Journey into the past on this full-day tour of Puerto Rico's human history. Your small group (no larger than 6 people) will be guided by an archaeologist through the 5000 year human history of the island, where you will learn firsthand about the culture and mythology of Puerto Rico's indigenous past. You will visit two emblematic caves, Cueva del Indio and Cueva Ventana (both located in the town of Arecibo) where you will see petroglyphs and evidence of early human history. You'll also be able to visit the most important archaeological park in the Caribbean, Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park in Utuado. Hotel pickup and drop off in included in this tour.
Posted By : Barbara_D
I came to learn more about the Taino people, the culture, history and the Taino area. This tour exceeded my expectations. Our guide was so knowledgeable and so friendly. I had so many questions but our guide was so patient and kind. We had an amazing time visiting the cultural site and the caves. I would recommend this tour to everyone and anyone. I went on this tour with the hope I would learn what I needed about the Taino people for my research. I learned so much and so much more. I learned about the people, culture and had a great lunch. It was like spending a day with Indiana Jones. The views were incredible and this history is so important. We must support the culture and survivance of Puerto Rico and her indigenous population.
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Posted On : 2024-06-06 19:55:32 
Posted By : William_T
Javier is an excellent guide with a passion to tell the story of the Taino. We now have a much better appreciation for the Taino people, their culture and beliefs. Javier gladly answered our many questions and helped us to understand that not everything about the Taino people can be learned by studying the few artifacts left behind and the written notes from a Spanish explorer. Lunch and a visit to a cave ended a very special day.
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Posted On : 2023-11-23 10:01:55
Posted By : Chris_K
My spouse and I had a fantastic day with Javier learning about the Taino culture and much more about Puerto Rico. This private tour took us to Caguana archeological site with its ceremonial plazas and then to the Cueva del Indio site which is also a Marine and Natural Reserve. Our conversations while driving were super interesting and provided important context. Wear decent, rugged shoes to the Cueva - the "dientes de perro" limestone is wicked. Highly recommended!
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Posted On : 2023-08-03 18:13:46
Posted By : aleksandrakS6467VR
My husband I went on the New Taino Route tour with Javier in July, 2023. This was a very insightful tour, and Javier was very knowledgeable and patient in explaining the local history, archeology, and geography. We would have never found out about the petroglyphs if it hadn't been for Javier, and it was an amazing experience. Thank you, Javier!
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Posted On : 2023-07-21 13:55:49 
Posted By : U227UKdaniell
I cannot say enough good things about this experience. Javier picked us up (a family of 5) early in the morning. We had an initial parking snafu (our fault) that Javier was able to help fix for us and off we went for the next 7 hours getting a personal tour starting from Arecibo, to Utuado and ending in Manati. Javier has a phenomenal knowledge of Puerto Rican history and culture, as well as the ecology and geology of the island, and was willing to share everything with us. The trip to the Caguana Ceremonial Indigenous Heritage Center in Utuado is one that we’ll never forget. We received personal and detailed explanations of all of the exhibits of the museum. We stopped for a fantastic lunch in Utuado and then saw more petroglyphs and explored a natural spring and the entrance to a cave in Manati. All the way, Javier pointed out fauna and flora of the area. This was probably the best travel tour that I’ve ever taken.
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Posted On : 2023-06-17 17:28:07
Posted By : joannecreuter
This tour far exceeded my hopes. There is no way one could visit and understand the places we saw without Javier, a historian and archaeologist. The tour is unique and he is the real deal. It was really a privilege to explore and see eye-popping beauty and learn eye-opening archaeology, history, politics, art, science and even poetry with this expert. I felt I was getting a unique tour from a friend. I didn't think it could get much better until I went on Javier's Sacred Rainforest Tour. I urge you to take that one too. All the five-star reviews before mine are completely right. Javier's car is gorgeous and comfortable; he even has videos to show you. I am kind of creaky, and Javier enabled me to enjoy everything, although the less creaky crowd will have opportunities to push a bit further to the pools and waterfalls in the woods. Really great value for the money. If you go on Road Scholar trips, this was like one of them.
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Posted On : 2023-06-11 19:01:20
Posted By : Julie_G
The wonderful discussions we had about the culture of the Taino and their artforms. Also loved the discussions with my fellow travelers and the guide about Puerto Rico culture and politics now.
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Posted On : 2023-04-19 12:59:31
Posted By : nsackin
Javier was an excellent guide. He is a locally based archeologist so not only did he show us some amazing sites, he knows the history and is a fantastic storyteller. We spoke with him before the tour and he personalized the tour for what we were most interested in. Anyone who is interested in learning about the past and present history of the island, I cannot recommend this tour enough!
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Posted On : 2023-01-25 19:31:54
Posted By : nixievly
Javier was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and able to make connections between the Taino and other cultures in the Americas. We loved it!
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Posted On : 2022-06-05 17:32:17
Posted By : 159WilliamS
Both the Taino archeological cultural village and petroglyph sites were great and the guide Javier was very personable and knowledgeable about the archeology and history of the sites.
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Posted On : 2022-06-02 14:16:25
