Catano: Cataño | Metro Region | Discover Puerto Rico

THE 10 BEST Things to Do in Catano — 2022 (with Photos)

Popular things to do

• Outdoor Activities

• Day Trips

• Cultural & Theme Tours

• Walking Tours

• Tours & Sightseeing

• Shore Excursions

• Cruises, Sailing & Water Tours

Book these experiences for a close-up look at Catano.

See all

• Sunset Harbor Boat Ride in San Juan

  Sunset Cruises

  from

  $95.00

  per adult

• Western Island Full Day Tour

  Full-day Tours

  from

  $130.00

  per adult

• Hike to a Hidden Puerto Rican Waterfall Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

• VIP services group tour

  Walking Tours

  from

  $1,000. 00

  per group (up to

  14

  )

• Old San Juan Segway PT tour 10:30am and 1pm or Segway Kickscooter Tour 4pm

  Segway Tours

  from

  $97.00

  per adult

• El Yunque Rainforest, Hurricane Fiona aftermath Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

See all

• Center of Puerto Rico Day Tour from San Juan

  Bus Tours

  from

  $88.00

  per adult

• Hike to a Hidden Puerto Rican Waterfall Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

• VIP services group tour

  Walking Tours

  from

  $1,000. 00

  per group (up to

  14

  )

• El Yunque Rainforest, Hurricane Fiona aftermath Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

Top Attractions in Catano

See all

1. Casa Bacardi Puerto Rico

Distilleries

By jumbotraveler19

We will definitely be back for the mixology tour when we visit San Juan again next summer.

2. AcuaExpreso — Lanchas de Cataño

Ferries

By pjp19

A left turn at the end of the cruise ship port and a two-minute walk will bring you to the pier two terminal of the…

3. Parque Recreativo La Esperanza

4. Regent Chauffeur

Taxis & Shuttles

By yabelf

Very clean and new vehicles. Chauffer very patient. Very fun trip and very organized. I recommend it 100%.

5. Cementerio Municipal Bay View Catano

Cemeteries

6. Centro Gubernamental De Catano

Government Buildings

7. La Cienaga Las Cucharillas Natural Reserve

Nature & Wildlife Areas

Open now

8. Tequila House & Boutique Galery

Art Galleries • Speciality Museums

9. San Francisco De Sales Parish

Churches & Cathedrals

10. Parroquia Nuestra Senora del Carmen Catano

Churches & Cathedrals

11. Parque De Pelota Las Vegas

12. Iglesia San Martin de Porres

Churches & Cathedrals

From quick jaunts to full-day outings.

See all

• Hike to a Hidden Puerto Rican Waterfall Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85. 00

  per adult

• Western Island Full Day Tour

  Full-day Tours

  from

  $130.00

  per adult

• El Yunque Rainforest, Hurricane Fiona aftermath Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

• Center of Puerto Rico Day Tour from San Juan

  Bus Tours

  from

  $88.00

  per adult

See all

• Sunset Harbor Boat Ride in San Juan

  Sunset Cruises

  from

  $95.00

  per adult

• Hike to a Hidden Puerto Rican Waterfall Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

• El Yunque Rainforest, Hurricane Fiona aftermath Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85. 00

  per adult

• Center of Puerto Rico Day Tour from San Juan

  Bus Tours

  from

  $88.00

  per adult

See all

• Hike to a Hidden Puerto Rican Waterfall Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

• VIP services group tour

  Walking Tours

  from

  $1,000.00

  per group (up to

  14

  )

• El Yunque Rainforest, Hurricane Fiona aftermath Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

• Center of Puerto Rico Day Tour from San Juan

  Bus Tours

  from

  $88. 00

  per adult

See all

• Old San Juan Segway PT tour 10:30am and 1pm or Segway Kickscooter Tour 4pm

  Segway Tours

  from

  $97.00

  per adult

• Hike to a Hidden Puerto Rican Waterfall Adventure

  Adventure Tours

  from

  $85.00

  per adult

• Western Island Full Day Tour

  Full-day Tours

  from

  $130.00

  per adult

• Center of Puerto Rico Day Tour from San Juan

  Bus Tours

  from

  $88.00

  per adult

What travelers are saying

Frequently Asked Questions about Catano

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The top attractions to visit in Catano are:

• Casa Bacardi Puerto Rico
• AcuaExpreso — Lanchas de Cataño
• Parque Recreativo La Esperanza
• Regent Chauffeur
• Coliseo Cosme Beitia Salamo

