The Karst Country

48 miles (77km) W of San Juan

One of the most interesting areas of Puerto Rico to explore is the large Karst Country, south of Arecibo. One of the world's strangest rock formations, karst is formed by the process of water sinking into limestone. As time goes by, larger and larger basins are eroded, forming sinkholes. Mogotes (karstic hillocks) are peaks of earth where the land didn't sink into the erosion pits. The Karst Country lies along the island's north coast, directly northeast of Mayagüez in the foothills between Quebradillas and Manatí. The region is filled with an extensive network of caves. One sinkhole contains the 20-acre (8-hectare) dish of the world's largest radio/radar telescope at the Arecibo Observatory .

This area was deforested in the late 1940s; alluvial valleys and sinkholes were then used for pastures, shifting cultivation, and coffee plantations. In this region, most of the coffee sites were abandoned in the 1960s, and today most of these sites are covered with secondary forests. The recovery of these forests has been very rapid because of a close seed source -- trees left on the steep slopes -- and the presence of large populations of dispersers, mainly bats.

Getting There -- The only way to explore the Karst Country, which is easy to reach from San Juan, is by car. Leave San Juan on the four-lane highway, Route 22, until you come to the town of Arecibo, a 1 1/2-hour drive, depending on traffic. Once at Arecibo, take Route 10 south, in the direction of Utuado.

A Driving Tour of the Karst Country--If you'd like a specific goal for exploring in the Karst Country, visit the Arecibo Observatory and the Río Camuy Caves, previewed above. However, you can also spend a day driving at random, exploring lakes and forests at your leisure. If you decide to go this route, make the commercial town of Arecibo your base. Although not of tourist interest itself, it is the capital of the Karst Country and the starting point from which you can drive south along many interesting and winding roads. Arecibo is reached after a 1 1/2-hour drive west of San Juan along a four-lane highway, Route 22, one of the best and fastest on the island.

From Arecibo you can take Route 10 south in the direction of Utuado (see chapter 9), which can serve as a refueling stop. Along the way you'll pass Lagos dos Bocas, one of the most beautiful lakes of the Karst Country. This is a reservoir adjacent to the Río Abajo Forest . Lagos dos Bocas, which lies 12 miles (19km) south of Arecibo, is in the mountains of Cordillera Central. Along with a nearby lake, Lake Caonillas, it forms the major water reservoir for the north-central sector of Puerto Rico.

Take time out at Lagos dos Bocas to ride one of the free government-operated launches that traverse the lake. Established as a taxi service for residents of the area, these launches can be used by sightseers as well. The launches leave from a dock along Route 123 on the west side of the lake, with departures scheduled every hour unless the weather is bad. On weekends many little "restaurants" (really food shacks) are open to serve visitors. If you don't want to get off and patronize one of these ramshackle joints, you can stay on the launch, enjoying one of the most tranquil and scenic 2-hour rides in all of Puerto Rico. The launch will take you back to your car, and then you can continue your journey.

Once at Utuado, you can cut west along Route 111, which leads to the town of Lares. When you come to Route 621 heading north, you can drive into the Río Abajo Forest (Bosque Estatal de Río Abajo), a piece of island beauty riddled with old lumber roads and trail paths. Filled with lush growth, this forest reserve is filled with many tropical trees, such as bamboo, West Indian mahogany, balsa, and teak.

After a look at the region, you can drive south and hook up again with Route 111 going west to Lares. You'll almost immediately come to Parque Ceremonial Indígena-Caguaña (Indian Ceremonial Park at Caguaña). The site is signposted and need not take up more than 30 minutes of your time. Built by the Taíno Indians some 1,000 years ago, the site was used for both recreation and worship, and it is encircled by mountains near the Tanama River. You can still see the outlines of the ancient bateyes (ball courts), which are bordered by carved stone monoliths decorated with petroglyphs. The best-known petroglyph is the much-photographed Mujer de Caguaña, squatting in the position of an earth-mother fertility symbol. There is a small and very minor museum of Indian artifacts and skeletons on-site. Charging no admission, the site is open daily from 8am to 4:30pm. For more information, call tel. 787/894-7325.

Along Route 111, Lares comes upon you like a frontier town, lying in the western foothills of the Cordillera Central's principal cluster of peaks. Lares stands at the southernmost spur of the Karst Country. On the island, the residents of Lares live as far from the ocean as you can get in Puerto Rico.

Although there is little of tourist interest in Lares, other than the toylike quality of the town itself, you can use it as a refueling stop, as it has a number of little shops and minor dining joints. In the center of town is a Spanish colonial church dating from the 19th century.

From Lares continue northwest to the town of San Sebastián, and then cut sharply east along Route 119, until you'll reach the shores of Lago de Guajataca, one of the most majestic bodies of water on Puerto Rico. In many ways this is our favorite lake for some R & R on the island. It is both a 4-mile (6.4km) long body of water and a wildlife refuge. For a scenic look at the lake, drive along its north shore, which is a haven for some of the most skilled anglers of Puerto Rico. You can go fishing here, but you have to bring your own equipment. The most sought-after fish is tucunare, with which the lake is stocked. At the dam here, you can gaze upon an evocative "lost valley" of conical peaks.

If you'd like to explore the Bosque Estatal de Guajataca (Guajataca Forest), you can stop in at either Depto de Recursos Naturales Oficina (tel. 787/896-7640), at km 22.1 on Route 119 near Lago de Guajataca or Rt. 446, km 9, Barrio Llanadas, daily 7am to 3:30pm. Open from 6am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday, each office has a stock of detailed hiking routes through the forest reserve. Set in the thick of the Karst Country, Guajataca Forest sprawls across nearly 2,400 acres (960 hectares) of forestland, rising and falling at various elevations, ranging from 500 feet to 1,000 feet (150m-300m) or more.

Reaching the forest from the lake can be difficult. You can return to the town of San Sebastián , following Route 119 until you come to the junction with Route 446 heading north. This road will carry you right into the heart of the forest reserve.

The woodland in the forest is punctuated by mogotes and covered with 25 miles (40km) of hiking trails. It is also home to the endangered Puerto Rico boa (you are unlikely to encounter one) and the habitat of nearly 50 different species of birds. The highlight of the forest is the Cueva del Viento, the "Cave of the Wind." The hiking trails have been well marked by park rangers.

At the end of the tour, you can continue north along Route 446, which will hook up with Route 2, continuing to the west coast of Puerto Rico. Otherwise, you can head east via Arecibo to San Juan.

Get a Good Map--Arm yourself with the most detailed map you can find at one of the bookstores in San Juan. The free maps dispensed by the tourist office are not sufficiently detailed and do not show the tiny secondary roads you'll need to traverse for a motor tour of the Karst Country.