Loíza, stronghold of our African ancestry. Visit one of the most beautiful beach towns on the island, known for its vejigante masks made from coconut. Visit the sand dunes of Piñones and the famous typical creole food kiosks.

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The Experience includes:
• Tour guided by an archaeologist
• Scenic ride in a luxury SUV through the beach dunes
• Visit the fisherman´s wharf, Ayala vejigante mask shop, Samuel Lind Art Studio, Cueva María de la Cruz and the Piñones Beach area

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What you need:
• Bottle of water
• Hiking appropriate shoes
• Small backpack
• Camera
• Sunglasses and sunscreen

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The Full Experience:
Pick up anywhere between 9am and 12pm. We head on east from San Juan towards Carolina, taking Baldorioty Avenue (21) to High way 66 and into the town of Rio Grande. At the end of 66 we take road 187 heading west towards Loíza. After a ride from San Juan of 30-35min we arrive at our first stop, Río Herrera fisherman´s wharf, this humble fishing port is located right at the Herrero río mouth which divides Loíza and Río Grande. In this place is where the legend of the apparition of the image of Santiago! Our next visit takes us to the Ayala Family Shop where you can see the famous coconut vejigante mask that are traditionally worn during the festival of Santiago during July. A quick walk down the street takes us to the workshop of the internationally renowned local artist Samuel Lind. You will meet the artist and marvel at his wonderful paintings and sculptures which mainly has an afro Caribbean theme to it. Next we head towards Cueva María de la Cruz, passing first thru the center of the main town of Loíza. We arrive at the María de la Cruz recreational area and park. The cave is in a mogote, a small karstic rock hill which are found all over the north coast of the island. We walk into the open cave and talk about the archaeological history of the cave. After a brief visit we head back to 187 and head west across the Río Grande de Loíza bridge where we can appreciate the second longest river in Puerto Rico, once across the river we enter the famous Piñones beach area where mangrove forest and beach dunes join to protect the land from the encroaching sea. We travel on road 187 with the mangroves to our left and the dines and beach to our right. Here we´ll pass by numerous small kiosks that specialize in the local Afro Caribbean cuisine of the area, balacaitos, alcapurrias and more! Next we ride thru the dunes and get to see spectacular views of the coast. We end our sojourn with a refreshment or cocktails of your choosing by the beach. Our trip back to San Jaun is a short 10 min from piñones. This is a half day experience.