Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MobilityInternationalUSA( 541-343-1284;
www.miusa.org
)
Advises disabled trav-
elers on mobility issues. It primarily runs an educational exchange program.
Wheelchair Getaways Rent-A-Car ( 787-726-4023, 800-868-8028)
Provides livery
service as well as tours of Puerto Rico.
Visas
» You only need a visa to enter Puerto Rico if you need a visa to enter the US, since the
commonwealth follows the United States' immigration laws.
» As a commonwealth, Puerto Rico subscribes to all the laws that apply to traveling and
border crossing in the United States.
» US citizens can enter the commonwealth with proper proof of citizenship, such as a
driver's license with photo ID, a passport or a birth certificate.
» Visitors from other countries must have a valid, scannable passport.
» Countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program - the EU, Australia, New Zealand
and much of Latin America - don't need visas to get into Puerto Rico.
»
US State Department (
www.state.gov
)
has current information about visas, immigra-
tion etc.
Volunteering
As a relatively rich country in close geographic and economic proximity to the United
States, Puerto Rico offers limited opportunities for volunteering.
Rainforest management
The
Earthwatch Institute ( 1-978-461-0081;
www.eyeontherainforest.org
)
partners with Las Casas de la Selva to run one- to two-week
research missions to the Bosque Estatal de Carite, where participants learn forest manage-
ment skills and aid in the rejuvenation of the tropical rainforest. Volunteers stay in tents
in the Casas de la Selva complex inside the park and spend their time planting seedlings,
studying trees and monitoring local frog populations. Some of the trips are family friendly.
Turtle watching
There are ecological projects on the island of Culebra where the US
Fish and Wildlife Refuge runs a volunteer turtle watch on Playa Brava during nesting
season. You can access this project through CORALations
( 787-556-6234;
www.coralations.com
)
, a nonprofit organization that is involved in coral reef protection
in and around the island.
