Puerto Rico Rivers: Tubing, Kayaking & Swimming - All About Puerto Rico, All in One Place

Rivers run throughout the island of Puerto Rico, from high up in the mountains down to the coasts. The longest is Río de la Plata while Río Grande de Loíza carries the most water — the two are often confused. Many of these rivers originate in the Cordillera Central or El Yunque, then are named for the municipality where they reach the coast, so a single river can pass through several municipalities. While the rivers are popular for taking a dip, or finding a watering hole or rope swing, care should be taken if storms have passed through the island as flash flooding can happen very quickly.

The table below lists the major rivers of Puerto Rico, sorted by region and then by popularity. The lengths are approximate and vary by source depending on how tributaries and channel paths are measured.

River	Municipality	Region	Length	Why It’s Popular	Access Points, Trailheads & Swimming Holes
Río Tanamá	Utuado / Arecibo	Central Mountains	~34 km	Popular for tubing, kayaking, and caving through dramatic karst gorges.	Tanama River Adventures launch point (Road 111, Km 48.4, Barrio Caguana, Utuado) is the main named access point; no independently documented swimming hole name found.
Río Grande de Loíza	Loíza	East / Metro	~64 km	Largest river by water volume; immortalized in Julia de Burgos’s famous poem “Río Grande de Loíza.”	No verified tourist access point or swimming hole found.
Río Mameyes	Río Grande	East	~24 km	One of the most pristine, undammed rivers, flowing from El Yunque.	Angelito Trail (off Road 988/191) leads to Las Damas Pool; also La Poza del Ángel (Road 191, Km 1.2–1.4), and the Puente Roto wading/picnic area.
Río Espíritu Santo	Río Grande	East	~24 km	Fed by El Yunque rainforest; often called the island’s only “navigable” river.	Official Río Espíritu Santo Observation Point (Road 186, Km 18.9); pontoon-boat tours via La Paseadora del Río Espíritu Santo (Route 3, Km 25.2); an unnamed waterfall/pool near the Road 186 bridge.
Río Fajardo	Fajardo	East	~25 km	Coastal river near the bioluminescent bay and marina district.	Las Tinajas Falls and Charco Frío (Carr. 971, Ceiba) — a documented natural pool/waterfall series.
Río Blanco	Naguabo	East	~30 km	El Yunque headwaters; popular natural pools and hiking.	Charco El Hippie, formed by La Canoa Falls; informal footpath from end-of-road parking (a nearby resident charges a small fee for parking).
Río Sabana	Luquillo	East	~20 km	El Yunque river; supplies water and scenic natural pools.	Official Río Sabana Recreation Area & Río Sabana Trail (off Road 191); no specific named swimming hole confirmed.
Río Guayanés	Yabucoa	East	~30 km	Southeastern coastal river and valley.	No verified tourist access point or swimming hole found.
Río Camuy	Camuy	North	~30 km	Feeds the world-famous Camuy Caves, one of the largest underground river cave systems.	Parque Nacional de las Cavernas del Río Camuy (Route 129, Km 20) entrance; the cave tour route passes over the river, but no open-river swimming hole was found.
Río de la Plata	Toa Baja / Dorado	North	~97 km	The longest river in Puerto Rico; feeds La Plata reservoir.	No verified tourist access point or swimming hole found.
Río Grande de Arecibo	Arecibo	North	~64 km	Major water source; feeds the Dos Bocas reservoir and hydroelectric system.	Cueva Ventana (PR-10, Km 75) trailhead overlooks the river valley; Lago Dos Bocas Embarcadero (Route 621/123) — reported closed as of March 2026, verify current status.
Río Grande de Manatí	Manatí	North	~72 km	One of the longest rivers; important watershed with scenic karst valleys.	A “Charco Azul” near the Vega Baja/Morovis line is sometimes attributed to this river, but sources conflict — it may actually belong to the Río Cibuco watershed instead. No confirmed named site directly on this river.
Río Guajataca	Quebradillas / Isabela	North / West	~40 km	Feeds Lake Guajataca; scenic gorge and reservoir recreation.	Río Guajataca Recreation Area (off PR-2, free parking, kayak/pedal-boat rentals) doubles as the swim spot; Wet Forest Trail trailhead on site.
Río Cibuco	Vega Baja	North	~40 km	Notable coastal watershed and wetland/estuary habitat.	Charco Azul / Cuevas Arenales (Route 160, Km 10.8); Rio Cibuco Trail. Note: some sources attribute this same charco to the Manatí watershed instead — worth verifying.
Río Coamo	Coamo	South	~40 km	Associated with the historic Coamo thermal hot springs.	Baños de Coamo (Carr. 546, Km 1.7) historic bath park — reportedly still closed since Hurricane Maria with stalled reconstruction; verify current status before publishing.
Río Portugués	Ponce	South	~30 km	Runs through Ponce; site of the Portugués Dam.	Historic Puente Río Portugués (PR-123, Km 3.9) bridge; Parque Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes (PR-503) sits along the river; no named swimming hole confirmed.
Río Bucaná (Cerrillos)	Ponce	South	~35 km	Feeds the Cerrillos reservoir; key southern water supply.	Cerrillos State Forest (PR-139, Km 3.4); Área Recreativa del Lago Cerrillos; Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park in barrio Bucaná. No named charco confirmed.
Río Jacaguas	Juana Díaz	South	~45 km	Important southern agricultural/irrigation river.	Lago Guayabal reservoir is dammed on this river; no specific tourist access point or swimming hole confirmed.
Río Grande de Añasco	Añasco	West	~65 km	One of the largest rivers on the west coast; broad agricultural valley.	Historic Puente de Añasco bridge; no swimming/paddling access point confirmed.
Río Culebrinas	Aguada / Aguadilla	West	~57 km	Historic river near Columbus’s landing area; large western watershed.	Historic Puente de Coloso (PR-418, Km 0.5) bridge; no named swimming hole confirmed.
Río Guanajibo	Cabo Rojo / Mayagüez	West	~48 km	Major southwestern river and estuary.	Historic Silva Bridge (PR-114, Km 4); no named swimming hole confirmed.
Río Yagüez	Mayagüez	West	~22 km	Runs through the city of Mayagüez; local landmark.	Empties near Parque del Litoral (Paseo del Litoral) at the river mouth; largely canalized through the city for flood control, so no swimming holes.