Is Puerto Rico Safe for Travel? (Honest Local Advice)

👉 Jump to: Is Puerto Rico Safe? | Advisories | Safe Areas | Covid-19 | Crime | Scams | Weather | Female Traveler | Health | Water | Safety Tips | FAQ

Planning a trip and wondering if Puerto Rico is safe for travel right now?

It’s a smart question to ask. But, as a local, I can tell you Puerto Rico is generally safe for travel.

Since I know travelers can have different concerns, I’ve put together some tips and advice about safety. I hope it helps you to comfortably explore the many beautiful places to visit in Puerto Rico.

Is Puerto Rico Safe?

Puerto Rico is generally safe for travelers who take normal precautions to avoid pickpocketing and robbery, the most common crimes affecting visitors in Puerto Rico. Visitors should also take note of the hurricane season when planning their trip.

Puerto Rico is relatively safe for visitors, as it has a lower crime rate than many other regions in the United States.

It’s one of the safest Caribbean islands. Much of the violent gun crime in Puerto Rico relates to drug trafficking and gang activity, which doesn’t usually affect travelers. 

The most common crimes in Puerto Rico are pickpocketing and robbery, which you can prevent by not leaving valuables visible in a car, keeping important documents at your hotel safe, not wearing expensive jewelry, and visiting beaches and attractions during the day.

When you visit Puerto Rico, you should be more worried about the weather than the criminality.

The archipelago has a yearly hurricane season from June to November, with September as the most active month. 

There isn’t any way to predict when hurricanes will impact Puerto Rico or how strong they will be until a week or two beforehand.

Things to Know About Safety in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Travel Advisories 

Though Puerto Rico is generally safe, there is an advisory about the risk of terrorism in the United States.

This risk is relatively low in Puerto Rico, which isn’t a state but a non-incorporated territory.

You might encounter demonstrations and protests occasionally in Puerto Rico. Monitor local media to know the location of protests and demonstrations, and avoid them during your trip.

As for crime, petty crime and robbery are the most common types of crime and you should take common sense precautions to protect your belongings.

Safe Neighborhoods and Areas in Puerto Rico 

Puerto Rico is relatively safe for tourists and travelers as long as they stay out of potentially dangerous areas.

San Juan is one of the most tourist-friendly municipalities. The best areas in San Juan to stay in include Old San Juan, Condado, Ocean Park, and Miramar. Overall, avoid areas like Puerta de Tierra and La Perla at night.

Rio Grande, Fajardo, Ponce, Cabo Rojo, Vieques, Culebra, and Rincón are great tourist-friendly destinations and also popular cities and towns to stay in Puerto Rico.

But, that doesn’t mean you should limit yourself from exploring the rest of the archipelago.

Both locals and the government encourage travelers to step out of Old San Juan and adventure into some of the small towns in Puerto Rico.

Crime in Puerto Rico

The crime rate in Puerto Rico is relatively low in comparison with other places in the United States.

However, both locals and tourists alike could be victims of petty theft like robbery and pickpocketing. But these crimes are easily preventable if you take common sense precautions.

Violent crimes in Puerto Rico are often related to caserios, Puerto Rico’s public housing buildings, or dangerous neighborhoods where gangs operate.

US tourists and international travelers should avoid these areas as a general safety rule. As long as you stick to the popular places to go in Puerto Rico, you are likely to be just fine.

Common Scams in Puerto Rico

There are relatively few scams in Puerto Rico. Still, keep your eyes open for the following common scams:

🚕 Taxi scam – Taxi scams take place when the drivers don’t turn on the meter, take longer routes to charge more, or claim they don’t have change when you pay in cash. Research the route using GPS systems, know the local taxi tariffs, and always ask the driver to turn the meter on.

🚗 Rental car scams – Renting a car in Puerto Rico is almost a necessity, so rental car scams aren’t unusual. Watch out for excessive toll pass fees, inflated deposits, and hidden charges for things like cleaning the sand from your car.

🗺️ False guides – A local may approach you claiming to be a guide that can take you to special places. He’ll then take you somewhere where he gets a commission for bringing clients. You will never know about the commission but you will pay a higher price for what you buy to cover that commission fee. 

💰 Pickpockets – Pickpocketing occurs in many countries and Puerto Rico is no exception. Pickpocketers could snatch your items away while distracting you or by bumping into you. While it’s not as aggressive in Puerto Rico as in some European countries, always be aware of your belongings and pay attention to your surroundings.

