This tranquil town in northeastern Puerto Rico is a gateway to El Yunque National Forest and Atlantic Ocean beach resorts.
Visit Río Grande to enjoy sporting activities amid Puerto Rico Island’s extraordinary natural beauty. Hike to lookouts with spectacular views of a tropical rainforest, play golf at perfectly groomed courses and relax on palm-fringed beaches. Río Grande is the downtown hub of the Río Grande municipality, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean into a region of unspoiled forest-covered mountains.
Travelers sometimes bypass the town on their way to the coastline and nearby national park. See a concert, watch racing events or catch a baseball game at Ovidio de Jesús Stadium. Find banks, fast-food chains, restaurants and small shopping malls on the town’s main street.
About a 20-minute drive southeast of the downtown district is the entry gate to El Yunque National Forest. Pick up information and learn about El Yunque’s ecology and history at the beautifully designed El Portal Rain Forest Center and follow the short interpretive trail. Have fun on the zip-line course and free-fall rappel at JungleQui Rainforest Ecoadventure Park.
Miles of trails, such as the Big Tree Trail, wind around pristine forests and to mountaintops, observation towers and waterfalls. Hike to El Toro Peak at about 3,500 feet (1,100 meters) and Yokahú Tower for far-reaching views. Swim in the pools of Juan Diego Falls and La Mina Falls.
Travel north and discover sun-soaked beaches along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. Among them are Playa las Picuas and the private Bahia Beach and Coco Beach. East along the coast are Playa Fortuna, Playa Azul and Balneario Monserrate.
Play a round of golf at world-class courses. Tee off between lakes, mountains and the ocean at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club. Challenge the holes at the Bob Holoman-designed Berwind Country Club and the Bahia Beach Resort and Golf Club.
Río Grande is 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan. Get here by flying to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and renting a car. Resort hotels and guesthouses provide options for accommodations along the coastline.