Located high in the mountains, Guavate is Puerto Rico’s hidden gem…

Come along as we explore Guavate, Puerto Rico!

Want to try traditional Puerto Rican lechón (whole pig roasted over an open flame)? Then Guavate, Puerto Rico is the place for you. One thing you should know about Puerto Rico is that some of the best food on the Island can be found in Guavate. When in Puerto Rico you will not want to miss a visit to this hidden gem. Guavate, located high in the mountains of Puerto Rico, is a 45 minute drive south from San Juan and well worth the trip! Known locally as La Ruta de Lechón (Roast Pork Highway) you will take a scenic drive through the mountains to the town of Guavate. This little mountain town is packed with lechoneras (restaurants specializing in roasted pork) and is where you will find traditional Puerto Rican lechón and all the fixings..

On our way to Guavate along La Ruta de Lechón (Roast Pork Highway)

We left San Juan, headed south toward Guavate and were amazed at the beautiful tropical scenery along La Ruta de Lechón. Puerto Rico is a tropical paradise and as you climb higher in the mountains the air becomes cooler and the views more spectacular. The road to Guavate is winding and can be busy on weekends so we took our time and enjoyed the ride anticipating the delicious food waiting for us in Guavate.

Lechón y pollo (pork and chicken) slow roasting over an open fire

Guavate has something for everyone to enjoy – great food, live music, dancing, and a really fun atmosphere. Best of all the star of the show – delicious roast pork and all the traditional Puerto Rican side dishes; rice and beans, yucca, morcilla, tostones, mofungo and many other Puerto Rican specialties. Roast chicken and turkey are available as well. Not to mention fabulous desserts! The food is served in large quantities and is very reasonable priced. When you go to Guavate you are guaranteed not to leave hungry!

More Fun Things To See & Do in Puerto Rico!

Times & Distances Are From Guavate

Ponce – Amazing Flowers & Rich History – 1 hr – 50 miles
Best Beaches in Puerto Rico – Our Top Favorites – Times will vary
Old San Juan – 10 Must See & Do – 45 min – 32 miles
Arecibo Radio Telescope Observatory – 1 hr 45 min – 84 miles
Rio Camuy Caves – 1 hr 40 min – 83 miles
Culebra Island Magnificent Beaches – 3 hrs 10 min – 80 miles via car & ferry

Guavate is bustling with locals, tourist, food and entertainment.

You will find Guavate busy with locals and tourist alike coming to enjoy the excellent food and entertainment. The best time to visit Guavate is on the weekends. Try to arrive around noon as this is a very popular day trip and it can get crowded. We made several stops along the way to check out a number of different lechoneras that line the road.

Guavate is a fun place to be on weekends

We continued to the center of the main group of lechoneras in Guavate and we were happy we did. The atmosphere here is lively with plenty of food, music and families enjoying their time together. We checked out a couple of lechoneras before making our decision on where to order. This was actually part of the fun! We decided on El Rancho Original. The food was tasty and plentiful but from what I’ve been told they’re all good. Ask for a sample before ordering then decide where to eat!

Each and every order is a Special Order!

Place your order and watch as they chop up the roasted pork with a machete…quite a show. If you are not familiar with Puerto Rican food don’t worry, we found the servers very helpful in assisting us with an explanation as to what all the different side dishes were.

Find deals for any season

Plan your trip to Guavate

We suggest a stay in

Old San Juan (45 min Drive) – Find deals at – Booking.com
or
Ponce ( 1 hr Drive) – Find deals at – Booking.com

Both Ponce and Old San Juan are very nice and we recommend!
“Old San Juan” is the beautiful historic island just north of “San Juan”.
* Have Fun! *

We chose the open air seating area overlooking tropical scenery. The view was gorgeous with cool mountain air to enjoy our authentic Puerto Rican meal …what’s not to like?

Find a parking spot and check out the different Lechoneras

Guavate, Puerto Rico Roast Pork Dinner

After selecting where to eat, ordering our food and sitting down in the covered open air seating area we were treated to a live band and dancing. Great food and great entertainment. We were not disappointed with any of our choices. The food here was excellent. Our pork was tender and tasty and the side dishes we ordered were perfectly cooked. We ordered dessert but after finishing our meal we were almost too full to eat it…almost, but not quite. The dessert was as delicious as the meal!

Guavate is a great place to visit to enjoy authentic Puerto Rican food, live entertainment and the company of the friendly Puerto Rican people. We enjoyed our visit to Guavate and would recommend it to anyone that has the time for a day trip while visiting Puerto Rico!

Where is Guavate Located?

Directions from Old San Juan:

Take Highway 52 south and take exit 32 (Guavate). Make a left and head up Rd 184. to km. 27.

Directions from Ponce:

Take Highway 52 north (or east) and take exit 32 (Guavate). Make a right and head up Rd 184. to km. 27.

ENJOY!

Have you been to Guavate in Puerto Rico? We’d love to hear about your experiences.

Please leave your comments below!

Related Vacation & Travel Ideas

Rio Camuy Cave Park • Puerto Rico

Best Beaches in Puerto Rico • Our Top 6 Favorites

St. John, US Virgin Islands

Culebra Island • Puerto Rico’s Little Paradise

9 Comments

Alberto on November 29, 2015 at 5:39 am

What is the price for a roast 90pound pig
Bernadine on August 6, 2014 at 7:33 am

We are taking a cruise to this area in April,2015. We are planning on visiting the Lechon in Guavate. Can you tell me how far the cruise terminal is from the air port.
- Barbara on August 7, 2014 at 7:01 pm
  
  Hi, Bernadine! I hope you enjoy your cruise and visit to Guavate. With normal traffic conditions the piers are about 20 minutes from SJU airport.
leona lee on July 17, 2014 at 10:00 am

yes can you tell me how far is this from san juan
- Barbara on July 17, 2014 at 11:34 am
  
  Guavate is located approximately 33 miles south from San Juan, about a 45 minute drive.
Philip Small on January 30, 2014 at 8:15 pm

I am thinking 18.1302, -66.0715. (source: http://www.igeopuertorico.com/2012/04/guavate-cayey.html)
- Barbara on January 31, 2014 at 7:04 pm
  
  Thanks, Philip, I’ll be using this info the next time we visit Guavate!
Leslie Jose David on January 8, 2014 at 12:22 pm

please, give address that i can put on my GPS.
- Barbara on January 9, 2014 at 11:30 am
  
  Hi, Leslie! I’m sorry but I don’t have the GPS address for Guavate. The directions I mentioned in the post (Take Highway 52 south and take exit 32 Guavate. Make a left and head up Rd 184. to km. 27) are the ones we followed from San Juan to find the lechoneras (restaurants) in Guavate. Following these directions you will begin to see the many restaurants around km 27. You will know when you have arrived, especially around noon on the weekends. Both sides of the road are lined with lechoneras, small stands selling homemade items, music and people filling the streets. Sorry I don’t have better directions for you but we have found that many destinations in Puerto Rico have very vague directions which we find to be part of the adventure. I hope you have a great time in Guavate!