Visiting Coamo and Salinas
Coamo is a growing community in the hilly terrain just south of Puerto Rico’s majestic Cordillera Central mountain range. Its claim to fame, the Aguas de Termales de Coamo, is a natural hot spring reputed to have restorative powers. About 30 kilometers (19 mi) to the south, Salinas is a fishing village best known for its concentration of fresh seafood restaurants. This is an ideal area for a day trip from Ponce.
Sights
Bahía de Jobos Reserva Nacional de Investigación Estuarina is a 2,800-acre reserve of mangrove forests and freshwater wetlands, pocketed with lagoons, salt flats, and mud beds. It is home to the endangered brown pelican, peregrine falcon, hawksbill turtle, and West Indian manatee. The visitors center has been closed since Hurricane Maria, but the trails and kayak access remain open. This is a great spot for kayaking, although rentals are not available on-site. This area has become a political volleyball in recent years between environmentalists who want to protect it and developers who have been accused of filling in land, constructing buildings, and dumping sewage in the area.
Albergue Olímpico is the place to go for some outdoor family fun. In addition to a sprawling water park with waterfalls and slides, there is a miniature golf course and a rock climbing wall. Don’t miss the museum (daily 10am-5pm), featuring exhibits devoted to Puerto Rico’s Olympic athletes including tennis player Monica Puig, the island’s first gold medal winner. These attractions are part of a 1,500-acre complex that also contains athletic training facilities for swimming, tennis, boxing, fencing, track, and a school for athletically gifted 7th-12th graders.
Aguas de Termales de Coamo may well be Puerto Rico’s very first tourist attraction. The hot springs, which retain a constant 110°F temperature and are rich in minerals, were first discovered by the Taíno people, who shared their find with the Spanish colonists. By the mid-16th century, visitors were making their way here in a steady stream, and in the 17th century, a resort was built that operated until the 1950s. Wealthy people from all over the world visited Coamo, including the most illustrious U.S. proponent of hot springs himself, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today the complex is modern and pleasant, and there’s plenty of parking. There are two pools about 2.5 feet deep. The smaller one is filled with water directly from the thermal spring, and it is the warmer of the two. The larger one is diluted with cooler water. Amenities include a bathhouse, snack bar, gift shop, and picnic tables. The place gets crowded on weekends and holidays.
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