El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. Forest System! Being able to visit this beautiful place was an Amazing and Fantastic opportunity if you are visiting Puerto Rico! We had a rental car so we drove ourselves which we prefer, you can also book a tour with a guide. I noticed a group on a tour and the guide was showing them a specific plant and giving them a lot of information about it so I imagine that's what you can expect from a guided tour along the trails. If you're comfortable in groups that's an option, although I don't know how much it costs. We Definitely prefer going at Our Own Pace, stopping and spending more time in places we found interesting while simply moving right along at places we didn't, so keep that in mind before booking! We did pay the very reasonable admission to enter the visitors center, although it's not necessary. The man at the information center provided us with a map and gave us some very helpful information about the trails and points of interest! You can also print out maps and info. online at the USDA forest services website , but if you don't I'd recommend stopping at the visitors center. We really enjoyed the places we visited which were La Coca Falls, Yokahu Tower, Big Tree Trail, and La Mina Falls. At La Coca Falls we actually saw people climbing up the rocks, so we decided to do the same. Most people just viewed the spectacular falls and took pictures. We were ecstatic about climbing the rocks and actually touching the falls, but be careful if you do this! It was incredible! The Yokahu Tower was an amazing site. You can climb to the top where you have an unbelievably spectacular view of the rainforest all the way to surrounding cities and the ocean! La Mina Falls is set between two trails which are about equal in distance. It takes about 30-40. minutes one way to reach the falls. We chose Big Tree Trail because it was the first one on your way up the mountain. There is indeed very big and beautiful trees along the way. The trails are gorgeous. We heard bird song the entire way and possibly even a cocqui frog, although we didn't see any. We did see a rooster of all things!!! There are detailed signs along the trail explaining various sights you may see along the way and we enjoyed the info! The La Mina Falls were beautiful and we did swim in the water! The kids didn't mind the temperature, but I thought it was very, very cold so I would recommend a swimsuit and a change of clothes that you will be warm in on the walk back! The rocks are slippery, and right before you reach the waterfall there is a sudden drop, so if you want to swim under the waterfall you must be able to swim, not far though. Although, I couldn't because the water was just too cold for me! Like I said, it is Gorgeous and well worth the walk to be able to view and swim in the falls! I must admit we were tired after the walk there, the swim and the walk back so we didn't make it to the top of the mountain which I regret and definitely plan on doing next time we visit!!! All in all, we absolutely loved El Yunque and it is a memorable "Must Visit"!!! Also, make sure to take A LOT OF PICTURES! They will make fond reminders of your fantastic visit to El Yunque!!! read more

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Must visit in Puerto Rico. The forests are beautiful. We did the hike to La Mina and took a dip in the pond, so refreshing, so green ! There was some food on the way before and after the trek.. Took about 2 hrs for a leisurely paced hike and dip read more

Oh, there's a falls at the bottom of a trail. There's a falls at the bottom of a trail. There's a falls at the bottom of a trail. Oh, there's a ride to the top of a mountain where you walk through a rain forest to a falls at the bottom of a trail. read more

There are rainforests and then there are rainforests. El Yunque is beautiful and lush, with extremely pleasing visuals and aurals. Biodiversity here is very large, and everything glistens with humidity. I found that as I walked into the forest, I could speak no louder than in soft tones... out of respect for the place. Trails are well maintained and the visitor center can provide information for people who want to have a more organized experience. However, El Yunque is neither so large nor so remote that you'll ever lose the feeling of nearby humans and civilization. I've been twice, and each time the drive up the mountain and into the rainforest was made in a line of cars. Moreover, every trailhead into the brush has a small parking lot next to it... which is always full. The possibility of catching a glimpse of any macrofauna is essentially nil due to shouting children and nearby crowds. read more

Really marvelous views, no charge if you don't stop at visitors center. There are plenty of parking spots along road to pull off and look at the view. We saw lizards everywhere and coqui can be heard any time of day but we did not see any. We ate at a roadside food stand inside the park and it was delicious but my husband was doing all the driving and got nauseated from all the ups and downs and eating the fried food. I would pass on the coconut drink straight from the coconut- salty, warm and earthy. But it provided some fun pictures. Marked another national forest off my list. Worth the drive. It is cooler up in the mountains. A welcomed feature to the added humidity. read more

