Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Destination Alliance group welcome dinner at Semilla Kitchen in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Pork empanadas as a welcome treat to the island.
Tour Manager Luiggi Campana reviewing the agenda for the next few days of the journey.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck
Group meets for a morning walking tour of Old San Juan with local guide, Javi. Group then heads to Fajardo, Puerto Rico for an evening of exploration and dinner.
Photos courtesy of Jared Retzlaff and Chelsey Buseck
Group heads to El Yunque Rainforest to enjoy a bit of hiking and “Charco La Barrigona,” a beautiful swimming area along the Mameyes River in Río Grande.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck and Jeff Retzlaff
Group then departs for Luquillo Beach for free time, lunch and to browse the shops.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck and Jillian Herigon Johnston
Group departs for the Bio Bay Kayaking Tour in the Laguna Grande where they experienced the rare phenomenon of glowing/sparkling water. One of the most spectacular sights on a night trip in Caribbean waters is seeing hundreds of tiny, star-like bioluminescent plankton scintillating like a starry sky as you move through the dark water.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck and Jared Retzlaff
Group tours and learns about the Queen Conch Hatchery located in the Naguabo Aquaculture Center. The Center is a partnership project located in the Naguabo Fishing Association. Getting a behind the scenes look, the group learned about how the queen conch, Aliger gigas, is grown in tank systems through the life stages: egg mass, larval, metamorphosis and juveniles. The queen conch is an important fishery species in Puerto Rico and many other Caribbean nations. The goal of the queen conch project is to grow the conch for restoration and sustainable seafood. The visit will also include an overview of sea vegetable aquaculture.
Photos courtesy of Jillian Herigon Johnston and Chelsey Buseck
Group has lunch with Bayer Crop Science team members in Juana Diaz and tours their greenhouses harboring cotton and soybeans.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck
Group visits Las Marias for an educational tour of a Cocoa Forest. While walking through the cacao forest, the group learned about the farming practices of fine grain cacao, while also learning about the importance of agroforestry, permaculture and nature conservation. The group was also able to to view the cacao fruit and taste the fruit fresh from the tree.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck
Group visits Plenitud PR for a morning of service based learning. The group divided into three smaller groups where they planted rice and patchouli, picked weeds and cleaned and sorted produce for selling. The group then enjoyed lunch with Plentitude PR team.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck
Group then visits local Coconut farm. This 4 acre farm produces primarily coconuts and smaller crops of mangos and quenepas. Group tasted fresh coconut water and discussed the growing process, harvesting, quality control and distribution of his produce, as well as challenges face due to weather and climate change.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck
Group visits Hacienda Tres Angeles, a local Coffee Plantation to discuss their growing process, harvesting and quality control. Afterwards the group enjoys lunch with Hacienda Tres Angeles team.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck
Group visits La Destileria for a tour and “cocktail competition” with rum.
Photos courtesy of Chelsey Buseck,
