El Yunque

El Yunque is located in the rainforest which means you would be surrounded by amazing flora and fauna. And if you are lucky you'll be able to listen to the famous Coquis - a Puerto Rican frog.

Visiting this park is really cheap and could even be free. You have to pay a really small fee US$3 if you want to watch the informative video, but if you decide not to do it, you won't pay anything.

In order to start the trekking you have to drive to the beginning of the path. In your way you will cross the "La Coca" waterfalls, where you can stop in order to get nice pics, but this is just the beginning.

At the entrance of the path, you can park and after 45min trekking more less, you will reach the "La Mina" waterfalls. You can even go inside and enjoy the refreshing water. During the whole trekking you will enjoy really nice landscapes. Be sure to wear comfy shoes, since there are stairs and the road can be slippery. And if you want to go into the water, wear your bathing suit.

At the visitor center, you'd find a cafeteria and a gift shop. But you can also bring your food and have a picnic in the tables they have set for the visitors. They are located before the trekking, so you can just sit there and enjoy the nature.

If you are basing your Puerto Rican vacation in San Juan and have youngsters, how about an excursion to El Yunque? It is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System. Set in the Luquillo Mountains, which rise to 3,500 feet and catch clouds to fuel the rainfall creating this unique environment, El Yunque is only a forty-five minute drive southeast from San Juan.

Although your children are a bit young for most hikes, they should enjoy El Portal, the magnificent center at the forest entrance (no charge for the visitor’s center or park entrance!). The center is a beautiful building with a lot of great exhibits and educational displays that should hold your children’s attention for a few minutes, anyway. You can proceed uphill from there to a tower which doesn’t have too many steps to get to the top. Since this is a rain forest, after all, I can’t guarantee great views – but if you chance upon a clear day I hear the panorama is spectacular.

We did an easy hike past a waterfalls where you can swim to complete your investigation, but I’m sure if you research El Yunque a little you might find a few more age-appropriate activities to make this a fun destination during your visit!