Charco San Cristóbal

 1/5

Getting there: From San Juan, drive 1 hour 20 minutes southwest to the biggest canyon in all of the Caribbean. Start the approximately one hour hike from this trailhead. You will eventually arrive at a subtle fork in the road, take a steep turn to the right to hike down into the canyon, if you stay left it will take you to a lookout point. You’ll hike steadily downhill on a pretty steep trail. When you get to the bottom you’ll find this charco which is divided in two by some rocks. To the left has a lot of fish, to the right is bigger and deeper.

Things to do: Get in the water – The bottom is rocky and the pool is rather large. There is plenty of room to swim around. Canyoneering – You can pay for a guided tour canyoneering through this canyon where you’ll rappel over waterfalls and jump into pools as you explore this massive canyon.

Heads up: Look out for spiderwebs and massive banana spiders as you hike. I noticed more close to the water. If you are the first person to hike the trail that day and you’re in the lead, I highly recommend hiking with a stick out in front of you so you at least don’t get any spider webs on your face. If you brave this steep hike, you, like me, might wonder if it was all worth it.

Pros

It’s cool to say you have hiked into the tallest canyon in the Caribbean.

Cons

The hike sucks on the way down and sucks way more on the way up.
The charco (or pool) is alright, but certainly not one of the best on the island.
Scary spiders.