Make sure you stop by the ranger station to pick up some maps before exploring this marvellous park. You can take a half-hour hike to a beach through three different kinds of forests, tramping the coast until you find a secluded cove for sunning yourself, before hiking back to your car by a different trail.

And all of this takes place in an area where birds, bullfrogs, the pale blue Caribbean and the sunshine make music together. The forest's uneven rainfall and drainage patterns have created an unusual variety of habitats for more than 700 varieties of plants (48 in danger of extinction), which attract a large number of birds. Some studies claim that at least 40 of the 111 species of birds found in Puerto Rico turn up in Guánica. Everyone agrees that Guánica is a preferred habitat for nine of the island's 14 endemic species, which include the Puerto Rican woodpecker, the Puerto Rican emerald hummingbird, the Puerto Rican lizard cuckoo and the Puerto Rican nightjar, which is one of the island's highly endangered species. With 36 miles (58km) of trails and over 10 miles (16km) of undeveloped Caribbean coastline, Guánica is a first-rate attraction to nature lovers.