Arecibo is the fourth largest city of the Island, preceded by San Juan, Ponce and Mayaguez. The town itself offers many interesting places to visit such as The Arecibo Lighthouse, the popular Arecibo Observatory, and more (check our Arecibo City Guide for more information). However, we will not focus on the city itself on this tour; rather, I would like to focus more on the route from Ponce to Arecibo, or what is called Route #10.

There are different ways to get to Arecibo. If you just want to get directly to the city to explore its own attractions, then the simplest way to get there is following road #22 east from San Juan (about a 30 ? 45 minute drive). If you are coming from Mayaguez, then simply follow Route #2 north. However, if you are driving from Ponce, or if you want to take a bit more of time to explore the south of the Island as well as the central mountainous area of the Island, then this is your route. This tour will take you from the city of Ponce, all the way up to the rural towns of Adjuntas and Utuado, and from there to Arecibo.

Before We Begin
Car Sickness Warning: This tour will take you through some curvy roads (about 25 minutes of them), so if you get carsick easily, make sure you take some Dramamine before taking the tour. Also make sure you have your cell phones charged and some petty cash if you need to make a quick stop on any of the little markets for a soda. Bring your camera along, as this tour can be very photogenic! The tour (beginning from Ponce) will take you about 1:15 hours to complete.

Ok, that said, lets begin!

Getting There
To start this tour, we will begin on the city of Ponce. From San Juan, follow State Road #52 south (Luis A. Ferre Expressway, about 1:30h drive). About 10 minutes from the $0.50 cent toll booth of the city of Juana Diaz, you will enter the city of Ponce with the huge Ponce Letters as a marker (if you are coming from Mayaguez, the road will also take you to this same spot). These letters are located right on the intersection of roads #52 and #10, so as soon as you see the Letters coming up, take the right lane and take first exit right (Exit or "SALIDA" 98A) to get into road #10 north (second exit right if coming from Mayaguez). This road will lead you directly to the city of Adjuntas. The first part of the road is rather uneventful, as you pass right through the middle of the north-eastern side of Ponce. About 10 minutes on your trip you will start climbing and noticing a change on the scenery, with brown and green hues painted over a mountainous landscape. This means you have started the road to Central Puerto Rico. Note that the speed limit on this road is 45 mph and normally the police monitor this road so better stick to the speed limit.

Continue driving north until you cannot go forward any more. You have just reached the City of Adjuntas. This is the end of the first section of Road #10. From here, we will need to make a forced detour and enter the City of Adjuntas as a leap-point to get to Utuado.

Take the forced left and a few meters ahead you will see the first sign that Says UTUADO and ARECIBO RIGHT (by the way, there is a Burger King restaurant a few meters ahead; this is a nice pit stop before taking the trip to Utuado, and will be the last place you?ll find American food until getting to Arecibo. So if you are hungry or need a bathroom break you should take the stop. Just drive a few meters ahead and you will find it to your right. Then just turn around and take exit towards road 5518 West).

Getting to the Curvy Part
If you decide to skip the Burger King, then just take a right on road 5518 West. A bit ahead you will not be able to go forward anymore again. Take a right towards Road 123 North (Norte). This is where the curvy part begins. Road #123 is the old road that connects Ponce to San Juan, and is being replaced by Road #10. The road is old, so you will need to drive carefully. But don?t be intimidated, this road is a fine example of rural Central Puerto Rico and will take you straight towards the mountainous part of the Island.

As with all rural roads on the Island, carefulness is essential, specially on steep curves. Always reduce your speed if you cannot see the road ahead on a curve, and honk your horn two or three times so that any incoming trucks or cars know you are coming (road 123 is used heavily by heavy transport, so be careful of incoming trucks that may be wandering, or rather speeding a bit off to your lane).

The general rule of thumb is slow down on curves, and always let incoming cars or trucks pass first. Also, to enjoy to the most the scenery, pull over to the side and let people behind you pass. This will avoid people honking you from behind, effectively spoiling your chances of enjoying the scenery.

A few minutes into road #123 you?ll start seeing the mountainous scenery. If you got your camera ready, you can take beautiful snapshots of green mountains and hills and a sample of the flora of central Puerto Rico. So take your time, and enjoy the landscape. About halfway on road #123, you will see the first attraction of the trip. Well, it is not an attraction by itself, but it is by all means impressive. I am referring to the construction site of the final stage of road #10 that will connect Adjuntas to Utuado, slated for completion in 2008.

What?s amazing of this site is the enormous concrete and steel pylons that will one day support road #10. The immensity and size of the pylons is a treat all by themselves, and will serve as a fond memory if you happen to drive back a few years from now on the finalized road.

Getting to Utuado
A few minutes ahead ends (finally!) the curvy part. You will find a sign that reads ?Parque Ceremonial Indigena Caguana? and a green directional sign that reads ?UTUADO Straight, LARES ARECIBO Left?. Take a left here towards Road 603 and continue forward, passing by a cemetery along the way. A few meters ahead you will have to take a right, and you will find yourself back on road #10 again. This is the point where the road will connect back to Adjuntas and where you will arrive once road #10 is finished, effectively skipping the curvy part.

A minute or two ahead you will find a traffic light. Here you can decide if you want to go to the town of Utuado itself, or follow directly ahead to Arecibo. You can also pay a visit to the Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts site, by taking a left on this intersection. The site is about 15 - 20 minutes from here.

The segment of road #10 that connects Utuado from Arecibo is also very photogenic. From here you will enter the karst area of the Island, with tall ash grey mountains of karst rock spiking from both sides of the road. You will also find on this road the entrance to the Dos Bocas lake. If you have the time, take a right on Dos Bocas lake exit and enjoy the view.

From here, its all a straight scenic drive through road #10 that is both beautiful and peaceful to experience. Once you get to Arecibo, then you can experience the different attractions (don?t miss the Observatory!). If your final destination back home is San Juan, then don?t worry about the time. You can always use Expressway #22 to return to the Capital, which is a safe road to take at night. If you have to return to Mayaguez, then take road #2 west as well. However, if you need to get back to Ponce, you have three options. You can either take the long way back, which means driving to San Juan through road #22 then back to Ponce through road #52, or take the even longer way back, which means driving west through road #2 towards Aguadilla, Mayaguez, and then Ponce. These two options give you the leisure to remain on Arecibo a few hours more. However, if you want to return to Ponce the same way you came, it is highly recommended you start making your way back no later than 4:00 PM. The curvy section of the road is not a good road to take at night, specially if you are not used to the area, so its better to make your way back before the sun sets.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this tour! Stay tuned to this site for more Roadtrip Tours, only on PuertoRicoExplore.com!