Definitely a must see if you're visiting Puerto Rico! Our guide was awesome but due to it raining it was a little hard to catch everything he said about this enchanted forest!!! Love that it rained because it definitely cooled down the hike going down and back up the journey. Saw the waterfalls but again due to the rain we were unable to swim in. The water was definitely ferocious! Apparently its dry season in March too but that meant nothing when we went for our tour. Love that there was no bugs or Mosquitos but on the other hand thought it was soooooo weird there were no animals, birds or living mammal in plain sight. I saw one snail and that was it. A lot of exotic trees but not much flowers. Nice trip though and will definitely return for that dive in the waterfall. read more

Instead of being held hostage by a tour group we rented a car a went and explored on our own. The rainforest was beautiful but typical, nothing overly fantastic but I guess because this was not my first one. I see by the other reviews it was really crowded but we went late in the day and in "off" season so it was perfect. I guess it was ok. I don't have to see this rain forest again if I ever return. read more

El Yunque Rainforest - A Bridge Too Far 8o/ lol - Hiking Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

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Gorgeous!! We only did a half day tour through Viator. I wished we would have done a longer hiking tour instead. The most amount of time we had at any stop was about 25 minutes which only left less than a 15 minute hike into each area of the park we stopped at. But even with it being a short trip we saw so much beauty. read more

Love love love!! If you are ever in PR, PLEASE visit this national treasure. You stay in your car and you can visit all of the different sites. If it's your first time there, you may want to head to the visitors center to get a map of places to visit. I also recommend planning to stay the entire day there, especially if you want to hike. Overall, such a great experience! read more

Great place to visit but please note the visitor center is still closed for repairs. Also, be careful when it rains because the road is slippery. Other than that.. excellent place for a hike! read more

El Yunque was super beautiful. We hiked for 2 hours till we made it up top! The view was amazing. Parts of the rainforest was closed due to the hurricane damage. But the staff was super nice and the open areas were beautiful to view! ‍ read more

Okay so let me let you guys know right now the truth lol The trip and experience was amazing. If you are taking the tour with guides and a group it is fun. Be prepared to get DIRTYYYY. You will be walking through the dirt, climbing, waking through water. With that said, DO NOT wear sandals or flip flops. Wear sneakers, but not nice sneakers that you like cause they will get muddy and wet. read more

Well worth the trip out. We rented a car and drove since the excursions were like $60 each and you can rent a car with insurance for $50 total. Don't mess with the visitors center when you first drive in. About kilometer 11 or 12 has a little gift shop with the same maps for sale. However, all the maps for El Yunque are completely useless. We drove up to kilometer 11.6 and spent about three hours exploring trails without a map (it's pretty easy to keep your barrings so don't be afraid of getting lost in the jungle.) Some of the trails got tough, you would turn a corner and suddenly the path would be skinny and over a ravine, but then you would turn another corner and be rewarded with an amazing view. I wish I could have seen more wildlife - we heard birds and saw tons of lizards like we have here in Georgia, but that's it. We ended the day with La Mina Falls. Go to kilometer 10 and hike Big Tree Trail. (Maps are somewhat misleading about this!) It was about a 30 minute hike and occasionally difficult. I had to get a running start to make it up some of the steepest sides, but this was hour four or five of hiking for me! The falls were great though! It was a little scary because the water pressure kept trying to pull you in, but it was awe-inspiring. Really makes you respect nature. There weren't a lot of people there when we went, but it had been raining most of the morning. I can imagine the falls being annoying if one of the excursion were there with tons of people. Try to go when they aren't!!! read more

