Cross San Juan Bay by ferry, if available, or by local bus through Santurce neighborhood, and get to know another side of Puerto Rico's capital city! This 3.5-hour guided tour with a local resident provides a firsthand look at the Caño Martín Peña and the working-class communities surrounding this vital waterway. Visit the banking sector of Hato Rey and take a local train to or from Sacred Heart, and enjoy a unique glimpse at San Juan then and now. This small-group tour is limited to 20 people, ensuring personalized attention from your guide.
Meet your local guide and small group at the Old Harbor in San Juan and start your tour with an introduction to the history of coffee. At a local coffee shop, learn about the crop's impact on the urban environment, social life and culture of Puerto Rico, and hear tales of its trade route since the 19th century.
Then, hop aboard the AcuaExpreso for a 20- to 25-minute ferry ride from the port of Old San Juan to Hato Rey. If not available, we will travel on a local bus through the Santurce neighborhood. This buses travel on an exclusive lane, so traffic does not affect the ride. Before departure, enjoy a complimentary snack bag that includes fruit, a bottle of water and a power bar. Cross San Juan Bay and enjoy a splendid view of San Juan Harbor as well as the towns of Catano, Isla de Cabras, Isla Grande Airport, the convention center and the capitol building. Cruise through mangroves en route to the port of Hato Rey, where you'll disembark for a short walking tour past the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum - used for concerts, games and cultural activities.
Your first stop is the banking area or Golden Mile, an area once occupied by farmers who emigrated from the countryside during the late 1920s-1960s in search of better living conditions in the capital city. Your guide will describe the area's transformation and the influence on nearby communities, providing historical photographs via tablets for visual reference.
Next, head to the Hato Rey train station and board a commuter train to Sacred Heart. When your small group arrives, walk to the Caño Martín Peña Bridge, designed by Cecilio Delgado in an art deco style in 1939 and later listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. You'll learn about the eight different communities that border Caño Martín Peña, 3.75-mile-long (6 km-long) body of water connecting the bay of San Juan with the Corozos and San Jose lagoons.
Your guide, a local community resident, will enlighten your small group about this invaluable natural resource and some of the conditions that affect more than 27,000 residents living close to 'el Caño.' Afterward, board a train to Roosevelt Station and follow your guide on foot between high-rise buildings, now the banking area or Golden Mile, to Pottery Street - a surviving remnant of the community once known as Tokyo.
After a 10-minute walk to Hato Rey Port, return with your guide to Old San Juan on the AcuaExpreso, if available, or take the bus to Old San Juan.
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Minimum age is 13 years
- It is recommended that you wear comfortable walking shoes and sunscreen
- Please note: there is a possibility the ferry could be delayed. If that occurs on the day of your tour, you will ride an bus as transportation instead
Departure Date Monday, Wednesday, Saturday Departure Time 9:30am Tour Details Discover San Juan: Hato Rey and Caño Martín Peña
