Orlando Mergal
I created Puerto Rico By GPS for people like you and I, who like to travel on our own, without a schedule or predetermined route. There are hundreds of posts and pages here for your enjoyment.
The site is called Puerto Rico By GPS because every place covered here includes the GPS coordinates. That way you’ll be able to copy them, place them in your GPS unit or smartphone, and go straight to every destination. Or you can follow the maps already on our site if you prefer.
And what if you’re only going to be on the Island for a couple of days? Then you’ll probably stay near San Juan and your best bet is to order “The Old San Juan Walking Tour”.
The “Old San Juan Walking Tour” is a self-guided tour that has dozens of photos, detailed information about all the key attractions in the City, two hours of exclusive online video and GPS coordinates for everything mentioned in the book.
So it doesn’t matter if you’ll be staying for a day, for a week or even for a month. We’ve got you covered.
Order the “Old San Juan Walking Tour” today!
Only For Adventurers
So you’re like me, you like to travel without a schedule or exact destination? When you like a place you stay, and when you don’t, you leave? Well, this 12-page booklet was made especially for you.
It includes detailed information about my favorite 8 places to visit in Puerto Rico, including the GPS coordinates so you’ll go straight to each one. It’s also loaded with dozens of photos.
And best of all, I actually wrote the whole thing. It’s ChatGPT Free!!!. I’ve actually been to all these places (repeatedly). I’m a professional communicator and visual artist. I’ve also been a resident of Puerto Rico for 60 years. The photos are all mine. The dozens of videos on the Puerto Rico By GPS website were also produced by me. And they’re all available absolutely free!
And guess what? If you have any questions you can write me, and I’ll actually answer! Imagine that!
Puerto Rico is a great place to spend a couple of days, a couple of weeks or even a couple of months.
Enjoy your booklet and I hope to hear from you soon.
Orlando Mergal
Become An Honorary Puerto Rican!
This quiz is hard! Most people don’t pass it. But that’s what makes it so alluring.
Those who do pass receive a personalized, high-resolution PDF certificate, suitable for framing, bestowing them with the title of “Honorary Puerto Rican”.
It’s a fun piece that you can frame and hang in your office or over your mantle. It’s also a great conversation starter and a way to reminisce about your wonderful Puerto Rico adventure.
Take the quiz now. Let’s see how much you really know about Puerto Rico.
Watch The Next Three Videos
If you’re planning to visit Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico by GPS is the best place on the web to learn about our best landmarks and attractions, without asking anyone for directions, and —most importantly— without getting lost!
Puerto Rico is the smallest of the Greater Antilles, also known as the West Indies. Our capital —Old San Juan— was established in 1521. Old San Juan is the third oldest city in the western hemisphere and the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the capital of the neighboring Dominican Republic to our west, is the oldest in America by 12 years (1496) and Havana, Cuba comes in as a close second by 2 (1519). But hey, I like Old San Juan better.
What can I say? I’m biased. I live here!
I was born in New York City. But my parents, who were both born in Puerto Rico, returned to the Island when I was nine. So I’ve lived all of my adult life on the Island of Enchantment, and of course, I know it inside out.
My formal training is in business communications. But I’m also a professional landscape photographer by passion and training. When I’m not working on one my many communications projects you’ll find me with a camera strap around my neck exploring my beautiful Puerto Rico. Many of those shots —including the one’s you’ll see on this site— are available for sale on our sister site Puerto Rico Photography.
So What Makes Puerto Rico By GPS Different?
First, Puerto Rico By GPS is not government sponsored. Everything you see on Puerto Rico by GPS has been created by me: the photos, the copy, the gathering of information, the audio, the video, the maps… everything. Second, I don’t —and I won’t— sugar-coat reality. If something is beautiful and well maintained, I’ll tell you. But if it’s dangerous or run down, I’ll tell you too.
Third, it’s in English. Let’s face it. Most of the tourists that visit Puerto Rico come form the United States and Canada.. But that’s just the beginning. There’s an even more important reason. Watch the following video and you’ll understand why.
Fourth, Puerto Rico by GPS is an ongoing concern. So I constantly add new information and update anything that changes, for the better or for the worse. I visit interesting locations, interview the people in charge and add those interviews —in video or audio form— to the blog section.
But most importantly, the information on Puerto Rico by GPS is not of the highly structured, denatured and “sanitized” variety found on many travel sites. Here you’ll find the real thing: unadulterated, raw and real. That is my personal promise to you!
