Aventuras Tierra Adentro

So shocked that there’s only 44 reviews on Unilocal where there’s nearly 1,000 on TripAdvisor. This really goes to show just how international TripAdvisor is, but I really need to put the word out there for Aventuras!
Hands down. Most difficult yet the definite highlight of my trip. When they tell you this is for fit people, they aren’t kidding. If you can’t swim well or hike or climb of have upper body strength, please don’t do this adventure because not only will you slow down the rest of your group (which actually gets really frustrating because the first half is very fast paced) but also you will likely have to leave. They are very serious about this so please consider before signing up. It’s also 21+.
With that being said, I’m so glad I didn’t have coffee that morning because my adrenaline was pumping like CRAZY. Alright, so first you meet at this park in San Juan at 5:45 am SHARP. These two men come out with way too much energy for so early in the morning and get you scared/​excited for the day that’s about to come.
They head to a bakery first where you can get coffee, snacks, bfast, or lunch and that’s also where you sign the waivers and get a backpack with the items you’ll need along with knee pads.
It’s an hour and 20 min from San Juan. You go through a training process where you learn how to use the equipment you are provided and they do it in the most entertaining way possible. I’ve never seen such a group of entertaining people when it came to an adventure tour, no joke.
They literally run off into the woods to start off the adventure and off to the zip lines you go! You go through 4 zip lines and a rappelling at the end which is SO FUN. You’re always kept on your toes and your life really is in your hands. You really have to pay attention to everything they say because a careless mistake can have you falling 30+ feet to your doom.
Once inside the cave, you’re given a helmet with a flashlight and a life vest. It gets hot in the cave at times, probably with all the climbing and hikes, but there’s plenty of times where you jump into the water. Prepare for MUD. Prepare to even FALL face forward in the mud. There’s an area where it literally feels like the mud version of quicksand. There’s places where you jump into a deeper area of water, once even in complete darkness. The cave is absolutely beautiful. The guides, Rossano and Anibal, are fantastic. They truly care for the environment and have hopes of seeing this cave grow into something beautiful in thousands of years. I couldn’t have asked for better guides. They were extremely well informed and great at pushing you to the finish line. They have a crew that helps with attaching you to the zip lines (Johnny, jasmine, horacio (?)) and they were all very friendly too!
After exiting the cave, it’s another difficult journey to get back to the top and it’s crucial you know how to work the cables and clips to ensure you’re attached to the wires. I chose the difficult route towards the end and it definitely was hard but so worth it. And it’s the greatest feeling at the end when you realize you’ve accomplished such an amazing journey!
Random weird fact: the bathroom and showers at the training area are super cool and clean! I know it’s weird to say but I seriously imagined some smelly porta potty.
You basically do everything you can possibly imagine to be done in a cave/​jungle. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more. This was the best part of my trip to Puerto Rico and every penny was worth it!!!
Thank you thank you Rossano and Anibal, this is definitely a day I’ll never forget! :)

My friend and I were fortunate enough to join a group of 15 people on ⁰²⁄₂₇. I never thought I could have so much fun yet be completely terrified at the same time, lol. Our trip began early (5:45 am). Believe me its not easy getting up at that time but this trip is so worth it. I’ve had other excursions that start that early and after I finish it I think «I wish I would have stayed in bed», not this one folks. They met us at a nice park in San Juan bright and early despite the group still being half asleep with their sheets still stuck to their legs, they were so enthusiastic you couldn’t help but get excited for what was ahead. The bus ride is roughly about an hour but belive me they will keep you entertained yet at the same time cover some very important things about safety while on this excursion. So nooo sleeping on your way there. Before the excursion starts you will stop at a nice little café were you can order lunch and have breakfast. This is a great time to eat a good breakfast and hydrate, hydrate. Once you arrive at the site they instruct you to place your things in a locker and lead you towards the training area. Here they strap you up and go over most of what was discussed in the bus but of course actually doing it at this point. They do not start the excursion until they are confident everyone has it down. Once everything is said and done the adventure begins. Please know that you have to be in good physical health and somewhat have an active lifestyle in order to do this. If you are asthmatic, can’t run without getting out of breath quickly than this is not the thing for you. Most importantly please know how to swim! You will be swimming through very deep water and moving at a fast pace. This is not leisure floating down a river so please be prepared to swim quite a lot. People in my group were sent back at the very beginning because they were unable to keep up. You will be constantly running, jumping, climbing, bending ect at ALL TIMES. The only break you get is lunch and a quick picture towards the end of the trip. You will sweat like a maniac and hurt in places you wouldn’t think possible. You will get cut, bruised and battered all over so I highly recommend long pants and high socks to keep the mud and rocks out of your shoes. I know it sounds crazy but all the pain is worth it. What you see and experience is unbelievable. If you go with someone this will be a bonding experience for the both of you. You will also bond with the rest of the people there. Everyone helped each other out and we were like one big happy family at the end. As far as the leads goes a huge round of applause to them. These guys are bad asses for what they do. Rossano, Anibal, Johnny and ‘Chupa Cabra thank you again for an amazing time.
Liza :)

