Gasikara Kolotora sy Kolontsaina

A small island long known as a Navy bombing range is gradually trying to turn a no-man's-land into a booming tourist mecca. Vieques, off the east coast of Puerto Rico, boasts gorgeous beaches, turquoise waters and a stunning bioluminescent bay. But for more than 70 years, most of the island has been off-limits to non-military visitors. Tons of unexploded bombs, rockets and other munitions still lie scattered across the eastern half of the island and the surrounding seabed. One side effect is that much of the island remains tantalizingly undeveloped, a wildlife refuge whose verdant hills and white-sand beaches attracts some 170 bird species and are popular nesting places for leatherback, hawksbill and green sea turtles. "They're the bread and butter of Vieques," said Mike Barandiaran, manager of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge for the US Fish & Wildlife Service. "The tourist that comes here wants the wild, natural area. And it generates a lot of re

Another long holiday weekend is starting, and tourists are flocking by ferry and small plane to Vieques, a tiny island off the coast of Puerto Rico that's famed for bright turquoise waters, lush mangrove forests and picturesque free-roaming horses. In an empty lot near the $500-a-night W Retreat & Spa, a man with a gun is stalking some of those mares. He slowly walks toward a group of brown and white horses, raises a pistol and fires. A brown mare kicks her hind legs and sprints away. Richard LaDez , director of security for The  Humane Society  of the United States, picks up a contraceptive dart that fell from the horse's rump and declares, "We're good!" He gives a thumb's up to a team waging an unusual fight to control a tourist attraction that's become something close to a plague on the island, best known as the site of a former U.S. military bombing range. First imported by Spanish colonists, horses are used by many of Vieques' 9,000-odd

While 2017 has already sprung upon us and everyone is fine-tuning their bucket lists for the new year, I had to make an article about why Puerto Rico should be near the top, because it’s one of the easiest travel destinations I’ve been to recently. So much goes into perfecting a vacation, and when it comes to first-time travelers, backpackers, or fashionistas, Puerto Rico is the perfect destination for all of the above and more. Here’s why... 1. It’s more affordable to fly there than ever I’m not sure what gives people the idea that you need thousands of dollars to fly internationally or even domestically, but a quick search on my favorite search engine  Skyscanner , shows how you can book a roundtrip flight to Puerto Rico for under $300. I used popular cities like Los Angeles and New York City for examples, but just plug in your nearest airport, click “cheapest month” as the date, and be amazed at the results! 2. You don’t need a passport (if Americ

Add  Puerto Rico  to the list of destinations that is getting visits from the new giant of the cruise world,  Harmony of the Seas . Unveiled in May, the 226,963-ton Royal Caribbean vessel on Saturday completed its first voyage to the Isle of Enchantment out of  Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 's  Port Everglades , its new long-term home. Fifteen more sailings to Puerto Rico are planned through the end of the year. Harmony  began sailing out of Fort Lauderdale in November  after spending an inaugural season in Europe. Initial destinations included  Cozumel, Mexico ;  Falmouth, Jamaica ; and  Labadee ,  Haiti . The new Puerto Rico sailings are seven-night trips that also include stops in Labadee, Haiti and either  Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas  or Philipsburg,  St. Maarten . Harmony is built on the same platform as Royal Caribbean's giant  Oasis of the Seas and  Allure of the Seas , the previous size leaders in the cruise world. But it eclipses its siblings by nearly 1,700 to

The year of the  Great American Total Solar Eclipse  is upon us. On Aug. 21, the moon will completely blot out the sun for observers in 12 states, from Oregon to South Carolina, in the first  total solar eclipse  visible from the United States mainland since 1979. The rest of North America, and parts of South America, Africa and Europe, will be treated to a partial eclipse. Enthusiasm has long been high for the Aug. 21 event, and the excitement will only build in the weeks and months ahead. [ Total Solar Eclipse 2017: When, Where & How to See It (Safely) ]  It's "going to be the most observed, most filmed and photographed, most studied and documented, and, probably, the most appreciated of all eclipses in human history," Lika Guhathakurta, lead scientist for the Living With a Star program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., said last month at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco. A special solar eclipse By a