9 Unique Things To Do In San Juan Puerto Rico
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Last updated on June 26, 2025
No judgment if you want to lounge by the pool or beach all day sipping piña coladas on your trip to San Juan. After all, San Juan is home to incredible beaches and where the piña colada originated!
However, if you want to explore some of San Juan’s more unique destinations and activities, you’ve come to the right place. There are loads of unique things to do in San Juan and the surrounding area. From paddling through a mangrove forest, tasting 40-year-old rum, and sliding down waterfalls, this list will show you some of the more unique things to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Table of Contents
Unique things to do in San Juan
Before we continue, I want to clarify why these are considered “unique things to do in San Juan.” Many activities will overlap with common things to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico like exploring Old San Juan.
However, I’m sharing these activities with a “unique” spin because San Juan is often one of the few places you can do these things worldwide. Each section will share why it’s unique and unlike other places that may have similar offerings.
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1. Paddle in a year-round bioluminescent lagoon
Puerto Rico is hardly the only place in the world where you can see bioluminescence. However, it is one of the few places to experience this phenomenon year-round! Most other bioluminescent bays, lagoons, or beaches are seasonal – meaning you may or may not get to see them on your trip.
Puerto Rico, however, is home to three year-round bioluminescent bays allowing visitors to revel in the magic of this phenomena. The closest area to see bioluminescence from San Juan is at Laguna Grande in Fajardo. This lagoon which passes through a long stretch of Mangroves is about an hour and fifteen minutes east of San Juan.
We did this tour and it was one of our favorite things we did on our trip to San Juan! There is still an element of timing to experience bioluminescence in Puerto Rico’s bays. You don’t want to visit on a full moon, but rather a new moon when the sky is the darkest. You can book a kayak tour with transportation from the San Juan center below.
2. Visit a 500-year-old fort + walk inside a WII bunker
San Juan is the second oldest city in the Caribbean. Over 550 years old, this city is oozing with charm and history. Every travel guide for San Juan will tell you to visit Old San Juan.
It’s hands down, the top thing to do. There are dozens of fascinating sites to visit in Old San Juan like:
- Catedral de San Juan, the second oldest Church in the New World and resting place of Juan Ponce de Leon.
- La Fortaleza, the oldest state residence of the New World and the current Governor’s Palace.
- Puerto de San Juan, the last original port from the colonial walled city.
- Paseo del Morro, a 1.5-mile walkway outside of the fortress walls.
- Capilo de Cristo, an old sanctuary with an alter room embossed in silver.
But two top sites in Old San Juan are Castillo San Felipe de Morro and Castillo San Cristóbal. Castillo San Felipe is at the northwestern tip of Old San Juan and has rooms dating back to the early 16th century. The U.S. National Park Service manages the fortresses today and costs $20 to enter or is free with a national park pass.
Both fortresses are super cool with loads of tunnels, narrow staircases, and even a WWII bunker from when the U.S. Walking inside these old fortresses is definitely one of the most unique things to do in San Juan!
3. Make mofongo + try traditional Puerto Rican foods
Nothing is more unique to Puerto Rico than its food. Puerto Rican cuisine is a blend of different cultures including the indigenous Taino peoples who lived here before colonization, the Spanish, and African, from the Caribbean slave trade.
We took a food and history walking tour in Old San Juan and learned SO much about the city, Puerto Rico, and its food. Our favorite part was making mofongo. While arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) is Puerto Rico’s official national dish, mofongo is a close second.
This dish consists of mashed plantains with garlic and butter or oil, stuffed with meat, fish, or other fillings cooked in a sofrito. You can find mofongo on nearly every menu in Puerto Rico, but not many places will allow you to make your own. One stop on this tour allowed us to smash our own plantains which was such a fun interactive experience.
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4. Slide down a waterfall in El Yunque
El Yunque is Puerto Rico’s only temperate rainforest. Located roughly an hour and fifteen minutes east of San Juan, this is one of the top destinations to visit on a San Juan vacation. There are dozens of hiking trails, waterfalls, and beautiful vistas to visit in El Yunque, but what makes this one of the most unique things to do in San Juan is sliding down the waterfalls!
