Snorkeling & Wildlife: Puerto Rico With Your Grandchild

Program Registration: 5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived.

At a restaurant in walking distance of the hotel.

Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar intergenerational program. Grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren. If/when separate age group activities are conducted concurrently, program staff will supervise. Children are never to be left unsupervised. Minors must be accompanied by an adult family member on all outdoor activities. Everyone taking part in water field trips must be able to swim. Because our days will be full, we are not scheduling many evening activities. We will also have some “down” time to absorb what each day offers. This is a great time for families to spend time together sharing what these experiences mean to you. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, stroll along the boardwalk, or just relax, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We will board our motorcoach and ride to Bosque Nacional El Yunque — El Yunque National Forest — about 30 miles away and go zip-lining! A zip-line is a pulley suspended on a steel cable at an incline. We’ll have instruction on strapping into a harness and letting gravity carry us. Our zip-lining adventure will involve moving through a series of eight platforms anchored on rocks and trees. This state-of-the-art, carbon fiber zip-line system is more flexible and durable than traditional steel cord systems and unique in the Caribbean. Each of us will have one harness for the chest and one for the waist for stability and safety.

At a local restaurant.

We'll hop back on our motorcoach for the ride to the El Yunque National Park where we’ll be joined by an expert local naturalist and explore the El Portal Visitors Center. Our naturalist will provide an introduction to the rainforest and we’ll watch a short video. After our introduction to the park, we’ll go hiking on one of the beautiful trails. El Yunque — also known as the Caribbean National Forest — is the only the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. national forest system. It was originally set aside as a reserve by the King of Spain in 1876 and became part of the U.S. forest system in 1903. Today it covers 28,000 acres with more than 240 species of trees and plants including 88 rare tree species, 50 native orchid species, and 150 types of ferns as well as abundant wildlife. More than 240 inches of rain fall here each year. That’s more than 100 billion gallons! One of the rarest species of wildlife here is the highly endangered Puerto Rican Parrot. There are very few of them left and their primary habitat is in the mountains, but be on the lookout for a bright green parrot about a foot long with red above its beak and blue wing feathers. You might get lucky!

At local restaurant

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We will check out of the hotel and hop aboard our motorcoach. On our way to Guanica, we’ll stop at Finca Don Manuel to visit a Puertorican Farm

At the Farm

Arriving at our beach resort hotel, we will check in, change into bathing suits, and have snorkeling practice led by a snorkeling instructor. If you have already had experience snorkeling, this will be a refresher.

At a local restaurant.

We will take the motorcoach to La Parguera Bay where we will embark on a nighttime study cruise by boat with our Group Leader. If everything is the way we hope, we’ll see a bioluminescent “light show” produced by microorganisms called dinoflagellates that shimmer when the water is disturbed. We will have some time to swim and play among the glowing plankton. This is one of the most famous bioluminescent bodies of water in the world and the only one in Puerto Rico where swimming is allowed. We’ll return to the hotel after our field trip.

At the hotel.

We will ride back to La Parguera Bay and board a boat with our Group Leader for a field trip to the coral reed, about a mile offshore. There, we will have a snorkeling field trip. The reef provides food and shelter for a wide variety of marine life found in La Parguera Nature Reserve. The reef averages between 3 to 10 feet in depth with great visibility. We’ll return to shore after our field trip and ride to lunch.

At a local café. Afterwards, we’ll return to the hotel.

Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.

At the hotel.

We’ll set out on a walking field trip along the mangroves by the beach. With their intricate root systems, these mangrove forests encourage the deposition of sediment by slowing the flow of water; they also protect coastlines from erosion, storm surge, and tsunamis. Returning to the hotel, prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We’ll check out of the hotel and board the motorcoach to begin our transfer back to San Juan.

At a local restaurant.

Walking through the old city and visit El Morro Fort then get back aboard the motorcoach and ride to El Yunque. Come and discover the nightlife of El Yunque National Forest! Enjoy an interpretive walk where you might see and hear nocturnal wildlife from established trails. This rainforest is home to many endemic and native species of the islands of Puerto Rico, including some coquíes, such as the mountain coquí (Eleutherodactylus portoricensis) and the melodious coquí (Eleutherodactylus wightmanae).

At your leisure.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

After taking the motorcoach to the Marina in Fajardo, we’ll board a catamaran and sail out to small, tranquil Culebra Island for a full-day field trip. Most of the island is a nature reserve. Culebra is situated between the main island of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, one of the Caribbean’s most pristine eco-destinations with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We’ll snorkel under expert guidance in breathtakingly beautiful and warm turquoise waters. With luck, we may see turtles, colorful fish, and other marine life.

Aboard the catamaran.

Next, our Captain will select a beach with the best conditions where we will be able to continue swimming, snorkeling, and beach combing as we like in the company of our expert Group Leader. There are white and dark sand beaches, shallow and deep coral reefs, cays, and many rocky points.

At a restaurant featuring local cuisine. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Back at the hotel, we’ll have an informal wrap-up session to chat about our learning adventure on this magical island. Then prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel. This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!