elyunque.com

Punta Tuna lighthouse scenic roads #2 Eastern Puerto Rico Maunabo
Punta Tuna lighthouse The town beach of Maunabo is lined with coconut trees Maunabo kids on the beach

With a good road map and a rental car you can see it all!

Highway #53 from Fajardo to Yabucoa is very scenic. Above photos taken at Playa Maunabo. Drive past Humacao, to the end of the highway. Get onto road #901 to Maunabo. go through the tunnel. turn right and then a quick left to the second most scenic lighthouse in Puerto Rico. ( Number one is in Cabo Rojo)

pico este. panoramic view of eastern el yunque from highway

Humacao to Yabucoa: Travel on scenic road along the southeast coast from Yabucoa to Maunabo. Going South from the end of the super highway, be sure to take road #901 ( scenic drive on the cliffs by the sea) towards the southeast end of Puerto Rico. You could stay the night or spend the day around the light house and Maunabo beach and return toward Fajardo.

punta tuna lighhouse and beach in Maunabo Puerto Rico

Punta Tuna lighthouse • 'El View' Restaurant on #901



The point in the distance is Punta Tuna with the picturesque Punta Tuna Lighthouse. The beach you see is wonderful to walk on and the swimming is not safe due to undercurrents, good only when it is very calm. It is a popular beach for surfers. This is a MUST stop, the beach just east and the beach just west of Punta Tuna lighthouse, now open to the public.

If you see the beautiful flowering Flamboyant trees in full bloom that's an announcement that summer is here and so are the summer fruit! Summer also means good snorkeling, warmer days and nights and calm oceans. and the summer retreats in the mountains are very popular. Cool evenings and hot days spent on the beach. July is a breezy month. Great sailing. August is the most difficult as the winds will die down while shifting around. September has its storms.

Flamboyant trees are not originally from Puerto Rico. They have been traditionally used to line the roads because they provide the best shade and their branches reach all the way across the road. In the days of horse and carriage this was extremely important, you could ride all day in the shade. Prizes were awarded to the farmers who maintained the best sides of the road with a covering shade.

Fruits in Puerto Rico are best purchased by the side of the road. Avocado season is June, July and August but varies with the variety and altitude at which they are grown. Other seasonally summer fruits are Mangoes and Quenepas. Papayas, Acerolas, Parchas (passion fruit) and Pineapples have a varied season.


THE PANORAMIC ROADS OF PUERTO RICO
TRAVEL GUIDE TO PUERTO RICO