Incredible experience. We booked through trip advisor and our tour guide/ driver Tony was incredible. Highly recommend Castillo Tours which you can book online ahead of time on trip advisor. I highly recommend doing the longer hike because it's worth it. You get to see the waterfalls but also hike a bit. It's so beautiful inside and peaceful. I felt at ease and very safe though you have to pay attention at all times. It was a great experience. I highly recommend that you wear sneakers with a good grip/ sole ( aka not converse shoes or flip flops). The rocks are not steady and it can be dangerous if you aren't properly attired. Overall, the highlight of our trip. Stop by the local eatery when you exit the hike and grab a delicious sweetened lemonade and some authentic PR food on the roads on the way out of the forest. read more

Definitely make a trip out here if you're in PR. It's a beautiful rainforest. Don't bother with the $3 visitor center fee, or the $5 forest tour guide -- you can explore it on your own. We only had time to take La Mina trail -- it's supposed to be the best trail. At the end there is a nice waterfall, the people I was with were not impressed with the size, but it was still worth the hike. Wear your swimsuit and take a dip after the hike to cool off. The trail is 1.7 mile round trip, but it might feel longer because it's so windy (long "i") and narrow. I was hoping to see monkeys, but all I saw were a lot of lizards and one hummingbird. read more

We did the half day tour so it was an easy hike. Make sure to take a dip in the water, It was the best part! Fantastic views and very peaceful. The tour picked us up from our hotel so it was an easy trip. read more

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The hike to the top of the rainforest wasn't as difficult as I expected, the views on the way up are amazing. The highest point requires you to climb over boulders and balance yourself on them while trying not to die, it's a little scary since there are no railings but the view overlooking the island is breathtaking. read more

El Yunque Rainforest - Hiking Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

I wish we had more time there! The tour was pretty good. I loved walking through the trail. Poncho was definitely needed!! After the tour we left the park and did our own (free) hike to one of the waterfalls. It was 1.7mi but took about 30 - 40 minutes to get there. Moderate hills, but not too bad. read more

On a vacation to San Juan with a group of girlfriends, the hike through the rainforest was by far one of the greatest highlights! Its so incredible, I can barely find the words to describe the experience. While my Spanish is very minimal, one of the employees at the information desk jokingly guided me through the language to help me ask him the questions I had, in Spanish. We were initially a little confused about the "hike" and were told that we actually needed to drive quite a ways before arriving to the parking area. From there we took a 20+ minute hike to the waterfalls. The hardest part was going back, as we parked at the higher lot so we had to walk up-hill. It was rough for folks who aren't in shape, but in the end it was soooo worth it. Its such an awakening. read more

Admission into the hiking areas was free. But getting to the visitors center was $4 per person over 16 years old. What was at the visitors center? Clean Bathrooms, a 20 minute movie, a free map and the official gift shop. Other (free) bathrooms were further past the visitor center. (Non-official) gift shops were also nearby. Maps can be downloaded online. So skip the visitor center if you can live without the movie and need to save money. But $4/adult is still a small price to pay for enjoying the forest. Its a rainforest! The natural rock and cement/rock trails are slippery. Wear hiking boots or at least good sneakers. Bring a rain coat or enjoy the rain. (The rain added to the ambiance.) Bring refillable bottles of water. There are streams and small waterfalls to refill with delicious mountain water. We opted to avoid the crowded trails and went to less traveled areas, the Mt Britton Tower trail and El Yunque Peak trail. Finding a parking spot required two 10 minute loops around the top. I'm fit and found both trails challenging but worth it. The Mt Britton Tower was a ~30 minute hike. From there we went on to the Yunque Peak in ~50 minutes. This combination was a moderate/difficult ~3 hours with stops for photographs, water breaks and enjoying the views. The Mt Britton Tower trail is a good option if you only have ~1 hour. Coqui frogs were heard but not seen. Large birds flew away before we got a good look of them. So sadly We didnt see any wildlife. But the flora, views and ambiance were amazing. We will return to do other remote trails. read more

Serious traffic issues. No parking anywhere, Guaynabo cops literally blocked the roads for some unknown reason, and them proceeded to laugh and have a conversation while they backed out one car over a 15 minute period. It got to the point where traffic going down backed up until traffic going up. The rainforest itself is pretty cool if you manage to find a day without enormous crowds. There were mounds of parking tickets given out that day. This park needs a parking lot at the bottom and a trolley similar to Zion and an entrance fee per car. read more