Hazardous Weather and Natural Disasters

People who travel to Puerto Rico can experience hazardous weather and natural disasters depending on what season they visit Puerto Rico.

So is Puerto Rico safe from hurricanes right now? And how safe is Puerto Rico from other natural disasters? Like anywhere, it depends.

Here are a few things to know about Puerto Rico’s weather hazards:

⛈️ Hurricanes – Puerto Rico’s hurricane season runs from June to November is one of the most important things to know about Puerto Rico. Although storms and hurricanes are more likely to affect the archipelago, the season doesn’t mean a hurricane will hit Puerto Rico. The last hurricane that landed in Puerto Rico was Hurricane Fiona in September 2022.

⛰️ Earthquakes – Visitors can also experience earthquakes and small tremors in Puerto Rico. Since the Earthquakes of January 2020, telluric movements are more frequent but are mostly unnoticeable.

🌡️ Temperature – Puerto Rico has high temperatures almost all year, with average temperatures from 70°F to 90°F (21 to 32°C), which combined with the humidity, increases the sensation of heat. You should always stay hydrated and protect yourself from the sun.

☁️ Air pollution – The air quality changes frequently in Puerto Rico due to environmental factors. Sometimes there is a high concentration of spores or a cloud of dust coming from the Sahara desert. If you have respiratory conditions, monitor the local weather forecast and keep your medications with you.

☁️ Rip tides and swimming conditions – Many famous beaches in Puerto Rico are dangerous to swim in for their rip tides. Beaches like Condado in San Juan and Playa Jobos in Isabela are home to numerous drowning incidents every year. Ask the locals about the best beaches in Puerto Rico for swimming and use Swim Safe PR to learn which beaches are unsafe for swimming daily.

Female Travel Safety

If you’re wondering “is it safe to travel to Puerto Rico right now for solo females?”, here is my answer:

San Juan and Puerto Rico, in general, are safe for women traveling in groups or solo female travelers. Although they might face some catcalling and obvious staring, men usually won’t make any physical approach.

Women visiting Puerto Rico should follow the general safety tips that apply when visiting any other country, particularly women traveling solo.

Some common travel safety tips include not walking alone at night in solitary areas, supervising their drinks in public places, not disclosing where they’re staying, and not accepting any stranger’s invitation to unknown places.

🛂 Read Next: Do US Citizens Need a Passport for Puerto Rico?

Other Health Precautions

Besides COVID, take measures against Dengue fever and Zika.

For its location and weather, Puerto Rico has a large population of mosquitoes, especially on beaches and in areas with a lot of vegetation like El Yunque National Forest. 

Include mosquito repellent in your Puerto Rico Packing List, or buy it in a local drugstore to prevent Dengue and Zika. Influenza and Mycoplasma are also common illnesses in the territory.

Puerto Rico Drinking Water Safety

While there might be other destinations in the Caribbean where tourists can’t drink water safely, this isn’t the case with Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and follows the drinking water safety standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act established by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1974.

If you still feel insecure, buy bottled water instead or bring your own water filtering bottle.

9 Safety Tips

Tip #1 – Learn Some Basic Spanish

Although most Puerto Ricans in San Juan and other tourist areas understand and speak some English, if you visit smaller towns, it might be hard to communicate with the locals.

To prevent any misunderstanding, I recommend you learn some basic Spanish phrases and words.

Tip #2 – Prepare for Some Crazy Traffic

United States travelers will feel familiar with the style of driving in Puerto Rico.

But, you can expect heavy traffic at peak hours, speeding, drivers omitting the red light, and pedestrians crossing in non-pedestrian areas.

Don’t get scared if Puerto Ricans honk at you. Honking is very common among locals, and it’s usually a way of indicating to the front car the traffic light has changed. 

Some roads are unidentified and missing signs, so always consult your GPS to make sure you’re on the right route. Roads around both urban and rural areas are home to countless potholes.

Tip #3 – Lock Your Car Doors

Either out of habit or because of distraction, sometimes tourists leave belongings in their car rental.

As a safety rule, whenever you visit an attraction or park in Puerto Rico, make sure to empty your car of valuables, or if you need to, lock them up in the trunk and always lock your car doors.

Otherwise, you could come back from your day trip to a broken window.