One of the best experiences of my life, better than skydiving. This is a MUST DO, worth every penny, and will exceed your expectations. If you’re in good shape and love adventure, you will never forget this experience. Amazing deal for the cost.

This trip was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had… and I’ve had many! From the moment Rossano and Anibal pulled up to Parque Ventana al Mar until they dropped us off about eight hours later, I had a smile on my face. If you are looking for an adventure unlike any you’ve ever had, with a team who is devoted to ensuring your safety and providing tremendous customer service, then book a trip with Aventuras Tierra Adentro. My husband and I can’t wait to do another one!

I’m going to keep this short and sweet because the rest of the reviews speak for themselves… literally. It was my first rappelling experience and it was short of magically amazing. Rossano and his team are extremely hilarious joksters and well prepared for any emergency. Thankfully they train you, make you feel confident, help you engage with the rest of the members and they are straight forward with precautions and rules about extreme sports. Super professional. Would love to do it again.

Going on this adventure is probably the most extreme thing that I have ever done in my life but then again I am pretty boring. Also, I am not an athlete by any means but I do exercise on a regular basis/​have good balance and a sense of adventure which is necessary to be a part of this «tour». You will zip line, jump into water in total darkness, walk a tight rope over a cliff, climb mountains, lay on your back to slide in between caves, run through mud, repel down a cliff and walk at a very fast pace over huge rocks. You will get dirty and maybe even rip your clothes or destroy your shoes (which I did). You will see roaches and bats and maybe scorpions. You will eat your pre-​packaged sandwich with semi-​dirty hands while sitting inside a dark cave on a cushion. The guides are extremely skilled and very strict so if you are late or slow or annoying, they will let you know. Please keep in mind that one needs to pay very close attention to the instructions given because you will be on your own often and will need to unhook yourself from the zip line and make safety decisions that can cost you your life if not paying attention. To say all that, this caving adventure was amazing but it is not for everyone. I prepared myself to go to the extreme and although the challenges were tough, there was nothing that I couldn’t get past. I just wish that I had some pictures but that would be rather difficult due to the speed of the adventure, the constant presence of water and elements that can destroy your camera and the darkness of the caves.

I absolutely LOVED this group and caving tour! It was definitely one of the best things I did in San Juan. If you like a little adventure and wouldn’t mind climbing up a mountain or hanging on a string off the cliff of a cave, you should definitely sign up for this! Also because the tour guys are HILARIOUS!

If you’re active and adventurous, this is not an opportunity you want to miss. Buy /​rent /​borrow a GoPro and get ready to capture the wildest day of your life.
The action is intense. The scenery is breathtaking. The underground world in the cave is amazing.
The guides were fantastic (and insanely well qualified), and the tour operates like well oiled machine. Every detail of your day is meticulously planned by experienced, insightful, and fun loving experts. From helping you pack your lunch so it stays dry to safely attaching your GoPro to your helmet, to lighting /​taking pictures of your group, they do it all.
The tour may take up a big chunk of your vacation time, a decent chunk of your budget, and you do have to get up early, but you will rewarded with an absolutely unforgettable adventure. It is completely worth the trouble. I can’t wait to do it again!