So What Can You Do?
All you need to do is get here, spend some time and ENJOY. Of course, to do it right you’ll need at least plane tickets, hotel reservations and a rental car. All that and more is available in the upper right area of this page. And yes, they’re all affiliate links. That means that if you buy your plane tickets, hotel reservations and rent a car I’ll get a small commission. From your end it will be exactly the same as buying everything elsewhere. The only difference is that you’ll be helping us “keep the lights on”.
So go ahead. Make your reservations.
Then put on a comfortable pair of walking shoes, rub on some sunblock, grab your wide brim hat, a water bottle, pop a fresh memory card in your camera, and let’s go. And if you’re even more adventurous, jump on a rental car, hit the road and let’s explore sunny Puerto Rico together!
Orlando, only 2 weeks till we head your way. Have certainly appreciated all the resources and advice you have provided. All set w/ wifi access, reservations, and possible restaurants. Being as photography is your area of expertise, could you tell me if my Sony DSC-H20 will automatically capture the aurora of the biobay, or will I have to manipulate it manually?? I have forgotten what little I once knew about speed and aperture settings. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jim
Hi Jim:
I’m glad to hear that you’re almost set to visit Puerto Rico. I hope you enjoy your stay.
First of all, let me preface my answer with the following blank statement: “most nighttime photography is shot in manual mode”.
Now, there’s a technical reason for that. When your camera meters a scene it tries to average it out to 18% gray. That’s more or less what you would get if you shot green grass in midday sunlight. But most of a nighttime scene isn’t green (or 18% gray for that matter). It’s black. Hence, trying to shoot a nighttime scene where there might be a multicolored aurora will only result in gray pictures with an overexposed aurora.
When you talk about an aurora I’m imagining the afterglow that you get about half an hour after the sun goes down. If that’s the case, your best bet would be to shoot in manual mode and use a tripod. I can’t stress this enough. This type of shot will often be 1/4 of a second long or maybe even longer. So there’s no way you’ll hold your camera steady that long.
Take, for example, the image of “Fort San Felipe Del Morro” that’s at the beginning of one of my latest posts “Old San Juan At Dusk”. That image was shot at ISO 160, with an aperture of f11.3 and at a shutter speed of 6 seconds. Without a tripod that shot would have been impossible.
Oh, and don’t forget a cable release. At exposures that long even the slightest vibration will ruin your shot.
You’ll also need to bracket. What’s that? Shoot a couple of frames above your “correct” exposure point (let’s say +1 and +2 stops) and a couple under. That way one of your shots will be perfect.
Finally, I’m not sure if by “aurora” you were referring to the glow that you get in the water if you run your hands through it. If that’s what you would like to capture then that’s a totally different story.
For starters you’ll need a high ISO because the tiny phytoplankton that produce that glow don’t put out that much light power . From there I would go with a shutter priority setting based on 1/125 or 1/60. And if your images come out a little overexposed dial in an exposure compensation of ‑1 or ‑2 stops.
Puerto Rico is a treasure trove of photographic opportunities. So have fun and enjoy your trip!
Hi,
Looking forward to see more of your work. Love the fact that you are not “sugar-coating reality”. It is the only way I want it!
hi, i m coming from NYC to celebrate my anniversary with my bf, can u please share some places that we must go, some restaurant that you recommended. We are coming over 03/18–03/21
Hi:
Glad your visiting the Island for such an important occasion. As far as places to visit, that is precisely the purpose of this site. I invite you to peruse at your leisure. Normally I would urge you to visit the two Spanish forts in Old San Juan and El Yunque National Forest. But after hurricane María the later was severely damaged so I would advise you skip it for now.
You should also experience our beaches. Luquillo beach is particularly beautiful and relatively close to San Juan.
Restaurants are a matter of taste. However, I like Barrachina in Old San Juan.
I appreciate the information, I’m going to Puerto Rico counting on my GPS I have no idea how to get around, is it safe for 2 woman?
Like any other jurisdiction of the United States Puerto Rico certainly has its share of crime and corruption. If you stick to well lit urban areas and don’t go out late at night you should be OK. The Puerto Rican countryside and beaches are especially beautiful. GPS works well in Puerto Rico, especially if you know the coordinates for the place you wish to visit. You can pick up our books “The Old San Juan Walking Tour” and “Puerto Rico Beach By Beach” on Amazon. They are bot available for the Kindle and cost a mere $2.99 per book. ANd yes, the have the GPS coordinates for every place mentioned.