The New Taino Route

I went on this tour with Javier almost three years ago and I still think about it. Javier knows so much about the pre-Columbian history of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean - he wrote his master's thesis on it. My husband and I learned so much visiting these sites with Javier! The entire Caribbean was extremely interconnected, and visiting the site of the ball game courts drives that home. This is an *absolute* must-do tour if you are at all interested in anthropology, archaeology, and/or history. Probably one of the most informative travel experiences I've had ever.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Javier was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and able to make connections between the Taino and other cultures in the Americas. We loved it!