When you hear “national forest” in the US, you probably think of towering pines, black bears, and rugged mountain peaks. You might be surprised to learn that one of the US National Forests is actually a rainforest – complete with waterfalls and parrots!
El Yunque is a 28,000 acre National Forest located just 25 miles outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico. And it’s home to tropical palms, dense foliage, and hiking trails. Get your bearings for the forest at the El Portal Rain Forest Center, situated right at the entrance to El Yunque. The center provides lots of information about the forest’s biodiversity, as well as brochures and maps providing information on hiking trails and major sites that you can explore along the way.
A wide variety of travelers will enjoy a visit to El Yunque, because of the wide variety of activities it offers. If you’re a dedicated nature lover and hiker, you could easily spend days exploring the trails and biodiversity of the forest. Less-active travelers can experience the forest from the comfort of their car. The forest has an excellent road system, from which many of the park’s most scenic waterfalls, including La Coca Falls, are within view from – making it easy to pull over for photo ops along the way. Also, at various points along the roadway, travelers can park and climb the stairs of a number of lookout towers, which provide a gorgeous 360-degree vantage point of the rainforest, the Luquillo Mountains, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Apart from breathtaking landscapes, there are also plenty of animals to be seen, or at least heard, throughout the rainforest, including mammals like bat, mongooses, and the endangered Puerto Rican parrot. There are six types of snakes, but don’t worry, none are poisonous, although the six-foot long Puerto Rico boas call the rainforest their home, so still be careful where you step! If you’re lucky enough, you might even experience what seems like raining frogs in El Yunque as coqui tree frogs flee their fiercest predator, the tarantula, by launching themselves into the air from heights of 100 feet!
You can easily spend an entire day exploring El Yunque, but if you prefer to mix adventure with a little relaxation, plan a half-day trip to the rainforest with an afternoon visit to nearby Luquillo Beach, famous for its 60-plus seafood eateries lining the sand. No matter how you choose to explore El Yunque, one thing is for certain, you will not leave feeling disappointed after visiting the only tropical rainforest in the US.
