The Best Things to Do in El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico
Visiting the El Yunque National Forest is a must do while you’re in Puerto Rico!
One of only 3 rainforests in the United States, El Yunque is also the only tropical rainforest within the U.S. National Forest system.
Its beautiful waterfalls, abundant wildlife, and winding trails feel a world away from the historic forts and glistening beaches elsewhere on the island.
In this guide, you’ll learn about everything you need to know about visiting El Yunque while you’re on the island, including the best places to go, what to see, and recommended tours if you’d rather go with a group.
Juan Diego Falls in El Yunque National Forest
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What is El Yunque?
El Yunque National Forest is an incredibly biodiverse location on the northeastern corner of Puerto Rico.
A major draw for visitors here is that El Yunque is one of three major rainforests on U.S. soil.
The others are in the Tongass National Forest is Alaska, and the Hoh Rainforest in Washington’s Olympic National Park.
The Alaska and Washington rainforests are both temperate, while El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest on American soil. Not all rainforests have to be in tropical places, as it as more to do with their precipitation rate and structural composition.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to see what a rainforest looks like, but don’t want to bother with passports to get to Costa Rica or Madagascar or Brazil, El Yunque is a great option.
Plus, it’s convenient location near San Juan and Fajardo makes it an easy add-on to anything else you have planned for your vacation.
How far is El Yunque from San Juan?
If traffic is moving normally, you can drive from Viejo San Juan to El Portal (the forest’s visitors center) is less than an hour.
Because it’s so close to the capital city, you could easily do a half day at El Yunque in the morning, and be back to San Juan for a sunset boat cruise.
If you’re staying in Fajardo, you’re already on the forest’s northeastern borders, and can be at El Portal in less than half an hour.
If you’re staying in Ponce, on the southern central coast of Puerto Rico, you’re just under 2.5 hours from El Portal. That’s likely more than you want to do for a day trip, so I’d suggest stopping by El Yunque either on the way to or from the airport, assuming you’re flying into San Juan and then driving to your hotel in Ponce.
If you’re staying anywhere on Puerto Rico’s western coast, including Boquerón, Mayagüez, and Rincon, you’re more than 3 hours by car to El Portal. Add on a day or two on the eastern coast to explore El Yunque as that’s too far for a day trip.
Do I need a rental car to visit?
Unless you’re taking a guided tour (see below for suggestions), you’ll want to have a rental car at your disposal.
There’s no public transportation to all areas of the forest, and having a rental car will allow you to choose which areas and trails to stop at.
Getting to the El Yunque National Forest
The main road through El Yunque National Forest is Road 191, which runs diagonally through the heart of the park.
When coming from San Juan or Fajardo, take Highway 3 until you get to Palmer, and then turn south onto Road 191. From Palmer, follow 191 for about 1.5 miles until you get to the tiny town of Colinas del Yunque.
At this point, you’re on the edge of the forest, so continue on 191 past Colinas del Yunque, and you’ll come to El Portal, the visitors center for the national forest in 1.8 miles.
Pause at El Portal, or continue following Road 191 deeper into the forest. This 2 lane road is paved and any regular rental car should be able to traverse it without any issues.
You can drive 191 for 6 miles into the national forest, getting as far as the trailhead for the Mount Britton Trail before the road closes to car traffic. You can loop around and return the way you came.
NOTE: All recommended stops and trailheads are located off of this road.
What to Do at El Yunque
One thing that I love about El Yunque is that it is very accessible, both from a location standpoint and being close to San Juan, but from an activities standpoint.
Whether you want a quick hike and scenic overview or something more intense, you’ll find it here.
I’ve focused on more kid-friendly and beginner-friendly options below, to make it easy for anyone to fit a fun, quick adventure into their larger island vacation.
La Coca Falls
Me at La Coca Falls
If you’re looking for the highlights of El Yunque and don’t want to go deep into the forest to see something pretty, La Coca Falls is a great option.
You can see this waterfall from the roadside, and there is a short trail to the base of the falls if you feel like getting closer.
From El Portal, La Coca Falls is 2.7 miles into the forest on Road 191. It will be on your right side as you head deeper into the forest from the visitors center.
There’s a small parking area near the waterfall if you’d like to get out and take photos.
NOTE: There is a trail near the waterfall called “La Coca Trail,” but you do not need to hike this to be able to see the waterfall. It’s a more difficult trail that requires some pre-planning.
Unless you’re an avid hiker with a couple of hours on your hands, I’d skip this trail in favor of the recommended ones below, which are more well traveled and easier.
El Yunque Trail
If you’re looking for a fun trail with multiple intensity options that takes you through the best of what the forest has to offer, head to the trailhead for the titular El Yunque hike.
