Sofrito Tours is a Puerto Rican-based, woman-owned, travel experience company that specializes in authentic, small-group adventures rooted in the island’s vibrant culture, food, and history. Founded in 2022 by historian and tour guide Laura Ortiz-Villamil, we strive to offer the real and untold history of the Island. Our name, inspired by the aromatic blend at the heart of Puerto Rican cuisine, reflects our mission: to give visitors a true taste of Puerto Rico—from its kitchens to its mountains. We offer curated tours to iconic destinations like Guavate’s Pork Highway, the scenic central mountains, cultural heritage sites, and artisan workshops. Along the way, guests enjoy local music, traditional dishes, storytelling, and warm interactions with the island’s communities.
Meet your tour guide & founder
Storyteller. Cultural Advocate. Proud Boricua.
Sofrito Tours was founded by Laura Ortiz Villamil, a cultural educator, historian, and proud Puerto Rican committed to preserving and sharing the diverse stories of the island. With deep roots in both academic research and grassroots cultural work, Laura created Sofrito Tours as a platform for responsible, immersive, and community-centered tourism that reflects Puerto Rico’s true spirit.
Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism from the University of Puerto Rico, Carolina, and a Master’s in History of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean from the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe. She is currently pursuing her doctorate specializing in the history of tourism in Puerto Rico, with a focus on how images, narratives, discourses, and identities have been constructed for tourism throughout the island’s history.
Her unique perspective — combining academic rigor with lived experience — shapes every Sofrito Tours experience. From the vibrant murals of Yauco to the bomba beats of Loíza and the coffee fields of Ciales, Laura curates each tour to highlight Afro-Caribbean heritage, Indigenous legacies, oral histories, local flavors, and the people behind them.
Through Sofrito Tours, Laura is redefining what it means to explore Puerto Rico. For her, tourism is not about sightseeing — it’s about story-hearing, relationship-building, and cultural preservation. Her work invites visitors to engage deeply, respectfully, and joyfully with the island’s layered history and vibrant present.
Under her leadership, Sofrito Tours has become a trusted name in cultural and educational tourism in Puerto Rico, connecting travelers with places and people that often go unseen in traditional tourism circuits.
Sofrito Tours 