See all attractions in Catano on Tripadvisor

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The best outdoor activities in Catano according to Tripadvisor travelers are:

• Parque Recreativo La Esperanza
• Parque De Pelota Las Vegas
• La Cienaga Las Cucharillas Natural Reserve

See all outdoor activities in Catano on Tripadvisor

---

The best day trips from Catano according to Tripadvisor travelers are:

• Hike to a Hidden Puerto Rican Waterfall Adventure
• Western Island Full Day Tour
• El Yunque Rainforest, Hurricane Fiona aftermath Adventure

See all day trips from Catano on Tripadvisor

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Official Series Description — CATANO Series

Official Series Description — CATANO Series

LOCATION CATANO             PR

Established Series

Rev. REG; GRB

09/2006



The Catano series consists of very deep, excessively drained, rapidly permeable soils found in beach areas along the coast. They formed in regolith of beach sand deposits that consists of sand-size shell fragments, quartz grains, and miscellaneous volcanic subrounded fragments. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 78 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 76 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Carbonatic, isohyperthermic Typic Udipsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Catano sand—coconut grove (Colors are for moist soil).

A—0 to 4 inches; 50 percent light gray (10YR 7/2) and 50 percent very dark brown (10YR 2/2) sand that is composed of shell fragments and subrounded grains of quartz and miscellaneous volcanic rock fragments with organic matter coatings; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) rubbed; single grain; loose; many fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)

AC—4 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) sand; single grain; loose; common fine roots; many distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) shell fragments and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) miscellaneous volcanic fragments; moderately alkaline; strongly effervescent; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

C1—10 to 50 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sand; singly grain; loose; few fine roots; light gray (10YR 7/2) shell fragments and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) miscellaneous subrounded volcanic; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (30 to 60 inches thick)

C2—50 to 80 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sand; single grain; loose; very few fine roots; moderately alkaline; strongly effervescent.

TYPE LOCATION: Cabo Rojo Municipality, Puerto Rico; approximately 2.3 miles northwest from the intersection of P.R. Hwy. 114 and P.R. Hwy. 311, about 250 feet southeast from P.R. Hwy. 102 in an abandoned coconut plantation. Latitude 18 degr4ees 08 minutes 36 seconds N.; longitude 67 degrees 10 minutes 45 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the sand is more than 6.0 feet. Content of silt plus clay ranges from 5 to 10 percent in the control section. The sand consists of shell fragments, quartz grains, and volcanic subrounded fragments. Effervescence with dilute HCL varies from slight to violent. Reaction ranges from slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in the Ap horizon and moderately alkaline in the AC and C horizons.

The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is coarse sand or sand.

The AC horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 3. Generally, it is a mix of the A and C horizons. Texture is coarse sand or sand.

The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is coarse sand or sand.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Catano soils are in beach areas along the coast. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. They formed in regolith of beach sand deposits consisting of sand-size shell fragments, quartz grains, and miscellaneous volcanic subrounded fragments. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 72 to 72 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 76 to 80 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Aguadilla,
Corcega,
Coloso, and
Espinal series. Aguadilla and Espinal soils are on similar positions and have mixed mineralogy. In addition, Aguadilla soils are acid. The somewhat poorly drained Corcega and Coloso soils are farther inland along river floodplains and terraces, have more clay in the control sections, and have cambic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Catano soils are planted to coconuts with an undergrowth of pasture. A few small areas are in subsistence crops. The vegetation consists of native and introduced species.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Humid coastal plains of Puerto Rico. The series is of moderate extent along the coast.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Puerto Rico, 1942; Soil Survey of Puerto Rico.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:

Ochric epipedon — the zone from 0 to 10 inches (A and AC horizons).

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey

U.S.A.

Do you know how many layers of steel are in the Japanese Katana sword? » Interesting Metal Facts

Many have seen samurai with long knives over their heads in films, but few have heard of Katana, the famous sword of the samurai, the Land of the Rising Sun. And even more so, few people represent the production process, and have no idea at all — from what material it is created. Let’s enlighten our minds about this epic weapon — the noble Japanese warriors.

