Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico – What you should know

Puerto Rico is a US territory and combines Caribbean climate with big-city infrastructure: San Juan with its Spanish colonial old town and the forts of El Morro and San Cristóbal, plus El Yunque in the east, the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System. Daytime highs average between 28°C (82°F) in winter and 31–32°C (88–90°F) in summer, and nights stay warm at 23–26°C (73–79°F). Sunshine of 6 to 7.5 hours a day is somewhat less than on the drier neighbouring islands.

The figures represent the north coast around San Juan, which is exposed to the trade-wind clouds and has rain days all year, 7 to 13 a month on average. February and March are driest at 65–85 mm (2.6–3.3 in). From May to November, 120–185 mm (4.7–7.3 in) falls a month, and November is the wettest at around 185 mm (7.3 in) on 13 rain days. The south coast around Ponce and Guánica lies in the rain shadow of the mountains and is markedly drier.

The hurricane season runs from June to November, with August to October the most dangerous stretch. Particularly worthwhile are the bioluminescent bays at Vieques, Fajardo and La Parguera and the beaches of Culebra. Anyone mixing city and beach is best off from February to April. December to February is the high season, and hotel prices in San Juan are higher in those months, but the beaches are still less crowded than on some neighbouring islands.