Great experience! My friend and I decided to be adventurous and hike the La Mina Falls Trail to the waterfall. The hike was beautiful. This was my first time hiking through a rainforest. Now I'm no frequent hiker, and I rarely hike. However, I'm so glad I challenged myself and decided to hike this trail. It is about 40 minutes down and 40 minutes up. Going down to the waterfall isn't bad, it's coming up the millions of steps and steep trail that presents the challenge. I definitely felt like I had my workout for the week, but it was worth it. The waterfall is beautiful, and the water felt great. It also presents a great photo opp for all my photographers or people who like being in pictures ;p. read more

El Yunque Rainforest - Hiking Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

I loved the amount of fresh and green the area is. but I recommend going with family and friends to have the real time of your life.

It's a beautiful place to visit but they should have more signs on the road when heading up guiding everyone. read more

El Yunque Rainforest - Hiking Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Yunque kicked my ass. Me and a friend hiked all the way to the top and were quite out of breath by the time we got there. really good workout/hike with wonderful scenery. Many tourists in the beginning, but that tapers off rather quickly the higher up you go. Highly recommended you hike up the whole way... otherwise what's the point of visiting yunque anyway? read more

Its fun to hike the forest with the guide. But if you go down to the waterfall it looks a bit dumpy. Sometimes overcrowded with what looked to be locals. It was a bit ghetto! So, go for the hike. The waterfall isn't that great anymore. read more

El Yunque National Rainforest is an absolute must-see when in Puerto Rico! Absolutely beautiful!! read more

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This was a great hike/trip. You don't really need a map because each parking spot along your drive to the last parking spot is a scenic stop to explore something. There are also large map posts along the way up that show you where you are. Gorgeous views were sprinkled throughout the place. The farthest I hiked was to the 2nd tower. There was an additional 2 hour hike to the peak, but that was too much for me. Free to enter and park. Love it long time. read more

DO NOT USE UBER, DO NOT GET DROPPED OFF, BRING YOUR OWN CAR OR RENT. That being said, when you enter, you can either turn left to continue up the mountain or right to go to the museum. The museum entrance is $4 per person which I did not know I could have forgone and the museum was interesting and all but I wouldn't recommend it as it's only a snippet of what there is to offer. Uber is not allowed in the national rainforest so I would strongly recommend renting a car if you're on the island for vacation, have a friend from the area give you the tour, or join a tour group (which I actually don't recommend since it's pretty doable yourself). You can grab a map if you like from the visitor center if you choose to go on your own or even find one posted here on yelp. It is not walkable, hence all of the vehicle suggestions listed. The road is small and winding and there is no room for pedestrians. There are also people who drive very fast up and down the hill so please, for your own safety, DO NOT WALK. Every few miles you will see a parking lot or a couple of cars parked on the side. You want to pull over and look at all of the places. There is a tower, small water falls, trails that lead into the rainforest, and I believe two trails that lead to the same waterfall. You can choose to walk up both but it's not necessary as you get to the same destination. Both only about a 30 minute walk down and another 30 minutes back up. Be mindful that the park closes at 6! Other suggestions: wear sunscreen, wear off if you're prone to bug bites, bring your camera, lots of water, an ice box with some snacks (there is a picnic area towards the end with bathroom). Definitely suggest food and water as we got used up a lot of energy on our little adventure. Definitely would recommend this place as one of your go to's in Puerto Rico. It is so calming to be here and the entire time here, I was just silent and in awe of my surroundings. Plus it was hot and humid and I was trying to conserve energy haha read more

Wish I could have spent more time! Very little hiking involved aside from La Mina Falls, it took about 30 minutes to hike, but was totally worth it! Bring drinking water and some sneakers as it's a little more than a flip flop walk. read more

