The Puerto Rico Local Arrangements Committee invites you to experience the history, culture and nature of this beautiful island.  Arrive for the conference a few days early, stay after the sessions are over and bring your family. Our local volunteers in Puerto Rico have worked with a tour company, Innocation DMC, to develop the tours below, scheduled to coincide with breaks in the conference schedule. However, the regional teams are not endorsing any particular tour company, and participants are eligible to pursue tour opportunities through any operator in Puerto Rico. Regions III and VII have no liability for the tour and they should be booked  directly with the provider.

The San Cristobal Fort & Old San Juan Walking Tour

Fort San Cristóbal stands guard at what was once the eastern
gate to the walled city of Old San Juan. If you are interested in history, enjoy a walk on the ramparts, where half a millennium ago Spanish soldiers held their watch. If you love to photograph spectacular views, this fort is a goldmine for you after the for you will enjoy a 1 ½ hour tour of Old San Juan; this is a 465-year-old neighborhood originally conceived as a military stronghold. Its 7-square-block area has evolved into a charming residential and commercial district. The streets here are paved with cobbles of adoquine, a blue stone cast from furnace slag; they were brought over ballast on Spanish ships and time and moisture have lent them their characteristic color. The city includes more than 400 carefully restored 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial buildings.

Cost: $50.00 (includes tax)
Saturday October 13th 8:30am-1:00pm
Sunday October 14th 8:30am-1:00pm
Monday October 15th 8:30am-1:00pm
**Tuesday October 16th 2012 3:00pm-7:00pm

** Only Tuesday tour will include the:
The Le-Lo-Lai Festival is a wonderful cultural program of traditional music and dance, sponsored by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.The Festival consists of different dances and music of the island and its heritage. These shows are free of cost and are amazingly high quality. They are offered at different places around San Juan, and are well worth the trip to see a performance ONLY Tuesdays at 6pm at Fort San Cristobal.

El Yunque Tropical Rain Forest

A trip to Puerto Rico will not be complete unless you visit the beautiful and exotic El Yunque rain forest, a jungle of tropical and subtropical trees and plants, giant fern, orchids, waterfalls and trailing vines. The whole area of 29,000 acres is included in the Caribbean National Forest System, the largest in the U.S. National Forest System used as a Biospheric Reserve.

Cost: $45.00 (includes tax)
Saturday October 13th 8:00am-1:00pm
Sunday October 14th 8:00am-1:00pm
Monday October 15th 8:00am-1:00pm

Bacardi Rum Factory & Plaza las Américas:

Tour of the world's largest rum distillery, Bacardi Museum, and be rewarded with a tasty sample at the end of your visit. Bacardi offers a tour of the largest and most modern rum distillery in the world. Also includes its museum, bottling plant and gardens. After the tour you will be treated to complimentary rum drinks while enjoying a beautiful view of San Juan across the bay. After visiting the Bacardí Rum Distillery on the other side of the San Juan Bay, is the fascinating city of Old San Juan. Plaza Las Américas is a whopping 2.1 million square feet shopping center situated in the heart of the San Juan metropolitan area.

Cost: $45.00 (includes tax)
Saturday October 13th 8:45am-1:00pm
Sunday October 14th 8:45am-1:00pm
Monday October 15th 8:45am-1:00pm

Rio Camuy Cave Park & Arecibo Observatory

Located on the northwest side of the island. The extensive subterranean cave systems of the park are reported to be the largest in the Western Hemi-sphere. Your visit to the park begins with a short video as you wait to board the open air trolleys, which twist and turn their way through the road carved out of verdant foliage before reaching the moss lined entrance to the cave. After this ten-minute trolley ride, multilingual cave guides will escort you on foot through the enor-mous cave, 200 feet high and a half-mile long. A large opening at one end of the cave allows light to filter through part of the cave, creating beautiful photographic opportunities. Arecibo Observatory, site of the world’s largest electronic radiotelescope – the huge dish of which is 1000 feet in diameter, and is suspended above an underlying karst sinkhole.

Cost: $85.00p/p (includes Tax)
Saturday October 13th 7:30am-3:30pm
Sunday October 14th 7:30am-3:30pm

Kayaking- Bioluminescent Lagoon at Las Cabezas Preserve

This excursion is a 1-hour bus ride outside of San Juan. Enjoy one of Puerto Rico's most exciting Eco-tourism adventures. Upon arrival, guests will be taken to the pier of the Bioluminescent Lagoon at Las Cabezas Preserve, Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Guests will meet the staff, receive instructions and be fitted with the required life jackets. Instructions include a demonstration of paddling techniques, correct use of the kayak, embarking on the kayak, and security tips. The kayaking tour to the Bioluminescent Lagoon through crystal clear water channels of the bay becomes a self-fulfilling adventure while enjoying the rare glimpses of wildlife not visible by any other means.

Guides will show the glowing effect of microorganisms resulting from energy sources directed to molecules in the water system. This biochemical process is so efficient it does not emit heat. It is possible in part because it is controlled by enzymes called "Dinoflajelate". These act as a catalytic agent reducing the amount of energy needed to control the bioluminescent reaction. Your tour will conclude back at the cruise ship pier.

Cost: $85.00p/p (includes Tax)

Tuesday, October 16th 4:00p-9:30pm or 6:00pm-12:30am

To book these tours, download the brochure and e-mail it to [email protected].