Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
The government recently changed the name of Calle Luna to Av Universidad Interameric-
ana; nobody uses it, however, so addresses in this topic still refer to Calle Luna.
San Germán Tourism Office (Viejo Alcaldía, Plaza Francisco Mariano Quiñones;
8am-4pm)
This office also runs the San Germán trolley bus around the town's main sights,
but schedules are erratic.
Getting There & Away
San Germán enjoys frequent público services to and from Ponce ($7, 90 minutes) or May-
agüez ($5, 45 minutes). It lies just south of the Hwy 2 expressway, so if you are driving
here from the west coast, follow Hwy 102 from the town of Cabo Rojo (El Pueblo).
Isla Mona
Few wilderness adventures in the Caribbean can compare with a trip to Isla Mona, a wild,
deserted speck in the ocean some 50 miles to the west of the main island. And although
few people ever visit Mona, the 14,000-acre island looms large in the imagination. It's a
place where the beauty of limestone caves and turquoise water coexists with the dangers of
a rugged environment. Then there's the island's long, romantic history, told in Taíno petro-
glyphs and swashbuckling stories about sunken galleons, treasures of gold and skeletons of
18th-century pirates.
A nature reserve since 1919 and uninhabited for more than 50 years, Mona is very dif-
ficult to visit. Concerns about safety caused the DRNA to close the island to visitors for
months, so if you are even considering a trip here, start your inquiries as soon as possible -
it can take about four months of planning to secure permits and transportation.
While the DRNA provides toilets and saltwater showers at Playa Sardinera, Mona is a
backcountry camping experience. You're required to pack everything in and out - includ-
ing bringing your own water and hauling out your garbage. The rangers and police detach-
ment (in an occasionally manned station at Playa Sardinera) can provide basic first aid and
have radio contact with the main island, but beyond that, you are on your own in a beautiful
- if hostile - environment.