Great time, well planned, and well worth the cost. I was expecting some loosely-​organized, probably-​super-​sketch operation, but this was far from it. In fact, this was probably one of the best organized adventure tours I’ve ever experienced. Every single detail was thought out, and even their decked out tour bus was a pleasant surprise in comfortable, non-​janky awesomeness.
That said, I felt just slightly let down by a couple things…
First, it wasn’t nearly as «extreme» as they make it seem. Age restrictions, demands for getting a good night of sleep before, etc… all these things add up to make it seem like you’re taking on a HUGE adventure. That simply isn’t the case at all. Now, my lady and I are both rather active, but we both agreed that even most young kids would be able to handle this trip. Maybe not the elderly, but if you are at all even remotely active, you’ll be fine. In fact, as long as you weren’t the fat kid who couldn’t pass Physical Education in high school, you’ll probably be fine on this trip until you’re in your 30’s.
And while on the topic of kids, I must mention my second bit of complaint. Rossano and staff DEFINITELY know what they’re doing, and they go out of their way to make the day FUN while still pushing you. They are super easy to get along with, have great personalities, and scramble everywhere to make sure everybody is staying safe and having a good time. Only problem is that the nonstop corny jokes and antics (you’ll hear the Indiana Jones theme song a million times through the course of the day) had us rolling our eyes a bit. That said, the other people on the trip didn’t seem to mind nearly as much. Maybe we’re just haters because we’re from Los Angeles? We still tried to be sports as much as we could, but we did think the whole act came off a little bit juvenile. That said, this approach probably appeals to way more people, so I try to understand. When talking one-​on-​one with them, they definitely put the act away and seemed way more genuine (and I liked all of them a lot, really).
If you’re expecting a true hardcore challenge, you honestly won’t find it here. Another reviewer said it was between a half marathon and full marathon in difficulty; but I’d have to respectfully disagree. This is closer to a longish day-​hike (with some good elevation) in terms of difficulty — but it goes way beyond that in terms of overall fun. Still, I do suspect that you won’t be able to find much more «hardcore» or «real» of an adventure elsewhere in Puerto Rico without doing a TON of logistical planning and breaking a few trespassing laws. For that reason, I still would highly recommend this trip to anybody visiting the island.

This was by far one of the most adventurous things I’ve ever done. The group I went with were active people who loved the outdoors and have done all sorts of extreme sports and activities. By the time we completed the tour, we had nothing to say but great things about the entire experience. I agree that it was well worth the money for all the physical and mental challenges you had to tackle. There were things I came across that I expected, and other things that I did not, particularly when we made it down into the cave (I’ve explored caves before but nothing like this). I guess that’s what makes it a true adventure… you really don’t know what to expect!
The guides were awesome too. I don’t often go on «tours» b/​c I usually like to explore on my own, but I knew there obviously had to be guides for something like this. What I didn’t know, however, is how entertaining they could be! Their energy was insane, even upon greeting you at 5:45 in the morning. The thought they put into every detail of the tour is incredible and it definitely made you feel a lot more comfortable with the group you were with. It made everything a lot more fun! I don’t want to give away too much and ruin part of what made the experience so great, but I will say that they will make jokes and that you can expect to actually laugh out loud. While they make a lot of jokes, they take safety seriously, so you can be sure you’re in good hands.
Not only are the guides entertaining and experts in this adventure, but they are super generous too. My GoPro camera snapped off on one of the dives into the water, and not only did the lead guide, Rosanno, take the time to help find it, but when he couldn’t, he went back the next day during the next group’s lunch break and brought his mask so he could look for it underwater. And he found it! He called to let me know and arranged to meet me before my flight back home to get the camera. Bonus points for sure!
Lesson to learn? Even with the strength of the GoPro attachments, the camera can still snap off! So take the advice they give you beforehand and buy the «floater» attachment they recommend and have for sale before arriving at the site. Also, expect everything you bring to get wet, so either double-​ziplock bag them or get some kind of waterproof case. Make sure to read the «what to wear» section and take their recommendations of tight, long sleeves and long pants, plus bathing suit under your clothes in case they rip, because it does happen.
In any case, this was definitely the best way to explore the outdoors in Puerto Rico. I say, DO IT!

The most exciting day I’ve ever had! Not only was it the perfect amount of a challenge and adrenaline rush, but the guides had us laughing our heads off all day! My husband and I are really active (hiking, cycling, running, rock climbing, etc) and love the outdoors so this was a perfect day for us! Bring the right shoes, clothing, and your sense of adventure and sense of humor and you will LOVE this! I could go on and on about how amazing the day was but I’ll refrain. Also, these guides go ABOVE AND BEYOND to make sure you have a SAFE and FUN day so make sure you include a solid tip for them in your budget!!!

First things first– we loved this adventure. We have done so much in Puerto Rico and this was by far the best and most memorable activity so far.
The fun starts as soon as you board the bus– Rosanni and Amnebar’s routine keeps you laughing all day. The training was efficient and thorough while at the same time entertaining. We had 100% trust by the time we stepped into our harnesses and took off on the first of MANY exhilarating challenges.
Some things we thought were useful–
1. Wear pants– tighter is better
2. Wear hiking shoes. Website says sneakers are satisfactory but there are some areas where they will become a hazard.
3. REST. This is definitely a full day adventure. You arrive at 5:45am and don’t get back until 5pm. But it is well worth it.
You won’t be disappointed– I have already recommended it to so many people. After completing this adventure, $ 175 definitely seems like a bargain.

