Experience the best of Utuado

Utuado lies in the Cordillera Central, the mountain spine of Puerto Rico, among steep green hills, limestone sinkholes and coffee farms. The town has a plaza and a church, and the air in the hills is noticeably cooler than on the coast. It is the base for exploring the island's rural interior, and the old Taíno heritage is easy to find nearby.

The Caguana Ceremonial Park, a few kilometres from town, is one of the most important Taíno sites in the Caribbean, with stone-lined plazas and boulders carved with faces and figures. Lake Dos Bocas, a reservoir on the Río Grande de Arecibo, is crossed by small boats, and the Río Abajo State Forest lies close by. The north coast and the city of Arecibo lie to the north.

Mountain cooking leans on roast pork, rice with pigeon peas, root vegetables and plantain, and the hills grow coffee that is roasted locally. Clouds roll over the ridges in the afternoons, and showers are common in the wetter months. The drier season from December to April is the easiest time for hill drives.