Beautiful beaches, amazing food, stunning architecture, and a blend of cultures all make a trip to Puerto Rico amazing.  In addition to all the above highlights, getting out to explore and take part in some adventure activities is always a part of travel I welcome.

Luckily for those heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, outdoor adventure activities are but a stone’s throw away.  Hacienda Campo Rico, a 2300 acre estate only a short 20 minute drive from Old San Juan, feels like it’s a world away.  ATV and amphibious vehicle riding, horseback riding, ziplining, caving, rappelling, and mountain biking are all offered at this outdoor oasis just a short drive from San Juan.

So many times a place like Hacienda Campo Rico is a few hours away from a major city, making it an all day activity simply because of driving time.  If you’re going to spend a day here, though, you’ll be spending it taking part in a myriad of activities, not spending half your day in a car or bus.  This is a major highlight of Hacienda Campo Rico.

We were lucky enough to get a sampling of four different activities on offer here: ATV riding, amphibious vehicle riding, horseback riding, and ziplining were part of our first full day in Puerto Rico, and it was a great introduction.

The odd thing about visiting Hacienda Campo Rico is that there are several tour operators on site offering the different activities.  They all work together, though, which is a nice change of pace from the usual tour operators competing against each other.

EcoQuest, a company who offers tours all around Puerto Rico, is in charge of the hiking, kayaking, and ziplining adventure.  They have an office in San Juan and at Hacienda Campo Rico itself.  You can also book your adventure online.

We only did half of the ziplining tour, whizzing around three of the five ziplines but without the hiking and kayaking.  A few of the ziplines provide spectacular views, and if you’re into some fun adventures, give this a try.  This would be a great activity for the kids as they would love it (and they’d love seeing the looks on Mom and Dad’s faces).

Tropical Trail Rides offer horseback and ATV riding adventures at Hacienda Campo Rico.  The ATV ride was amazing and a great time.  Zipping around the lush green scenery, up and down hillsides and around sharp turns, with mud and water splashing everywhere, was an adrenaline fueled adventure.  I would have loved to have done the entire two hour tour.

Horseback riding is admittedly not my favorite activity in the world, but the guides were very nice and knowledgeable, and the horses behaved themselves just fine.  If you like horseback riding, this is a beautiful place to do it.  My lack of enthusiasm is purely for the activity, not the company or scenery.

Frontier Adventures take care of the 8×8 Amphibious Offroad Adventure.  This is one of the more unique activities I’ve taken part in as this 8 wheeled vehicle has seemingly no restrictions.  Up big, steep hills?  No problem.  Over 8 foot tall grass?  Yep.  Driving right into the middle of a lagoon?  It can do that, too.

A bumpy, fun, and sometimes harrowing ride had us white knuckled and hanging on for dear life at times as we explored limestone hills, lagoons, and mangroves around the 2300 acres of Hacienda Campo Rico.  It was very messy, very fun, and because the vehicles can hold 5 passengers (plus the guide/driver), this is great for families and small groups.

I can’t say enough how impressed I was with this beautiful area such a short drive from San Juan.  It makes for a perfect half or full day’s worth of adventure, and if you are in San Juan, it gives you a great opportunity to do something a little different and unusual.