This was the highlight of my trip and I loved every second! Rossano and his team are hilarious and know their stuff! If you seek adventures and don’t do this when your in Puerto Rico. you’d hate yourself for missing out on this trip. Great time! Thanks for the experience guys.

Totally worth the price! This is the best thing I did in my 2 weeks in PR. You must be ready for at least 4 hours of physical challenges — climbing over rocks, swimming, ziplining, etc. The guides were wonderful. This is a must if you are looking for adventure and something that a typical tourist does not do.

We just got back from this tour and wanted to write a review for these guys for the amazing adventure.
I don’t want to give away any of the surprises for anyone who takes this tour, but from the early morning pick up to the drop off, they will have you laughing ALL day.
Rossano and his team definitely know how to make an entrance picking everyone up and did a terrific job keeping the energy level high as well as instruct us in a fun way with safety tips and techniques and what to expect on the tour, which is not an easy task at 5:45 am.
While everyone is definitely goofy, don’t let that fool you into thinking they are not highly trained professionals with the skill set to keep you safe on this tour.
It is a very physical tour, with many people of varying physical fitness levels, however they did an amazing job keeping the faster people and slower people at a pace that was comfortable for each individual, helping with photo opportunities and never making anyone feel rushed.
We’ve been on a lot of different tours all over the world and I will say that this is a very unique tour. The Angeles Cave, which is part of the famous Rio Camuy cave system is simply stunning and being able to tour the caves in an «Indiana Jones» style adventure is truly amazing.
Everything that has been written in other reviews and Adventuras Tierra Adentro’s own description on their website, you will do. There were people in our group afraid of heights, claustrophobic, didn’t like bugs or bats etc., but at the end of the tour, they were smiling ear to ear and couldn’t stop talking about every detail of their adventure while beaming with a true sense of accomplishment.
Pictures and videos you might see online definitely do not do this adventure tour justice.
If you’re on the fence about whether to take the tour, hop off the fence and just take it. You won’t regret it.

This was the best part of my trip to Puerto Rico, the caving adventure would be worth every penny even if it was twice as expensive. Here is the timeline:
–We were picked up in a bus very early in the morning by two of our guides. These guys were hilarious and not in a corny kind of way, but truly funny characters. They were entertaining us the whole bus ride to the caves with funny skits about what to expect on the adventure.
–We bus pulled over at a local bakery (which deserves 5 stars of it’s own) where we got some delicious sandwiches and went to the bathroom
–After we finally arrived we at the place, we got our gear and went through some basic training on how to use the gear. Again it was highly entertaining because of all the skits the guides had prepared to make the training less boring.
–We started off the adventure with several zip lines, which were a blast.
–The zip lines took us down to the cliff from which we rappelled down to the caves. The guides instill you with a lot of confidence and everything moves at a really fast pace, so there isn’t really any time to get scared about what you are doing. This was my first time rappelling.
–The caves were amazing. You hike through them in complete darkness only using the lights on your helmet for visibility. You swim through water, climb up rocks, slide down rocks, race through deep mud, walk across ropes and jump off rocks into the water. You end spending about 4 hours in just the caves themselves. By far the biggest was jumping off a 10 foot rock into water in complete darkness. The guides also give everyone enough time to take pictures and even organize the group in a circle to use their helmet lights to light up the pictures for best quality.
Recommend this for those looking for some real thrills in Puerto Rico!

This was one of the most physically intense and one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done.
They are not lying when they say the trip is for active people. We did a lot of hiking, bouldering, swimming, jumping, and climbing. I was very glad to be with another runner friend. We both agreed that it wasn’t quite marathon-​level exertion but it was more than half-​marathon level. It was probably 4 – 6 hours of activity.
However, for someone who likes being active, like me, this was an incredible day trip.
The guides put on a good show and were emphatic about safety. I had some background in climbing and outdoor gear but felt relieved to review it all and to have watchful eyes over the group all day. I also appreciated that they insisted we look out for each other because if anyone got hurt, it’d be all of our problems.
The sink hole surrounding the mouth of the cave is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The cave itself held it’s own beauty and new experiences.
Thank you to all of our trip guides for this!

