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Fajardo Review

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Fajardo

Category: Towns
Location: Eastern Puerto Rico

Fodor's Review:

Founded in 1772, Fajardo has historical notoriety as a port where pirates stocked up on supplies. It later developed into a fishing community and an area where sugarcane flourished. (There are still cane fields on the city's fringes.) Today it's a hub for the yachts that use its marinas; the divers who head to its good offshore sites; and for the day-trippers who travel by catamaran, ferry, or plane to the out-islands of Culebra and Vieques. With the most-significant docking facilities on the island's eastern side, Fajardo is often congested and difficult to navigate.

Fajardo is the gateway to the 316-acre Reserva Natural Las Cabezas de San Juan (Rte. 987, Km 6, 00738. 787/722-5882 weekdays; 787/860-2560 weekends), a natural preserve where you can wander down boardwalks through seven ecosystems, including lagoons, mangrove swamps, and dry-forest areas. It's a half-hour hike to mangrove-lined Laguna Grande, which at night glows with bioluminescent microorganisms. Call ahead for mandatory guided tours, which are given Friday to Sunday at 9:30, 10, 10:30, and 2. Admission is $7.

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