Puerto Rico's Private Tropical Oasis (Hidden in Plain Sight)
- Gouda Rivas
- Aug 6, 2022
- 5 min read
If you're planning a trip to Puerto Rico, you NEED to add one more spot to your travel itinerary.
This spot is up a bit of a rocky path, but if you're the slightest bit adventurous, you'll come to find the view and the tranquility to be well worth your time and effort.
But first: the essentials you'll need to bring:
1. Some type of good water shoes
If you're looking for affordability and ease, you can just get the basic water shoes from Walmart, or you can just buy similar ones here. Those are the one's I used for this climb. However, I would highly advise against repeating this mistake. I was completely unaware of just how slippery and sketchy this journey would be with these shoes.
The alternative (which I purchased afterwards and did wonders for the rest of the Puerto Rico trip, were similar to these.
Click this link to check out similar ones on Amazon: Click here!
2. A waterproof pouch
You're going to be climbing rocks, swimming, and getting rained on, all while your hands are occupied. While you might not need a snorkel or goggles for this adventure, a waterproof pouch is an absolute necessity, especially if you are bringing a phone, a wallet, a camera, or any snacks. The one that I used for this adventure is AiRunTech's pouch with a waist strap:
These pouches are high quality, with three Ziplock-style channels to seal the interior, plus creases to fold the opening over itself and secure the bag with velcro. I cannot recommend this pouch enough, and I have taken it on many aquatic adventures around the continent with no flaws. On this adventure with my travel buddy, I was able to fit my vlogging camera, my phone, and a selfie stick, and the rental car keys in the pouch with ease, and she packed her phone and a bunch of snacks for us.
Click this link to check them out on Amazon: Click here!
3. A camera
Your adventure to the top will be exciting and rewarding. You're going to want to document at least part of it, like I did in my vlog here:
The camera I used to vlog this whole trip was a Sony ZV-1. It's small, light, has a built-in 24-70mm zoom lens, has a touch screen, and can record in 4K. I can go on and on about this camera, and I touch on it in my blog post about all the equipment a traveling content creator needs (click here to read it!).
Anyways, this little beast of a camera fits perfectly in your waterproof pouch and comes in handy for some shots at the top of the water. Check it out on Amazon here!
4. Some snacks!
It's a long, winding road to get to this spot, and after the drive and the hike, you're likely going to be needing some snacks to help give you a boost of energy. It's also super cozy to relax at the top of the climb with a cool drink and some snacks while you enjoy the view. I recommend some Nature Valley bars, a CapriSun, and maybe some granola or trail mix. Trust me, it'll be quite the treat.
Just tell me where the spot is already!!
Ok, ok. I've dragged it on enough I see. Here's the name of it: Quebrada Soñadora. The trick here, though, is to not stop at the waterfalls and continue up the rocks.
A lot of the roads on the island are covered in potholes, and many of them don't even show up as existing on Google Maps. This destination, while there are plenty of potholes to go around, does show up on Maps accurately. Here's the gist of it:
(Note: this is the approach from the north. There is also a way to get there from the south, but that's just not how I did it so I can't really speak on that.)
1. Find your way over to PR-3. This is one of the main highways in Puerto Rico, and it travels along the eastern part of the island, from the island's capital in San Juan to the southern part, ending in the town of Salinas.
2. Turn onto PR-186. This is another main road, and it should also appear on Google Maps. If you are a bit confused, though, this is the turn you should be making:
As of the publication date of this post, there is a restaurant right at the intersection of PR-3 and PR-186 called El Verde BBQ. No idea if the food there is good or not. Anyways, turn here onto PR-186.
3. Next, you're going to want to brace yourself. If you got a rental car, be very careful when you drive on this road. You're going to want to follow this road for quite a while, and you'll see a sign telling you you're in El Yunque National Forest.
Here's the thing though: This road is absolutely covered in CRATER-sized potholes. So hang on tight, and try not to cringe too hard at all the potholes you will inevitable hit.
4. Look for signs calling out Quebrada Soñadora. There will be a bridge with small castle-like concrete crenellation, and then shortly after a small sign calling it out. Look left as you approach the bridge and you'll see the natural beauty. Trust me, it's pretty hard to miss.
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So this spot is actually home to a small trail off to the right side of the rocks and water. It can be tricky to spot the trail as it's pretty undefined. However, we decided to do things the fun way and just go into the water and up the rocks.
Now, I can't guide you through the exact path up the rocks as that would kill the fun of the adventure (and I'd have to describe just a bunch of rocks which is no fun), but you can experiment with different pathways up to the top. Good thing you bought those hiking sandals I linked up top to protect your feet from the rocks and give you extra grip, right?
...Right???
Moving on, you're going to have to climb quite a bit. As an inexperienced waterfall climber, it took me about 20 minutes to get to the top. You can't stop at the first or second waterfall, you have to keep going up for the best spot. The only reason I even found this spot was because of my drone. I was able to fly up the waterfall and preview everything we were going to encounter. After flying up a bit, I noticed the spot and knew that was where we needed to go.
A few things to note about the climb:
1. The rocks are very, very slippery. Be careful and make sure you have some solid footing/grip before taking your next step.
2. It will rain on you. Duh, you're in a rainforest dummy. Be prepared for 10-20 minute cold showers in the hot sun, coming in and out about every 20-30 minutes.
3. Again, you're in a rainforest. Bring bug spray. Pretty self-explanatory.
4. There's nowhere really to park a car other than just on the side of the road. Be prepared to just park in the grass next to the road on the right hand side.
5. Know how to swim. There are a couple parts where you must either jump across the water from one deathly-slippery, moss covered rock to another, or you can swim 5 feet across in ~6 feet of water. Your choice.
6. The stream is pretty powerful in some parts. Watch your step and don't let yourself get pulled into the stream back down the climb.
Well that's it! This is one of Puerto Rico's many hidden treasures. This spot was so special it's on my list of places I NEED to visit again next time I'm on the island.
Make sure you watch my vlog on this little getaway:
Check out all my Puerto Rico posts on my Instagram @goudallc and stay in touch!
Thanks for reading!
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