This guided tour takes you from San Juan to El Yunque on a 7-hour day trip. The guide will take you through the forest to three waterfalls, one of which you can slide down and swim in the cool river. On the way back you stop at a local restaurant for fresh authentic Puerto Rican cuisine before driving back.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do this activity on our trip to San Juan due to heavy rains. The canyon is prone to flash flooding during the rainy season so this trip is best during the dry season.
➡ Read Next: 10 Things You Need to Now Before Visiting San Juan ⬅
5. Swim with sea turtles
Okay, I know sea turtles aren’t exclusive to Puerto Rico. However, the man-made reefs in Escambron Marine Park make it an ideal place to swim with sea turtles. And if you’re like us, we’ll take any excuse to swim with sea turtles!
You can bring your own snorkel gear like we did, or go on a guided tour with snorkel gear. Dennis didn’t get to spot any of these gentle creatures when he was swimming, but we heard loads of people yell “turtle” as they were snorkeling around.
6. Try 40-year-old rum
Bacardí is the most popular rum in the United States. Their fantastic marketing and broad market reach made it the name for rums. You can tour the Bacardí factory which is just outside of San Juan. However, we recommend taking a tour of the oldest rum distillery in Puerto Rico—Ron de Barrilitos.
We took a tour with a tasting with Get Your Guide and had an absolute blast! We visited the original distiller’s home, and the current barrel aging room, and tasted four incredible rums. After we got a complimentary cocktail which was out of this world. Honestly, they were the best cocktails we had on our trip!
The Barrilitos three-star is what most people drink on the regular. It’s smooth, delicious, and slightly sweet. But they also have a four and five-star rum that can only be purchased in Puerto Rico. The five-star is priced at over $750 a bottle because it’s been aged for 40 years! One sip and you’ll understand why it’s such a hefty price tag. It was the smoothest drink I’ve ever tasted!
It’s not often you get to taste a forty-year-old spirit. This alone is worth the cost of the tour. We loved this experience and it was one of the highlights of our trip.
7. Fly down the longest zip line in America
El Monstruo, aka the “Monster” is the longest zip line in America. The cable is 1.57 miles long (2.5 km), equal to 28 football fields 😳. This zip line isn’t for the faint of heart, its length means you can go as fast as 95 miles per hour! You go so fast you have to wear a special helmet with goggles and a body suit. They even give you a parachute in the event something goes wrong.
If you want a good laugh watch Jimmy Fallon take “the monster” which was his first ever zip line experience.
If you’re an adrenaline junky and looking for a good time a visit to Toro Verde Park is a must. Important side note, you must be over 100 pounds but not exceeding 270 pounds to go on El Monstruo zipline.
8. Dine 160 ft in the air
Continuing the theme of flying, one of the most unique things to do in San Juan is dine 160 ft in the air with Fly Dining. Once strapped into a safety seat, where your feet dangle freely, a crane will lift you into the air. Not only will you get scenic aerial views of San Juan, but they pair it with drinks, music, and a meal.
One of our followers who did this said the food was really good! We didn’t do this on our trip to San Juan for budget reasons (it’s over $150 per person), but if you’re looking for unique things to do in San Juan, this is definitely it.
9. Drink hot chocolate with cheese
The last item on our list of unique things to do in San Juan is to visit Chocobar Cortés to drink hot chocolate with cheese. 🧀 I know this might sound like an odd combination, but in Puerto Rico, this is a typical treat!
Chocobar Cortes is the go-to spot for rich and creamy hot chocolate. We went during an afternoon downpour and it hit the spot. During our visit, we met the third-generation owners who gave us one of the historic books that used to be put inside the chocolate bars to promote literacy on the island!
The company is amazing and is the chocolate maker in Puerto Rico and they have a full menu of chocolate truffles, treats, pastries, and traditional foods to enjoy during your visit.
Looking for more unique things to do in San Juan? Check out these experiences and read our other San Juan blog posts to make the most of your visit!
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