologically diverse areas…

  • Cueva del Indio

    North Coast

    A stroll through coastal scrub brings you to cliffs where impressive formations have been chiseled and hollowed out by the elements. You can descend…

  • Catedral San Felipe Apostol

    North Coast

    Said to be Puerto Rico's second-largest church, Arecibo's eye-pleasingly symmetrical neoclassical cathedral is a 19th-century replacement for an 18th…

  • Balneario Morrillos

    North Coast

    If you follow the road past the Faro de los Morrillos lighthouse for less than a mile, you come to the Balneario Morrillos. There is a big parking lot…

  • Playa Tortuguero

    North Coast

    A narrow road (Hwy 6671) squeezes between Laguna Tortuguero and the Atlantic, passing through coastal forest a few kilometers northeast of Manatí. Here is…

  • Playa Wilderness

    Aguadilla

    Rough, lonely Playa Wilderness is a favorite with surfers. Off Hwy 107 to the left (west) as you follow the road north from Aguadilla to the Ramey Base,…

  • Balneario el Ojo del Buey

    North Coast

    Calle 13 on the eastern side of Dorado terminates in a tan-colored stretch of tree-backed sand, and is freer from beachgoers than Balneario Manuel Morales…

  • Playa Crash Boat

    Aguadilla

    An undulating road winds down to a car park, snack stands, a pier and a swathe of ocher sand. It got its name because the air force used to keep rescue…

  • Faro de los Morrillos

    North Coast

    Within the Parque Histórico de Arecibo complex, this lighthouse dates from 1897 and is an excellent example of Spanish neoclassical architecture. There's…

  • Bosque Estatal de Cambalache

    North Coast

    The state forest of Cambalache covers an area of just 1000 acres, making it smaller than a lot of Puerto Rican resort hotels. Almost halfway between…

  • Palacete Los Moreau

    North Coast

    A mild diversion from the Isabela beach scene, this 19th-century tenderly restored French hacienda is exquisitely furnished within and has lush grounds to…

  • Balneario Manuel Morales

    North Coast

    This is a little-advertised public beach in Dorado where you can swim. At the end of Rte 697, it’s an OK bit of sand surrounded by rocky outcrops, but it…

  • Museo y Centro Cultural Casa del Rey

    North Coast

    This museum is set in an old Spanish garrison dating from 1823, making it the town's oldest surviving building. It was also once the home of Puerto Rican…

  • Museo de Arte e Historia de Dorado

    North Coast

    This neatly renovated museum gives you the rundown on local history and archaeology, including findings from excavations at the nearby Ojo del Buey beach.

  • Museo de Arte e Historia

    North Coast

    This well-refurbished colonial-era building displays modern art and a potted history of two of Arecibo's most famous products: rum and the playwright René…

  • Punta Salinas

    North Coast

    Toa Alta’s beach, Punta Salinas, lies about 12km east of Dorado on Rte 165. It’s got food kiosks, lifeguards, restrooms and basketball courts.