Tip #4 – Take Care of Your Belongings

One safety mistake people make when traveling is taking their important documents out to explore.

Leave your important documents locked up in your hotel safe, which most good hotels in Puerto Rico should have.

If you feel uncomfortable, then consider wearing a money belt and distributing your documents between your different pockets.

And if you have a bag, never leave it unattended, not even at one of Puerto Rico’s beautiful beaches. If you’re alone, use a dry bag to bring your valuables into the water.

For more advice on dressing appropriately for your trip, see my complete guide to what clothing to wear in Puerto Rico.

Tip #5 – Don’t Wander Alone at Night

In Puerto Rico, most crimes happen during the night.

Although there are areas with active nightlife, like Condado and Calle Loíza, you can easily become a target at nearby deserted streets and areas.

You should always stay in well-lit areas. One of the best tips to follow in Puerto Rico is to avoid transiting dark zones at night or into places you don’t know.

Tip #6 – Stay Out of Dangerous Beaches

Puerto Rico has over a thousand beaches, but not all of them are safe for swimming. Sadly, many visitors ignore the red flags on the beach indicating that currents aren’t safe, and decide to take a risk.

While the winter season is one of the most popular seasons to visit Puerto Rico, it’s also the season with the most dangerous sea conditions with dangerous swells and rip currents.

Ask the locals which beaches are safe for swimming and consult the local weather. Use common sense, and if locals aren’t swimming, you probably shouldn’t either.

Tip #7 – Beware of Rivers

Besides beaches, many drownings happen in Puerto Rico’s rivers and waterfalls. Most rivers are prone to flash floods even if it isn’t actively raining in your area.

During a flash flood, water levels can rise in less than a minute and the strong currents can make it impossible for you to come out. Monitor the local weather to know if it will be raining near your area and upriver, and completely avoid the rivers if that’s the case.

And even if the weather is perfect, ask the locals about dangerous areas to navigate in the rivers and underwater caves, which are responsible for many drownings.

Tip #8 – Stay on the Trail

While there are countless places to hike in Puerto Rico, not all are safe for tourists. Hiking comes with its own risks and dangers in any place, even more so if you’re doing it in a foreign destination.

If you plan on hiking in Puerto Rico, stay on the main trail.

Even in famous and popular hiking destinations such as El Yunque, multiple tourists need to be rescued yearly as they get lost or hurt while hiking.

If there isn’t a marked or evident trail and there isn’t a local to guide you, it’s best not to visit. And if you still plan hiking on your own, make sure to notify and share your location with a family member or a friend.

Tip #9 – Prepare Yourself In Case of Emergency

If you’re planning a trip to Puerto Rico, save the local emergency numbers in your phone and find where the nearest hospitals and police stations are so you can easily reach them when you need to.

Carry a small first aid kit with you, as injuries on beaches and rivers are very common from stepping or swimming near rocks and corals.

Along with your first aid kit, carry your medication if you’re allergic to any foods.

When trying foods in local small kiosks known as chinchorros, you can’t really be sure if there has been any cross-contamination, so it’s best to be ready in case anything triggers your allergies.

FAQs

What should you avoid in Puerto Rico?

In Puerto Rico, visitors should avoid wandering mindlessly, staying in sketchy places, leaving their belongings unattended on beaches or restaurants, and going outside tourist areas without a guide if they aren’t familiar with the area they’re visiting. 

Can you drink tap water in Puerto Rico?

Tap water is safe to drink in Puerto Rico. The water sanitization company in Puerto Rico uses the Safe Drinking Water Act established by the EPA as a guide for water quality. Visitors can also buy bottled water if they feel uneasy about drinking tap water.

Is San Juan dangerous for tourists?

Generally, San Juan is safe for tourists. Top safety tips for travelers include avoiding transiting in La  Perla and Puerta de Tierra at night, steering away from caserios, and avoiding staying in any area they feel uncomfortable in. 

What is the most dangerous place in Puerto Rico?

Dangerous places in Puerto Rico include parts of cities like Carolina, Bayamon, Vega Baja, and some San Juan areas like Santurce, La Perla, Parque de la Palomas, and Puerta de Tierra. These places are usually safe to visit during daylight hours.

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You’ve reached the end of the safety guide! If you’re going to visit anytime soon, you won’t want to miss my local list of the best activities and things to do in Puerto Rico.