Christine F.
Yelp
Barefoot Travelers offers more than just guest rooms!!!
I lived in Puerto Rico for 2 years researching the monkeys on the island of Cayo Santiago, and of all the activities in PR, the kayak trip out to Cayo Santiago (Monkey Island) with Keishya and Bob at Barefoot Travelers is hands down the best balance of novelty, nature, adventure, culture, and education that you can find and every bit worth the trip.
First, if you love being outside, in the water and in the sun, but just laying next to a pool makes you feel like you're being kind of a turd, then nothing will satisfy you like kayaking. You get to control the intensity of the work and the speed that you move through the waves. And when you get home from vacation you can show off how ripped you got rather than when your Medalla baby is due. At the very least you'll have EARNED that mellifluous golden 'medal.'
If kayaking alone isn't worth the trip, you also get to snorkel around one of the coolest and most diverse spots on the east side, with both a calm, crystal clear bay and exhilarating ocean waves, with views of cliffs and caves and a shipwreck where we've seen star fish, octopuses, conch, sea turtles, manatees, dolphins, and so many beautiful coral and fish. It is especially gratifying to row yourself out to an isolated snorkeling location where no one will interrupt as you explore and reconnect with your Devonian roots, and where you get to decide just how long you'll stay out before your body forgets what gravity feels like.
And if kayaking AND snorkeling isn't worth the trip, then the monkeys definitely will be. Cayo Santiago, or Monkey Island, is a unique research island of around 1,500 free-ranging rhesus macaque monkeys that has existed since 1938. The island has restricted access where only scientists are allowed to visit and observe the population, preserving the authenticity and protecting the island from reckless human impact. This trip offers a rare, full 360 view of the island where these monkeys live, and the opportunity to observe the intimate lives of the handsome males, feisty females, and their adorable infants. I have worked with these subjects for 5 years and walked this island daily, but seeing it from this different perspective let me appreciate it with new eyes.
And finally, either before or after your kayak tour, be sure to stroll the beaches and streets of Punta Santiago, the small fishing village where you will launch your kayak. You'll certainly experience Puerto Rico here like you haven't been able to at your resort. Just listen to the coquí, pet (and adopt!) a street dog or cat, grab a pastelillo and a Punta special (1 medalla + 1 shot of chichaito) at the beach bar, play some dominoes with friendly strangers and sip some coquito or homemade pitorro, listen and dance to music at the sports bar or El Limon, have a bonfire on the beach, watch the sunrise, and repeat. WEPA.
Keishya and Bob at the Barefoot Travelers have also dedicated their lives to becoming expert hang gliders and offer hang gliding tours off the mountains of the gorgeous El Yunque national rainforest and I highly recommend staying in their comfortable home with a relaxing pool and a short walk to the beach.
I encourage anyone visiting Puerto Rico to make time for the unique and fulfilling experiences that Barefoot Travelers has to offer !BUEN VIAJE!