Puerto Rico
Feliz Año Nuevo! New Year’s and Three Kings Day in Puerto Rico
Program No. 22153RJ
Experience the traditions of Puerto Rico and discover the island’s incredible culture while celebrating New Year’s and Three Kings Day! Explore the city, villages, museums and more!
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9 days
8 nights
22 meals
8B 7L 7D
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
San Juan - Isla Verde
8
Three King Day , Old San Juan
San Juan - Isla Verde
9
Program Concludes
San Juan - Isla Verde
At a Glance
Learn about and share in the New Year’s traditions of Puerto Rico. Join in local celebrations of the New Year and Three Kings Day — the Epiphany — and survey the variety of regional music, art, folklore and cuisine across the island. In bustling San Juan, explore the Old City and visit Haciendas in Ponce and Manati. Meet locals in the north while discovering small fishing villages and an underground cave system, and celebrate New Year’s Eve itself with live music at a beautiful resort at Ponce in southern Puerto Rico.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walk 2 miles some days; standing indoors up to 20 minutes.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Celebrate New Year’s Eve in authentic Puerto Rican fashion at a beautiful resort in southern Puerto Rico.
- Visit to Manantial De Guayaney an stunning natural spring located in the heart of Manatí, Puerto Rico.
- During San Juan’s City at Night celebration, walk from one small restaurant to the next sampling authentic local food while you peruse art galleries, craft shops and city plazas.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Andrea Torres
Andrea was born and raised in Puerto Rico and studied at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. She has been an active travel educator for over four years, leading trips through the only tropical rainforest in the United States, El Yunque, where she met her first Road Scholar group. “Being outdoors and leading travelers is my way of life,” she says. “It brings me joy to share my passion with others and to educate individuals on some of the amazing wonders of the world.”
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Andrea Torres
View biography
Andrea was born and raised in Puerto Rico and studied at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. She has been an active travel educator for over four years, leading trips through the only tropical rainforest in the United States, El Yunque, where she met her first Road Scholar group. “Being outdoors and leading travelers is my way of life,” she says. “It brings me joy to share my passion with others and to educate individuals on some of the amazing wonders of the world.”
Suggested Reading List
(8 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Feliz Año Nuevo! New Year’s and Three Kings Day in Puerto Rico
Program Number: 22153
Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity
This book uses historical and interview data to trace the development of Puerto Rican identity in the 20th century. It analyzes how and why Puerto Ricans have maintained a clear sense of distinctiveness in the face of direct and indirect pressures on their identity. After gaining sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898, the United States undertook a sustained campaign to Americanize the island. Despite 50 years of active Americanization and another 40 years of continued United States sovereignty over the island, Puerto Ricans retain a sense of themselves as distinctly and proudly Puerto Rican. This study examines the symbols of Puerto Rican identity, and their use in the complex politics of the island. It shows that identity is dynamic, it is experienced differently by individuals across Puerto Rican society, and that the key symbols of Puerto Rican identity have not remained static over time. Through the study of Puerto Rico, the book investigates and challenges the widely-heard argument that the inevitable result of the export of U.S. mass media and consumer culture throughout the world is the weakening of cultural identities in receiving societies. The book develops the idea that external pressure on collective identity may strengthen that identity rather than, as is often assumed, diminish it.
Puerto Rico Mio: Four decades of change
It is a sizable picture book
Stories from Puerto Rico
The book will fill you in on how the natives discovered the Spaniards weren’t Gods, and other local legends.
Lonely Planet - Puerto Rico
This is one of the best travel guidebooks for Puerto Rico covering:
lodging and dining options to satisfy every budget and taste
natural and historical treasures, including the rain forest of El Yunque and colorful Old San Juan
the best spots for diving, surfing, sailing, hiking, caving and more
handy Spanish language chapter
30 detailed city and regional maps
Insight Guide Puerto Rico
Insight Guide Puerto Rico includes a section detailing Puerto Rico's history, 8 features covering the island's life and culture, ranging from its exuberant festivals to its carved religious figures, a region by region visitor's guide to the sights, and a comprehensive Travel Tips section packed with essential contact addresses and numbers. Plus 15 maps and many amazing photographs.
Puerto Rico - Island in the Sun
Puerto Rico, Island in the Sun is a compact, hardcover pictorial book in the coffee-table book format (measuring 10 x 9 inches) with color photographs and English-language text. The photographs and accompanying captions present the scenery, beaches, architecture, geography, culture, and history of Puerto Rico, with a special emphasis on aerial photographs and Viejo (Old) San Juan.
This is the fourth book on Puerto Rico from author-photographer Roger LaBrucherie, whose books on Barbados, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, and Hawaii have made him a leading photographer of tropical islands. His previous three titles on Puerto Rico have been best-sellers on the island for more than two decades. In addition to his stunning, award-winning photography, Mr. LaBrucherie brings to his work the perspective on the Caribbean gained from his training and service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, as well as his years spent living throughout the Caribbean.
Explore Puerto Rico
Harry Pariser gives you detailed information on little-known towns, parks, reserves and offshore islands. His ecologically-aware perspective provides a refreshing look at archaeological sites, preserves and rugged rain forest environments. Old San Juan, El Yunque and the Caribbean National Forest, Palmas del Mar, Ponce, Guanica, Mayaguez, Mona Island, Vieques, Culebra, Arecibo, Camuy, Barranquitas and San German are but a few of the chapters in this book. Each region is covered extensively, with details on where to stay and eat, sailing, chartering and deep-sea adventures, snorkeling and diving, and the best bird watching and hiking spots. Practical travel tips abound, and the introductory sections on the island's culture, history, geography, religion and customs will stand you in good stead for your next trip. Color photos and maps round out the picture.
Stories from Puerto Rico/Historias de Puerto Rico
In this book the Spanish and English stories are side by side--lado a lado--so you can practice and improve your reading skills in your new language while enjoying the support of your native language. This way, you'll avoid the inconvenience of constantly having to look up unfamiliar words and expressions in a dictionary. Read as much as you can understand, and then look to the facing page for help. As you read, you can check your comprehension by comparing the two versions of the story. You'll also find a bilingual vocabulary list at the end of the book, so you'll have a handy reference for new words.
Stories from Puerto Rico/Historias de Puerto Rico allows you to explore the island's rich history. It includes 18 well-known Puerto Rican legends that stretch from the dawn of creation to the twentieth century. These tales will introduce you to an array of characters as dynamic and colorful as the country that gave birth to them. Animals, indigenous peoples, conquistadors, spiritual beings, and extraterrestrials are among those who will make these pages come alive for you! As you read these stories side by side, you will be not only fine-tuning your language skills but also gaining insight into the rich cultural heritage of the Puerto Rican people.