• Source: Porta del Sol

Porta del Sol (Spanish for "Doorway of the Sun"), or simply West Region (Región Oeste), is a tourism region in western Puerto Rico. Porta del Sol was the first tourism region to be established by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. It consists of 17 municipalities in the western area: Quebradillas, Isabela, San Sebastián, Moca, Aguadilla, Aguada, Rincón, Añasco, Mayagüez, Las Marías, Maricao, Hormigueros, San Germán, Sabana Grande, Guánica, Lajas and Cabo Rojo.




History


The Porta del Sol tourism region was designated in 2003 and officially launched on December 20, 2005, by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company by decree of Law No. 158. The name of the region, Porta del Sol, references both the historic church of Porta Coeli (Latin for "gateway" or "doorway to heaven") and the famous scenic sunsets that can be seen along the western coast of Puerto Rico. The name Porta was later adapted into the names of other tourism regions of the island such as Porta Caribe and Porta Cordillera.
Before the official establishment of the tourism region, towns such as Rincón and Aguadilla attracted many Puerto Rican visitors. Paradores, small historic inns or bed and breakfasts, were established by the government of Luis A. Ferré in 1973 in order to boost the tourism industry of Puerto Rico outside of San Juan. Many paradores opened in the region since then, such as Parador Villa Parguera which was founded by comedian Henry LaFont (Julio Pancorbo Ortiz). The fishing village of La Parguera has become a popular tourist attraction due to its seafood and opportunities for boating, and for its proximity to natural attractions such as Bahía Fosforescente, a bay with bioluminescence caused by the dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense, one of the seven year-round bioluminescent bays in the Caribbean (and the only one of three in Puerto Rico in which visitors are allowed to swim).
Porta del Sol has also developed into a world-class destination for surfing. Since 2000, Rafael Hernández Airport (BQN) has expanded its passenger service into and from destinations such as New York, Newark, Orlando and Tampa, making Porta del Sol more accessible to visitors from outside of Puerto Rico, and it was designated a "free trade zone" (FTZ) on February 20, 2012 by the United States Department of Commerce.
Porta del Sol was affected by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The tourism of the region was also greatly affected by the 2019–2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes, particularly the January 7 earthquake measuring 6.4 Mw with an epicenter in the municipality of Guánica. These earthquakes destroyed important tourist attractions such as the Punta Ventana natural arch in the municipality of Guayanilla, in addition to causing up to $3.1 billion in damages across southwestern Puerto Rico, greatly affecting the infrastructure in the tourism regions of Porta del Sol and Porta Caribe.
Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo of Puerto Rico (Zoológico de Puerto Rico Dr. Juan A. Rivero), commonly known as Mayagüez Zoo (Zoológico de Mayagüez) and operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA), used to be the largest and only zoo of its type in Puerto Rico until its closure in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. The zoo had previously been cited for its inhumane treatment of animals, which was one of the reasons its federal permits were revoked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was consequently permanently closed in 2023 by the U.S. Department of Justice. All species were relocated to animal sanctuaries across the United States, and the site of the zoo remains unused but still owned by the DRNA.




Attractions






= Beaches and swimming

=

Ballenas
Boquerón
Buyé
Caña Gorda
Cayo Ratones
Cayos de Caña Gorda
Crash Boat
Domes
El Combate
Espinar
Gozalandia
Guajataca
Isla Mata la Gata
Jobos
La Jungla
La Parguera
Las Golondrinas
Little Malibu
Middles
Pico Piedra
Puerto Hermina
Punta Borinquen
Rincón
Shacks (Bajura)
Steps (Tres Palmas)
Sucia
Tres Hermanos




= Ecotourism

=
Cabo Rojo, Desecheo and Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuges, part of the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge complex
Boquerón State Forest
Guajataca State Forest
Guánica State Forest
Maricao State Forest
Susúa State Forest
Tres Palmas Marine Reserve
Joyuda Lagoon Nature Reserve
La Parguera Nature Reserve with Bahía Fosforescente
Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserve
Punta Ballenas Nature Reserve
Tourmaline Reef Nature Reserve
Boquerón Iris Alameda Wildlife Refuge
Lake Guajataca Wildlife Refuge