We booked this tour through TourByLocals.Com who I highly recommend and had an excellent tour guide in Melba Ayala-Nieves. I want to make clear up front that I would absolutely recommend both the company and Melba as I have no issues with either one, That having been said, this is a really tough rating because, while we really liked Melba, our tour was not great because of the crowds. This was a function of the date that I chose (July 3rd) and not Melba's fault. The park was extremely full to the point where there was no parking. What this meant was that Melba could not join us on the walk, but rather had to drive around while we did the 2 hour hike from one trail head to another. All this while constantly dodging the hordes of people on the path to La Mina Falls that is only capable of handling a single file line. Once we got to the falls, we were confronted with a couple of hundred people cavorting and swimming in what was supposed to be an ecologically pristine environment and it significantly deflated us. Melba herself is extremely knowledgeable about the rain forest and a pleasure to be with. I have no doubt that had she been able to go with us, our hike would have been much enhanced so I would highly recommend her without reservation. That having been said, people who take this tour should be careful to avoid holidays as the rain forest tour can get very crowded. read more

Beautiful and magical. You must go, and take your time to just listen. We rented a car and drove up from Santurce. It's only a half hour drive on a very well marked road. Well 3 roads actually, but, very easy to get to. It's beautiful here. I don't think you need a guide to hike through. There is so much information at the observatory, you will learn so much if you take the time to read the plaques and signs. We really enjoyed being in the forest and not hearing any other people. It was nice to just walk along and listen to the sounds of the forest and the water. read more

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If you do anything on your trip to Puerto Rico you have to go see the Rainforest! My wife and I took the 30 minute hike to the one of the nicest waterfall. The hike was pretty easy especially with a really nice paved path. Really enjoyed the clean, fresh, and cold water........ read more

We visited this location and it was a memorable experience. I recommend going earlier in the day to avoid the heat and to find parking. The trail we took was about an hour, down and back to the top, and we did it with a 10 year old and 3 year old. Several people fell as the trail is slippery so be careful and take your time. The waterfall at the bottom is awesome. I recommend visiting when you travel to Puerto Rico. read more

El Yunque Rainforest - Hiking Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Wife and I had a lot of fun hiking to La Mina Falls. The hike would of been kinda tough for little ones or seniors but we enjoyed it. The water at the falls was ice cold but we got in anyway. Of course the view both hiking and driving was awesome! Make sure you pay attention when you're driving. We did get lost and wound up cruising down a one-way street in some local neighborhood. read more

El Yunque Rainforest - La Mina - Hiking Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

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Nice little hike to the waterfall where a lot of people were hanging out and playing in the water. Trail wasn't difficult and got to the waterfall under an hour. You should stop by the information center, they offer a short clip about the rainforest and its (animal) residents. It may cost $4 to get to, but it's worth it. The funds go towards the preservation. There's a little restaurant on the way up to the trail (there's two, the second one on the right side of the road). Their shrimp tacos was DELICIOUS!!! The observation tower is a must!! You can see the ocean from the top. :) read more

Amazing trip. So many photos to take and sights to see. Recommend a guide to pick the highlights, but really you can't go wrong. Take sturdy shoes for the trails. It will rain and they get slick read more

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Overall, great experience to be able to walk through the only rainforest in the national park system. Would definitely recommend folks go visit. Here are some takeaways: - Go visit early. Tour buses start bringing in groups of tourists who will clog up the visitor center, gift shop, restrooms, trails, etc. Visitor center opens at 9AM. - Definitely go to the El Britton tower. The view was amazing and, best of all, there weren't that many people to ruin the atmosphere since its a small hike. - Wear hiking shoes and bring a towel to visit the falls. - Not many insects to contend with surprisingly enough. - Front desk staff member was super crusty and unfriendly. - Lot of winding and steep roads to get to the top, but worth it. read more

You have to visit! Gorgeous rainforest that is easy to spend half a day there and see tons. The trails are paved and there's no way you will get lost. Truly a gem and must-see in Puerto Rico. read more

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It's a rainforest!! And it's beautiful, definitely check it out if you're visiting Puerto Rico. I took a tour set up thru my hotel (ritz Carlton) and it was informative and not crazy as far as actual hiking. Waterfalls, beautiful huge plants and trees. Don't miss out its really gorgeous. read more

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