PUERTO RICO

Ready for a fiesta? Then set your course on Puerto Rico. Here, in the capital city of San Juan, you'll find a pulsating atmosphere that can't be topped anywhere in the Caribbean. Casinos ring with the clink of slots; showgirls kick up their heels in lavish revues; couples jump out on the dance floor and shake to the sounds of salsa and merengue.

But beyond the boundaries of San Juan, the sounds change to the slap of waves on the honey-colored shore or the peek of the tiny coqui (co-kee), a frog that's a national symbol of Puerto Rico. (It's said that the coqui can survive only on the island, so to be as Puerto Rican as a coqui is a declaration of national pride.)

Puerto Rico is an easy destination to like. It's simple to reach--just 2-1-2 hours from Miami and under four hours from New York; there's a wide variety of attractions no matter what your interest; it's still in the United States while at the same time offering all the intrigue of a foreign destination.

Your first introduction to Puerto Rico will probably be arrival in San Juan. This high-rise city hugs the coastline like a Caribbean version of Miami (but with casinos) and offers all the amenities you'd expect in a metropolitan area this size. It's so large that it's divided into several districts. Tourists typically visit Condado, Isla Verde, and Old San Juan, the historical heart of the city. Here you'll find buildings so old and quaint they look more like part of a movie set than part of a modern downtown district.

Beyond San Juan, the city gives way to a beautiful countryside rich with agriculture, over 200 miles of coastline, and a spirit that welcomes visitors with a hearty "Buenos dias."

Puerto Rico is a large island, spanning 110 by 35 miles. Within those boundaries, you'll find plenty of environmental diversity, from dry areas to the only tropical rain forest in the US Forest Service.

Mountains form a rugged ridge from east to west. These mountains, the Cordillera Central and the Sierra de Luquillo, loom at about 3000 feet above sea level and ease into rolling hills before reaching the coastal plains. The rainiest area is in the northeastern mountains in the El Yunque rain forest, an area rich with tropical lushness ranging from breadfruit to mahogany trees to orchids. On the opposite end of this large island, the southwestern side sports cacti and succulents because it receives only a fraction of the rain forest's total precipitation.

Rincón, on the island's northwestern end, is the surfing capital of the Caribbean. From January through April, those surfers are joined by migratory humpback whales, so even if you're not ready to hang ten the two of you can head out from Rincón on a whale watching excursion.

Off Puerto Rico's shores, the islands of Mona, Culebra, and Vieques offer quiet getaways for those willing to take an extra hop.