= Heritage Tourism

=



Agritourism

Central Guánica
Coloso Valley Agricultural Reserve
Hacienda Buena Unión
Hacienda Iruena
Hacienda Juanita
Hacienda La Enriqueta
Hacienda San Francisco
Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve



Archaeological sites

Delfín del Yagüez Archaeological Park



Culinary tourism

Brazos gitanos in Mayagüez
India Brewery
Rex Cream's Ice Cream
Seafood in the fishing villages (villas pesqueras) and fisheries (pescaderías) of Boquerón, Joyuda and La Parguera



Cultural and historical landmarks

Caprón Fortress
El Parterre (Ojo de Agua)
Guajataca Tunnel
Hermitage of San Antonio de Padua de la Tuna
Israel "Shorty" Castro Coastal Park
La Cara del Indio
Malecón de Guánica with the Guánica Rock
Maricao Fish Hatchery
Old Sugar Pier of Aguadilla
Parque Cristóbal Colón
Parque de los Próceres
Pozo de Jacinto



Historic districts

Aguadilla Pueblo
Mayagüez Pueblo
Sabana Grande Pueblo
San Germán Historic District



Lighthouses

Guánica
Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo
Mona Island
Punta Borinquen
Punta Higuero



Museums

Baudilio Vega Berrios Cultural Center
Cacique Mabodamaca House of Culture
Enrique Laguerre House Museum
Eugenio María de Hostos Museum
Isabela Museum of Photography
José de Diego Manor House Museum
La Botica Pharmacy Museum in San Germán
Lola Rodríguez de Tió Museum
Museum of Art and History of Guánica
Museum of Art of Aguadilla and the Caribbean
Museum of Mundillo
Museum of Religious Art of Puerto Rico
Palacete Los Moreau
Railway Museum of Isabela
Ramírez de Arrellano y Rossell House Museum
RUM Planetarium
San Germán History Museum



Religious tourism

Basilica of the Virgin of Monserrat
Church of San Carlos Borromeo of Aguadilla
Church of San Francisco de Asís of Aguada
Church of San Germán Auxerre of San Germán
Church of San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza of Sabana Grande
Church of Saint Sebastian the Martyr
Porta Coeli



Theaters and event venues

Sol Theater
Yagüez Theater




= Tourist routes

=
The Luis Muñoz Marín Panoramic Route (Ruta Panorámica Luis Muñoz Marín), or simply known as Ruta Panorámica, is a scenic route and heritage trail that crosses the mountainous area of Porta del Sol from west to east. Although more often associated with the Porta Cordillera region, the route traverses the Porta del Sol municipalities of Mayagüez, Las Marías, Maricao, San Germán and Sabana Grande. The route, consisting of a network of at least 40 secondary roads, traverses the entirety of Puerto Rico from east (Maunabo) to west (Mayagüez) and provides access to a number of tourist attractions located throughout Porta del Sol such as the Maricao State Forest.
The Porta del Sol Sagrado tourist route (Spanish for "Sacred Doorway to the Sun") is a theme route and heritage trail created by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company in collaboration with the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in 2016 to advertise the cultural and historic religious heritage of the region. The heritage trail follows a driving route centered on the landmarks of Porta Coeli in the San Germán Historic District, the Central Presbyterian Church of Mayagüez and the Ermita de Espinar in Aguada. This was the third religious heritage trail created by the government of Puerto Rico after the Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Route in Caguas and the San Juan Bautista Route in Old San Juan.
The Puerto Rico Alien Route (Ruta Extraterrestre de Puerto Rico) is a municipal tourist route located on a section of PR-303 in the municipality of Lajas due to the high number of UFO sightings in the area. The route was officially proclaimed by Marcos “Turín” Irizarry Pagán, mayor of Lajas, on April 9, 2005. and an unofficial sign marking the start of the route was installed by farmer Francisco Negrón and it remains a popular cultural landmark of the area.




Transportation


Two airports with commercial service connect the area to other cities in Puerto Rico and the world, these being Rafael Hernandez Airport (BQN) in Aguadilla with services on five passenger airlines from Florida and the New York metropolitan area as well as some cargo airlines, and Eugenio Maria de Hostos Airport (MAZ) in Mayagüez, with local flights to San Juan.




See also



National Register of Historic Places listings in Porta del Sol
Beaches of Porta de Sol




References






External links


Porta del Sol travel guide from Wikivoyage

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