So yes, 5 stars, there’s not much I can add that others haven’t in terms of a review, so what I’ll do is add some rec’s to help you better prepare for the day:
FITNESS LEVEL: If you are not completely out-​of-​shape, you should be fine. I’ll put it this way: If you read the warnings on the website and panic a little, it’ll be easier than you think. If you read them and scoff because you work out, it’ll be harder than you think. Helps to have some upper arm strength, but I don’t and I didn’t die.
CLOTHING: They say to wear pants and a long-​sleeve shirt, but I wore ¾-​length running pants and a cotton tank top and I was fine (though I did endure a few snide comments from the staff about wearing a sleeveless top, which I still don’t understand. Chafing, maybe?) I say wear whatever exercise clothing you’re most comfortable in. Good shoes are a must as you need to have good tread as the rocks are slippery. They say to wear socks but mine got mud-​soaked and rock-​filled so if you prefer no socks, go for it (just be prepared for some harassment from the staff).
FOOD: You’ll stop at a bakery beforehand, and I recommend eating something even if you’re not a breakfast person. You can buy sandwiches there to pack, but the selection is limited (especially if you’re a vegetarian) so if you have the means to make your own food, do that, or be prepared to eat a cold egg-​and-​cheese sandwich for lunch. They’ll provide Ziplocks which will keep everything dry. You can buy waters for $ 1 each (1 – 2 bottles pp should be fine) if you don’t bring your own.
CAMERA: I bought my regular camera and double-​bagged it in Ziplocks and it stayed dry, though I couldn’t really take spontaneous pics, so if you have a waterproof camera, that’s probably best so you have it available at any moment. One dude wore a Go-​Pro on his helmet and the staff encouraged it, so by all means bring that if you have it.
STAFF: Maybe the only thing I didn’t like about this was that they could be kind of snippy about things, like me wearing short sleeves or another girl not wearing socks. It’s done in a tone that’s «hey we’re having fun» but there’s a slight element that is being serious, so just be prepared for that. Also, there’s a skit with a LOT of silly puns in the AM, so if you aren’t into audience participation for that sort of thing, sit toward the back of the bus.
PHOBIAS: If you are seriously terrified of heights, darkness, bugs and spiders, scorpions, swimming in gross water or have claustrophobia, this may not be for you. Or maybe this is your chance to overcome those! But seriously, there are a lot of cockroaches.
Hope these tips help as you pack for your adventure! Because you really should do this, 5:30am meeting time aside.

This is the most amazing tour I’ve taken in my life — hands down one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. So much so that I wrote a fairly long review on Trip Advisor (where most of their reviews are — check it out — 308 5 star reviews and counting!) and I’m Unilocaling them too because I liked them that much.
You can read all the descriptions on all the other reviews, all you need to know that is that there is probably no better tour in PR. Also, its important to know that my husband and I are big scaredy cats — he’s terrified of heights and I don’t even do roller coasters — that’s how bad we are, yet not one of the activities on the tour phased us. So if you’re one of those people that scares easily — don’t worry about it, and book the tour anyways, you’ll be glad you did! You’ll have stories for years and some of the things we did I still can’t believe!

After having the most near to near-​death experience ever (only one day before going on this excursion with a scuba diving outfitter which I will gladly give you the name of if they are still in biz and if you private message me), I was understandably, a bit anxious about going spelunking at all. Mi esposo, who was also quite shaken up from the day before even reassured me that even though we had long booked our place with Aventuras Tierra Adentro, that he would gladly back out if I was uncomfortable.
I guess that little adventurous spirit in me could not be dampened (either that, or I was a real cheapskate, not wanting to lose our deposit) and we decided to get up before the crack of dawn (as is required) and get our weary butts to the meeting site (about a 25 minute drive from where we were staying in San Juan).
One of the first things I noted about «Rossano» (the leader of this outfitter) was his quirky SILLY as all heck ESL sense of humor and his infectious energy. That immediately put me in a better mood and I promptly fell in sync. Gotta have goofy.
We stopped for breakfast as a busload– Puerto Rican sammies and coffee at a perfectly rustic old market. Cheers!
A second observation and much more important (perhaps because of my aforementioned near-​death experience), was how detailed Rossano was in his instructions in regards to safety. By the time our bus reached our starting destination, I was more pumped than nervous. Next thing I know, we are zip-​lining over forest canopies, rappelling down a 90 degree wall into a cavern, wading into dark watery caves, sliding down muddy slopes into crazy cold pools, feeling critters crawling about (the last three actions some times in complete darkness with only Rossano and his crew to guide us… ok, and our cool little miner’s hats)– none of which I had ever DREAMED of doing no less in the same few hour period.
One word: Exhilarating. Like some of the other Unilocalers before me, I will not be a complete spoiler. Just know that as long as you don’t mind «roughing it»; this adventure is worth EVERY penny.
My apologies to ATA for taking so long to write this review. A friend who will be visiting PR soon spurred me to get ‘er done finally.
I hope ATA is alive and well and thrilling more visitors everyday; you guys are the best! Thank you, Rossano, for a memory we will not soon forget.