Take a Relaxing Trip on the Río Espíritu Santo
The town of Río Grande has branded itself as the “Cuidad del Yunque” — the “City of El Yunque”. While El Yunque National Forest is certainly the highlight, there are a few other things of interest to do here.
Río Grande is also home to the only navigable river in Puerto Rico — the Río Espíritu Santo.
The Río Espíritu Santo starts high up in El Yunque rain forest, where you can play in waterfalls and see petroglyphs. It runs down the mountain for miles, flattens out, and eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, it is joined by a number of other rivers and streams, making it wider and deeper. Small craft can easily use the lower part of the river to enjoy the scenery and wildlife along the way.
La Paseadora is a small, family-run company that has been offering enjoyable boat trips up and down the river for years.
Our Trip
We made reservations for a group trip, and we met up with our friends at the La Paseadora facility one recent Sunday afternoon.
After everyone got there, we walked down to the boat ramp, which is in an area planted with flowers and bananas, with a small view of the river. In the “waiting area”, there are benches and tables where you can sit until it is time to board. I hear you can stay a while after your trip, to have a picnic or just to enjoy the riverside.
When it was time to go, we boarded the pontoon boat. There were about 13 people doing the tour with us, and the boat holds 15 people (plus crew).
As we motored slowly down the river, the narrator gave us some info about the river, the scenery, local legends, and the wildlife we were seeing along the way. The river itself is a nature reserve, but recreational activities and fishing (and crabbing, at times) are allowed.
We saw water fowl, iguanas (big ones!), turtles, mangrove forests, giant bamboo, and other shoreline vegetation. There were views of El Yunque and the Atlantic Ocean (once we reached the end of the river). I enjoyed seeing the local fishermen in their boats.
At times, because this river opens to the ocean, they said they have seen dolphins, manatees and even the occasional shark (though we didn’t see any of those on our trip).
I thought it was a relaxing ride down-river — natural and interesting. Once we got to the ocean, they turned the boat around, passed out bottled water and snacks, turned on some music, and we made our way back up-river.
Observations & Comments
While we enjoyed this trip, this is definitely a “local” experience. By that, I mean that they cater to Spanish-speaking visitors. Others are welcome, but narration during the trip is done in Spanish (not really bilingual).
Our group (of 7) had some English-only speakers, so they had an “interpreter” join us, which was great.
The music they played on the way back up-river was loud salsa music — which (for me) detracted from the natural feel of the river trip. But it got some of the guests dancing” in their seats!
They need at least 10 people to run the trip, so this is perfect for local groups, family get-togethers, and parties. Couples and small families can join others on a weekend trip.
Details
The cost for this trip is about $25 per person. Kids are a little less. Infants and children under 2 are free.
They run about 4 trips per day on Thursdays- Sundays. Thursdays and Fridays are for private group tours only. A minimum of 10 people is required for the boat to go out. Saturdays and Sundays, they can do group tours and also take individual bookings. They have 2 boats, and each boat can accommodate up to 15 people reservations are required.
They require a minimum of 10 people to make a trip. If you have a group of less then 10 people and want a private tour, they will do the trip for the full 10 person boat price. For individuals, they have trips on Saturdays and Sundays, where you join other individuals. There is a 250 lb weight limit per person (for boat balance reasons), so ask about that.
The trip on the river is about 1.75 hours.
You can call or message via WhatsApp at 787-612-3075 (Spanish or English) for reservations for more information.
You can visit their Facebook page for more info.
They are located on the marginal on the north side of Route 3 KM 25.2 in Río Grande, a little east of Road 186 and the entrance ramp for Route 66.
The photo of La Paseadora boat is from La Paseadora del Río Espíritu Santo Facebook page, and is used with their permission.
Click on a placename below to view the location on Google Maps ...
Puerto Rico Day Trips LLC assumes no responsibility regarding your safety when participating in the activities described in this article. Please use common sense! If your mother or that little voice in your head tells you that you are about to do something stupid … then don't do it!
