The Taino Route
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Puerto Rico
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Join this full-day trip to learn about the 5,000-year human history of Puerto Rico, a fascinating journey into the past. You are picked up at your San Juan hotel to drive in a comfortable, air-conditioned private vehicle to the town of Arecibo to visit two ancient caves filled with petroglyphs and other evidence of early human history. Also visit the Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park, and important archaeological site. Return to your hotel is included.
- Full-day, small-group trip to learn about Puerto Rico’s early human history
- Visit ancient caves filled with petroglyphs and an important archaeological site
- Snacks are included, with lunch at your expense
- San Juan hotel pickup and drop-off are included
What's Included
- Hotel/port pickup and drop-off
- Transport by private vehicle
- Driver/Professional art historian guide
- Gratuities
- Lunch
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Pick up at any location in the Metro area.
Itinerary
1
Parque Ceremonial Indigena de Caguana
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Playa Mar Chiquita
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- A maximum of 6 people per booking
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 42 reviews
Mary_S, Jan 2026
If you have an interest in indigenous cultures this is a must do! Javier is very animated and knowledgeable about the Taino people. The small museum on site is interesting. The grounds with the stone petropgyths are an intriguing look into the ancient culture of the Taino.
Barbara_D, Jun 2024
I came to learn more about the Taino people, the culture, history and the Taino area. This tour exceeded my expectations. Our guide was so knowledgeable and so friendly. I had so many questions but our guide was so patient and kind. We had an amazing time visiting the cultural site and the caves. I would recommend this tour to everyone and anyone. I went on this tour with the hope I would learn what I needed about the Taino people for my research. I learned so much and so much more. I learned about the people, culture and had a great lunch. It was like spending a day with Indiana Jones. The views were incredible and this history is so important. We must support the culture and survivance of Puerto Rico and her indigenous population.
William_T, Nov 2023
Javier is an excellent guide with a passion to tell the story of the Taino. We now have a much better appreciation for the Taino people, their culture and beliefs. Javier gladly answered our many questions and helped us to understand that not everything about the Taino people can be learned by studying the few artifacts left behind and the written notes from a Spanish explorer. Lunch and a visit to a cave ended a very special day.
Chris_K, Aug 2023
My spouse and I had a fantastic day with Javier learning about the Taino culture and much more about Puerto Rico. This private tour took us to Caguana archeological site with its ceremonial plazas and then to the Cueva del Indio site which is also a Marine and Natural Reserve. Our conversations while driving were super interesting and provided important context. Wear decent, rugged shoes to the Cueva - the "dientes de perro" limestone is wicked. Highly recommended!
joannecreuter, Jun 2023
This tour far exceeded my hopes. There is no way one could visit and understand the places we saw without Javier, a historian and archaeologist. The tour is unique and he is the real deal. It was really a privilege to explore and see eye-popping beauty and learn eye-opening archaeology, history, politics, art, science and even poetry with this expert. I felt I was getting a unique tour from a friend. I didn't think it could get much better until I went on Javier's Sacred Rainforest Tour. I urge you to take that one too. All the five-star reviews before mine are completely right. Javier's car is gorgeous and comfortable; he even has videos to show you. I am kind of creaky, and Javier enabled me to enjoy everything, although the less creaky crowd will have opportunities to push a bit further to the pools and waterfalls in the woods. Really great value for the money. If you go on Road Scholar trips, this was like one of them.
Julie_G, Apr 2023
The wonderful discussions we had about the culture of the Taino and their artforms. Also loved the discussions with my fellow travelers and the guide about Puerto Rico culture and politics now.
Amy_C, Mar 2022
Javier knew so much about the history of Los Tainos as well as the interconnection between the islands and mesoamérica. His passion for Puerto Rico was beautiful and we're so grateful to him for sharing his knowledge with us
Amie_W, Oct 2021
Javier was a wonderful guide, he really brought the Taino period to life for us. The views were incredible, we saw more than I had imagined, and got to taste fruit right off the trees. Lunch was incredibly good, and he was a great driver as well.
Gloria_A, Sep 2021
We had an amazing experience with Javier! He's super knowledgeable and answered all our questions. We were able to change plans as the weather changed and always felt safe. We really wanted to see the indigenous history of Puerto Rico and Javier delivered!
Brian_P, May 2021
This was a fantastic day, with a fantastic guide! I would highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in the island's history.
