Utuado, a mountainous region in central Puerto Rico, is a thick and humid jungle. As we loaded luggage into the car, our hosts described our next destination in the southwest as a “desert.” With the clouds erupting from the trees around us, I questioned if their definition of a desert was the same as mine. Less than a few hours into our drive, to my surprise and delight, the dense trees gave way to cacti and the landscape transformed into a series of rolling golden hills. This feeling of surprise repeated itself again and again during our trip around the island’s incredibly diverse landscapes. Our goal for the week was to divert from the coast and explore the heart of Puerto Rico, seeking out its varied cultures and ecosystems. Though the island is relatively small—just 110 miles from east to west, and 39 miles north to south—we moved seamlessly from limestone cliffs, sprawling wetlands, curving mountain roads, rainforests, desert, and everything in between.