Every year for my birthday I like to do an excursion while on vacation. This year I booked with Tourism Family, and let me say this will go down as one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Now let me say, I am not the MOST athletic. Outside of parenting two small kids, I maybe go to the gym 2-3 times a week. So I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I opted for cave hiking. And I was blown away by how our guide Edward was beyond welcoming and encouraging. Before the hike, we got a great history lesson on the original people of Puerto Rico, the culture, architecture, and the ecosystem during our commute to Arecibo. This made me fall in love with the country even more. When we arrived, we made our trek across the beautiful beach to the bottom of the cave. Here’s where you need to understand why I made the comment of me not being the most athletic. To get to the cave you will have to hike upwards on dense volcanic rocks. If you follow Edward’s advice, you’ll find it to be not as complex as it looks. This isn’t tightrope walking, take your time and you’ll do fine. When we got to the top I could not believe how high up we were! It was thrilling but the view was AMAZING!! Next was the actual cave hiking and THIS is where the challenge begins. Be honest with yourself, you will need average coordination and body strength (to support your body weight) to get into the cave. You won’t need this the entire time outside of getting into and out of the cave. However, YOU WILL SWEAT AND GET DIRTY. It’s a cave guys not a Ritz Carlton. Water will be available, but I’d advise you to wear a hat/visor, shades, and athletic shoes. But once you get fully emerged inside the cave, it’s phenomenal. And the added bonus is that Edward is very skilled with a camera, so he’s going to make sure he captures moments on your behalf to reminisce on later. After the cave trek, he takes you to the top of another cave where you get the most amazing view and breeze. By this time, you’ll have definitely worked up an appetite. (So make sure you eat breakfast, your stomach will be on ‘E’ come lunchtime). For lunch we were taken to a local chain restaurant with the most delicious authentic food. I got pollo guisado (stewed chicken) with mofongo, and yellow rice and it was a super delicious. Wayyyy better than any place I’ve had stateside! (Self proclaimed foodie here). The tostones were also DE-licious and perfectly seasoned. Usually when I’d get them, they’d be dry like Popeye’s biscuits with no taste. I wish I took a second to go box, but then I’d eat all the calories back I burned… either way…. Tour 10/10, Edward 10/10, overall experience 20/10!! I’d recommend this to anyone who’d listen !!