East Coast.

Most travelers to eastern Puerto Rico come to see and hike El Yunque, the island's second-most-visited tourist destination after Old San Juan, and probably the world's most user-friendly rain forest. Others come for the east coast's three sprawling resort hotels, half a dozen excellent golf courses, the US Navy base, and one of the biggest yachting and sailing charter ports in the Caribbean. But this side of the island has much to offer that eludes most visitors to Puerto Rico, from a glorious, six-mile stretch of deserted beach between Luquillo and Las Cabezas de San Juan, to the red cliffs and lonely lighthouse in the southeast. As with most places, you have to scratch the surface to find the hidden rewards here. Spend a day or two wandering around Loiza Aldea and talking to locals (or attending their fiestas patronales in late July) to get a deeper understanding of Afro-Caribbean culture. One of the old fishermen of Las Croabas may take you cay-hopping in his wooden sloop, setting you down on some deserted islet to swim in opaque waters. Local surfers gather at a few little-known breaks. Or visit one of the two other nature reserves on the east coast--Las Cabezas to San Juan and Humacao--where exotic waterfowl, mangrove and dry tropical forest ecosystems and a bioluminescent lagoon await.

Getting Here & Getting Around

* By Land

In the north, Hwy. 3 runs from Rio Piedras in the San Juan area to Fajardo. The easiest way to join Hwy. 3 from Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde, though, is via Carr. 26.

TIP: Beware of Hwy. 3, which is studded with traffic lights and often congested. The drive from San Juan to Fajardo can take an hour or more on this route. Avoid traveling eastward during rush hour (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays) and, unless you're game for a stop-and-start road rally, avoid the westbound side on Sunday afternoons.

A longer but infinitely more scenic route from San Juan to Hwy. 3 is via Carr. 187 through Pinones and Loiza. At least you can stop amid palm groves for a dip in the sea here, if the driving gets you down. Unfortunately, plans for a toll highway (Route 66) along the northeast have stalled due to a political spat over funding. So for now, get used to the stop and go.

If you're headed from San Juan to Humacao or points south on the east coast, take Carr. 18 to Hwy. 52 and then Hwy. 30 from Caguas, skirting El Yunque rain forest. And if you arrive from the south, Hwy. 53 and Carr. 3 alternately sweep you along a photogenic stretch of coastline. Hwy. 53, from Fajardo south to Yabucoa, is the only toll road on the east coast--a rare, open speedway, navigable in 30 minutes or less.