El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico is a great destination for immersing yourself in the wonders of nature. This lush tropical rainforest is a must-visit destination for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike. Plus, it is a great day trip from San Juan, making it a popular destination for tourists and locals.
As soon as you enter the forest, you’ll be greeted by the sweet sounds of birds chirping and the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind. The fresh and invigorating air makes it the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Keep reading to find all you need to know to plan your own trip to El Yunque.
When To Visit El Yunque
El Yunque is great to visit year round. This is because the weather is consistent year round. Sure, it rains all the time. It’s a rain forest after all! However, the temperature is generally warm varying from 60-80 degrees Farenheit. So whenever you choose to go to Puerto Rico, you should choose to visit El Yunque.
Getting There and Around
Where Is El Yunque?
El Yunque is a sprawling tropical forest in the northeastern section of Puerto Rico. Most of El Yunque cannot be reached by us humans. However, the northern section of El Yunque, the human friendly section, is under an hour from San Juan, Luquillo and Ceiba making it a great day trip from those destinations. So if you are looking for a place to stay, check out Luquillo, a beach town nearby.
Can You Visit El Yunque Without A Tour?
Absolutely! We visited El Yunque with a rental car and it worked well for us. If you plan on visiting El Yunque on your own, you will need your own car. Ride share options will not work as the attractions in El Yunque are spread out and ride shares are not allowed in the park.
However, if you would prefer to visit with a guided tour, check out the options below.
How To Spend A Day In El Yunque
Start your morning bright and early at El Yunque. The visitor’s center opens at 9 AM, the park at 8 AM, and it’s a good idea to get there early. Access to the park is limited – so there are only a certain number of vehicles allowed in at one time. Arriving later in the day means you may have to wait for vehicles to leave before you’ll be allowed to enter.
Morning
First, start your morning at the El Yunque Visitor Center. Here you’ll learn a lot about the history of the rainforest, including several recent hurricanes and the conservation efforts happening now. Don’t forget to snap a picture of the park map so you can navigate throughout the day. This is also where you’ll want to fill your water bottles for the day as service is limited throughout the park.
Before you go: check the park website here to see if there are any planned closures of trails that will affect your visit to El Yunque.
Next, head into the proper part of the forest by following route 191. This route goes into the park but you have to follow the park road back out, there is no through route due to the mountainous road being closed to all but park rangers.
Pro tip: If you get to any stops that are super busy, just skip them and come back on your way out. If you get stuck at a busy stop, you’ll likely be with that same large crowd for the rest of the day at each stop.
First, stop at Cascada La Coca, the most impressive waterfall in El Yunque. It’s really close to the road and easy to spot. You’ll need about 15 minutes here.
Next, stop at Torre Yokahu. Only stop here if it is not raining. If it is raining come back later when it isn’t raining. You’ll need about 20 minutes to hike to the top of the tower. From the top of the tower, you can see El Yunque peak if it is clear. We got a tiny little peak of it while we were there!
Juan Diego Hidden Falls
Next, stop at Juan Diego Falls, a small trickling falls. It took us about 40 minutes to hike from the small trickling falls section, which is right next to the road, to the bigger waterfall up stream and back.
Additionally, after seeing this second waterfall, there is another small path to the right that takes you to another waterfall and a bathing pool just a little bit upstream. Next, there is a fork in the path, go left. The right fork goes nowhere and trickles out after a while. However, this path doesn’t look entirely official and it is very steep and slippery. On nice days, you can bathe in the pool under the waterfall. However, when there is lots of rain, like when we visited, the water is too aggressive which makes swimming uncomfortable.
Afternoon
Next stop on the road is Cascada La Mina. However, this has been closed for years and is not accessible at this time. But it is the most impressive waterfall in the park so when it does open up, make sure to stop.
Next, is the Baño Grande, an old rustic bathing area in the jungle. It’s pretty cool to learn about the history of the park. However, the actual structure is pretty overgrown. This is a quick 15 minute stop.
Lastly, hike to the Torre Mt. Britton. This was about a 1 hour hike for us. However, at this time the tower is still closed for renovations so no great views on this hike without the tower to get you above the tree line.
How Much Does El Yunque Cost?
El Yunque is free to enter! However, the El Portal visitor’s center does charge $8/person. If you have an America the Beautiful Pass, you get a $4 discount.
What Are the Facilities In El Yunque Like?
There are limited bathrooms here. There are flush toilet at the El Portal visitors center and at Baño Grande. Both areas also have water so you can fill up your water bottles.
For food, there are a few food stalls in the park. However, we’d recommend packing a lunch as the waits can get long during lunchtime.
What Is Las Pailas Waterslide?
Las Pailas is a smooth section of rock in a waterfall. Therefore, you can slide down the rock in the same way you can slide down a waterslide. The water pushes you down the rock face very quickly. Hence, a natural waterslide.
How To Visit A Natural Waterslide
Technically, your day in El Yunque is done. However, lots of tours, like the one’s we’ve included below include a visit to a natural waterslide. So that’s where our day in El Yunque ended too.
Visiting Las Pailas On Your Own
To get to the waterslide on your own, join back up with route 988 and head east. Next, turn north on 983. Additionally, put Las Pailas into Google maps. The directions worked really well.
When you get there, there will be someone taking money from you. Let me be clear that this isn’t an actual business. This is someone’s backyard. It’s very Caribbean! The person will ask you to pay $5/car and $1/person.
Next, you walk into said backyard and down the hill towards the river. From here, there are two waterslides. The smaller waterslide is to the right and the larger waterslide is to the left upriver.
For either waterslide, you’ll need to climb to the top of the waterfall. This is the most dangerous part of this activity. The rock face is slippery with algae.
“Riding” A Natural Waterslide
Once you get to the top of the waterslide, you butt scoot yourself into the rush of water and down you go. You may see photos of people lying down and crossing their arms like you do on a waterslide. However, with all the bumps of rocks, the safest way to go down the waterfall is sitting up with your arms out to act a bumpers. Yes, our hands got scraped, but our heads did not get concussed.
We did both waterslide multiple times and spent about 2 hours here. It was one of the best things we did in Puerto Rico and was a truly unique experience. We highly recommend it!
What To Pack For El Yunque
So rainforests, they’re named such for the rain, and the large amounts of it. As it rains frequently in a rainforest, you’ll want to pack for that. This includes a rain jacket, waterproofing for your phone, a dry bag and a waterproof camera for the waterfalls.
Additionally, El Yunque is a great place for hiking, so make sure you have packed a good pair of hiking sandals. I love these. However, if you choose to hike in shoes or boots, be aware that your feet will get really wet. So make sure you at least wear wool socks.
Lastly, make sure you’ve packed a quick dry towel to dry off after getting rained on or dipping in a waterfall.
Safety In El Yunque
The park frequently has closures of trails for repairs. So make sure you check the park website before you go or ask at the visitor center for closures so you don’t accidentally wander into a danger zone.
Also, take a quick picture of the map before venturing into the park. You will NOT have cell service in the park. It’s mountainous and you’ll get glimpses of services but for the most part nothing.
After a good day in El Yunque National Forest, you’ll be rested and rejuvenated and at your finest as any good day in nature leaves you. We hope that your own journey to El Yunque is as beautiful, pristine and pure as ours was. If you have any questions about getting to El Yunque, or things to do nearby, please leave them in the comments section below and we’ll be happy to help. Best of luck with your journey and happy travels!
