La Ruta del Lechón

Lechón asado, a whole pig turned slowly over charcoal until the skin goes to glass, is the island's centrepiece dish, and the place to eat it is a stretch of mountain road at Guavate where a dozen lechoneras stand in a row, each with pigs on spits at the front and a counter behind where the meat is chopped to order and sold by weight. Sunday is the day: families drive up from San Juan, salsa comes off speakers, and the road fills from late morning until dark. Alongside the pork come arroz con gandules, morcilla, guineítos and cuajito. The Carite forest reserve begins just above, so the air is cool and green even when the coast is baking.

What you actually see

• The pits - whole pigs turning over charcoal at the roadside.
• Cuero - the crackling skin, the part people queue for.
• The Sunday crowd - families, music and dancing along the road.
• Carite forest - cool green reserve just above the lechoneras.

When to go

Sunday is when the road comes alive and every kitchen is running, though several places open Friday through Sunday and a few daily. Go around midday, since the best pork sells out through the afternoon and the newest pig may not be ready until later. Traffic up the mountain on a Sunday is slow.

Honest expectations

On a Sunday the road is bumper to bumper and parking is improvised on the verges; going midweek means a much quieter experience with fewer places open. This is pork, loudly and almost exclusively, and vegetarians will struggle. It is a roadside eating strip rather than a scenic destination, and the appeal is entirely the food and the crowd.

Nearby

Carite forest is immediately above; San Juan is 45 minutes north.