So, first of all, it is worth noting that the Japanese character itself — 刀, which describes this weapon — sounds exactly like this — “ Katana «, and translated into ours (great and mighty), means the word — Sword . The length of the blade varies within a radius of 70-85 centimeters, the handle is about 30-35 centimeters. At a glance, the hilt should be exactly one quarter of the entire length of the sword. The total length is slightly curved, and usually does not exceed 110 centimeters. Despite all the simplicity in the name and translation of the word into Russian, ru-no is full of gigabytes of text and pictures, about a hundred thousand layers of steel — on the blade of a sword. And some of our contemporaries, who have chosen the path of blogging in order to shock their readers, even bring the number of layers to a million or more. We hasten to reassure you. Neither Japanese industriousness nor the latest Japanese technology today can accomplish such a miracle. Many Japanese who understand anything about swords smile, and some openly laugh when asked about the hundreds of thousands of layers of steel in the Katana sword.

There is an island of Honshu, not unknown to Russians, on the west coast of Japan. On this island, there is Shimane Prefecture. This prefecture is considered the birthplace of 玉鋼 Tamahagane, which literally means ball steel, and semantic diamond steel. «Tamahagane» is an ore composed of sand from the coastal rivers of Shimane Prefecture. It is from Tamahagane that steel for Katana is produced.

Tamahagane steel is smelted in disposable furnaces, called Tatara by the Japanese. The casting process is continuous, it lasts about 3 days. During this period, a steel briquette is cast, weighing 1.6-1.9tons, with an unevenly distributed concentration of carbon. Further, the briquette is broken into pieces, the pieces are flattened into thick-walled sheets, and the sheets into plates — the size of a small coin. Then, these «coins» are culled, based on color, the presence of slag, inclusions of impurities. Thus, the culling process weeds out all low-quality material, and Tamahagane reaches the blacksmith, with a content of 0.6% -1.6% carbon.

Further, the material passes into the hands of the blacksmith. When forging is dense, the blacksmith uses a combination of using a low carbon (0.6% — 0.8%) part for the core of the sword (so that the core is soft and ductile), and pieces with a high content (1.0% -1.6% ) carbon — for the edge of the blade, so that it is sharp and hard. Forging takes place until the fabric has gained 5000-7000 layers, and the structure of the carbon content in the layers is smooth.

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Samurai katana sword

Katana is a Japanese samurai sword with an outwardly curved blade more than 60 cm long (daito) with a long and straight handle, which makes it possible to use a grip with two hands. The slight bend of the blade and the pointed end also allow the use of stabbing blows. Fighting with one hand is greatly complicated by the fact that

The katana has no pommel. The mass of the Japanese katana is traditional for swords of this type (approximately 1 — 1.5 kg).

Samurai sword katana photo

History and characteristics of the katana

The era of the samurai sword began in the 15th century as a result of the improvement of the tachi. The katana was used as a standard samurai weapon, mainly in pairs (the so-called daisho set — long and short) with a wakizashi small sword, which was used in close combat or in hara-kiri. The katana was only allowed to be worn by samurai. This is the most durable sword in the world, which made it possible to cut almost all materials — meat, bones and even iron. Professionals with a katana in a battle with a fighter using a European sword could cut a Western analogue (the hardness of a katana blade is 60-65 HRC versus 50-58 HRC of the hardness of European blades).

Katana skills

The long handle made it possible to effectively maneuver the katana. How to hold a katana correctly? The grip was predominantly used, in which the end of the handle lies in the middle of the left palm, and the right hand squeezes the handle near the guard. The synchronous movement of both hands makes it possible to create a wide swing amplitude without large power expenditures. Mostly strikes are applied vertically. The division into «block-strike» widespread in Europe is practically not used. Instead, blows are applied to the sword or hands of the opponent, removing his weapon from the trajectory of the attack and allowing him to hit the opponent with a further swing.

A genuine Japanese samurai sword can be identified by its characteristic hamon hardening line, which is formed by the use of special forging and tempering methods, and by the tsuka handle, which is wrapped in stingray skin and wrapped with a strip of silk. Plain leather could be used as a covering. Wooden handles or ivory handles are only for souvenir and ceremonial katana.

Photo ham hardening line.

The blade is made from at least two different types of steel: tough at the core and tough at the cutting edge. These components before forging were purified by the method of multiple addition and welding.

The sheath of the katana is called saya; they are made of wood and varnished on their surface.

Photo of sai.

Wearing a katana

Japanese samurai swords katana and wakizashi are worn with the blade up on the left side in a sheath that is placed behind the belt. When a samurai entered a house, he pulled out a katana from his belt. When threatened, he held the sword in his left hand in a state of readiness for battle, or, if he wanted to show confidence, in his right. Sitting down, he laid the blade on the floor within reach, while the wakizashi remained behind the belt. If there was no need to frequently use the katana, it was left at home in an undecorated shirasai frame made of magnolia, which kept the blade from rusting.