Naidene_G, Apr 2021
Just learning the culture was amazing! The Guide was very informative and showed passion behind his work. Made the tour that much better.
Patricia_B, Mar 2020
This was the best tour I have ever taken. I am an avid traveler; I've been to over a dozen different countries. This was by far the best tour I have ever taken. Javier is incredibly passionate, knowledge, and friendly. He has a vast knowledge of Taino history, Puerto Rican history and culture, Caribbean history, and of wildlife. Believe me you won't regret booking this tour. It was worth every penny and so much more.
MyLinda_B, Mar 2020
We really enjoyed our day long excursion with Javier. He is so passionate and knowledgeable about the Taino culture, but also so many other things related to archaeology, history and Puerto Rican culture. Javier was able to show us more things and give us more information than we would have gotten with the standard tours at the sites we visited. Additionally, because he was so knowledgeable, it was not unusual for other people to move in and want to listen to what he was telling us. Javier also brought us to 2 local restaurants in the course of the day that were excellent. Javier offers several other tours in Puerto Rico and we are definitely planning to take those the next time we are in Puerto Rico.
Carol_E, Oct 2019
Javier was AMAZING!!! We really enjoyed spending the entire day with him and learning about the Tainos! He is such a great conversationalist that me, my husband and Javier never ran out of things to talk about! Cueva Ventana was absolutely stunning! This was a once in a lifetime experience and was worth every penny! You won't regret it! Thanks, Javier! .
Valerie_L, Jun 2019
Javier is very knowledgeable about archeology and Puerto Rico’s history. Climbing the caves was challenging for me but he made it all easy. Highly recommended
Joanna C, Jun 2019
This is a fabulous introduction to pre-colonial island history. Javier is an excellent guide; so knowledgeable and generous! He picked us up at our airbnb, drove us around in a lovely SUV, fed us delicious food, and taught us much about the Taino people. We enjoyed his tour so much, we have already booked another!
Adam_S, Mar 2018
Seeing the history of this island come alive with the expertise of the archeologist guide is like what I imagine seeing Vienna through the eyes of Mozart might be. This is a truly unique experience to see petroglyphs, symbolic carvings made by the Taino people over 500 years ago. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. I made the mistake of forgetting to inform them ahead of time that I'm vegetarian since lunch is part of the trip, and Javier quickly adjusted the plan and took us to a wonderful local restaurant that had vegetarian options. I can't recommend this tour enough!
Robert O, Aug 2017
From the moment Javier picked us up for this amazing day to the end of the day, our experience was awesome! Javier is friendly, informative, helpful, and fun! His knowledge of the Taino civilization added great commentary to what we were seeing. Without him, this experience would not have been as good. He answered many of our questions with helpful information to help us understand about the Tainos. On the cave portion of this trip, he helped show us more about the Tainos via petroglyphs, pictographs, etc found on the cave walls that the cave tour guide did not explain. Since it rained and the ground was a bit muddy and slippery, he was able to help us down some of the steps and other parts of the trail. We also learned about flora and fauna of where we were and even got to see a rarely seen snake and a huge spider in its web along the hike. Javier's knowledge of anthropology, archaeology, and history was super and made our trip a real learning treat. I would recommend this trip to anyone interested in learning about the early history and civilizations of Puerto Rico. It's meant to both young and old as well!!
What I can recommend is that you wear good walking shoes, especially if it's wet and possibly slippery. Even though I was wearing hiking sandals, this was not enough. I would recommend wearing sneakers with a good tread to help you along the way. Hiking boots are not needed!
From my experience with Javier on this trip, I would recommend taking more of his trips as he is really great!
Justin A, Jul 2017
First off Javier makes this adventure amazing. His knowledge and his pure joy of talking about our island and native heritage kept me excited. The caves are beautiful. The ceremonial grounds are humbling. The experience was one of a kind. We even hooked a second tour in the forest. Do his tours.
Niping W, Jul 2017
I was a bit worried when I booked this tour as there were no prior reviews. However, it turned out to be a five-star experience. Our guide Javier, who holds a master's degree in archeology, shared with us his extensive knowledge about the history, culture and mythology of Puerto Rico. Both my kids and myself have learned a lot from him. Javier is also a very kind and considerate person, and took good care of us. Finally, riding in the new and spacious Audi SUV and having delicious mofongo for lunch further enhance our experience.
From $210.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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The Taino Route
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