Extraordinary and magical—those are the words that first come to our minds when we think about our kayaking trip on Caño Tiburones estuarine wetland on the northern side of the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Elements of nature conspired to create a spectacular three-dimensional water scenography during our journey guided by Jorge Irizarry, d/b/a Giant Kayak, in the Municipality of Arecibo. The sky and trees joined the water, and we were awed by incredible illusions while exploring this immense natural resource. Diverse ecosystems and their contrasting natural surroundings absorbed us. Not surprisingly, Mother Earth rewarded us with something very special at the end of the first route: Zanja Fría. Below we share our insights about our kayaking experience.

Besides the beauty of Caño Tiburones, the early morning sunlight made a difference. The clouds reflected in the crystal-clear water, paving the way for something wonderful: kayaking on clouds and light-blue-and-lilac-toned water. The clouds’ mirror image on the water was amazing! The green natural surroundings also played a role on the saltwater-and-freshwater wetland scenery. As we paddled closer to red and button mangroves, trees, aquatic herbaceous plants, such as southern cattail (enea in Spanish), ferns and other vegetation, we noticed hunter green and blue tones blending on the water. Our tour guide, Jorge, pointed out a panoramic view of Puerto Rico’s Northern Karst Region, which added a special touch to the landscape. Birds such as the great egret (garza real in Spanish), common moorhen (gallareta común in Spanish) and osprey (águila pescadora in Spanish) were in sight.

Later, we navigated on a waterway that took our breath away: an intriguing freshwater forested swamp. Vast Annona glabra trees (cayur in Spanish), foliage enclosure and the waterway’s narrowness evoked mystery. Annona glabra trees resembled personified trees in an enchanted forest in view of their physical appearance, especially their trunks’ curved shapes resembling bodies and huge and broad trunk root flare resembling legs. Annona glabra tree trunks, branches and root flare’s reflection on the swamp’s crystalline water was striking! We loved navigating on this spot as we sensed nature’s warmth overall.

Following our paddling effort so far, Mother Earth awarded us with a bounty: the precious spring water pond known as Zanja Fría. The pond’s astonishing crystal-clear water was surrounded by beautiful landscape adorned by African tulip trees, white mangrove, southern cattail, aquatic ferns, and other plants. We rested in this cozy spot and kept bonding with nature. Fellow kayakers happily swam in the cold water.

On our way back, we navigated the same course. The kayaking trip lasted around two hours. For more information about this guided recreation, you may contact Giant Kayak at 787-384-2218.