The easiest sample of the trail is to start at the peak of El Yunque at the end of Road 10, and then backtrack down the trail, turning off at the Los Picachos spur. (More on that below.)
To get to this end of the El Yunque trail, you’ll take Road 191 to its end, then turn right onto Road 10, following that to its end. The El Yunque peak trailhead will be off of this parking area.
This shorter version of the trail will still get your heart rate up, but nearly any visitor, including most kids, should be able to handle it.
For the longer and most challenging version of the hike, you can do the entire El Yunque trail, which spans almost 4.5 miles and climbs 1400 feet in elevation. Only attempt this version of the hike if you have experience hiking, and come prepared with the proper footwear, clothing, food, and water. It will take you about half a day, so start early to avoid as much of the mid-day heat and humidity as possible.
For this longer version of the hike, access the main trailhead off of Road 191. There is a parking area for a couple of trails nearby, including El Yunque and Palo Colorado.
Los Picachos Trail and Tower
My sister at the top of Los Picachos Tower
If you’re not doing the full length of El Yunque Trail (or even if you are, and want a little extra hike on the way!), the Los Picachos Trail is a great way to cobble together a shorter hike with great views.
Start at the trailhead for El Yunque Peak, following El Yunque Trail into the forest until you get to the spur trail for Los Picachos on your left.
Follow the Los Picachos Trail until you get to the base of the large, white stone tower.
There are a lot of stairs up the tower, but the views from the top are completely worth the huffing and puffing.
NOTE: There are 2 other easily accessible towers in the national forest if you don’t want to do this hike. There’s the Mt. Britton tower and the Yokahú Tower. Yokahú Tower is, by far, the easiest to access as is it right off of 191 with a dedicated parking area.
Visitors Center
The visitors center, called El Portal, is a great place to stop by if you’d like to learn more about the wildlife, history, and ecology of the forest.
While access to the national forest and its trails is free, you will need to pay an $8 per person access fee for the visitors center.
That might seem odd since the visitors centers at other national forests and national parks in the U.S. are free, but that small fee helps provide programming and information for the more than half-million visitors that this center sees each year.
Inside El Portal, you can see the park’s film, explore the many interpretive signs and exhibits, learn about the park’s endangered species and what’s being done to protect them, forest-inspired art and murals, and much more.
Explore and Discover Trail
If you want to see some of the beautiful plants and animals that live here, but don’t want to commit to a longer tour in the forest on your own, hop onto the Explore and Discover Trail.
It is located outside of El Portal, the visitors center, and covers just 0.4 miles, making it a great choice for families with little kids or those short on time.
It’s also fully paved, so you can bring your stroller or wheelchair to enjoy the trail.
Baño Grande Historic Site
The CCC-built pool and bridge at Baño Grande
The park’s iconic stone bridge is located here, on the Baño Grande pool. The pool is part of the Mina River, which flows into the pool and then under Road 191.
The pretty stone bridge and pool is a result of the hard work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) who also were responsible for a wide variety of projects within the NPS system in the 1930s, including Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.
You used to be able to swim in this manmade pool, but that hasn’t been an option for about 70 years.
There’s a large parking lot here with a big sign by the road if you’d like to stop.
Recommended Tours for El Yunque National Forest
A tour bus passes on Road 191 through the forest
If you don’t have a rental car, or you just prefer to let someone else do the driving and talking, a guided tour is a great way to experience El Yunque.
Below are my top 3 tours for visiting El Yunque, depending on what you’d like to see and do during your trip.
Half-Day Essential Rainforest Visit and Hike
This guided tour is an essential overview of the national forest, and it’s great for first time visitors who want to see and do a little bit of everything in a half day experience.
You’ll stop by La Coca Falls, take in the scenery along Route 191, take a short hike, and even go swimming in one of the forest’s natural swimming holes.
This tour is the one that my family took on our first trip to Puerto Rico, and the licensed guides got us to and from our hotel in San Juan easily.
Full Day Guided Hike to Mt. Britton and Tour
If you want a bit longer to explore in the beautiful national forest, opt for this full day outdoor experience!
Your guide will pack in a lot of fun, including a hike to Mt. Britton and the beautiful observation tower there, multiple waterfalls along Road 191, and time to cool off in a swimming hole or two.
Since you have more time on this tour, you’ll feel less rushed, have more dedicated time for hiking, and will see more of this important part of the island.
Because it’s more action-packed, it’s best for kids 6 and up, but keep in mind that you may have to assist younger kids when they get tired.
Family Friendly Hiking, Swimming, and Beach Tour
If you’re visiting El Yunque with very young kids, you’re on a multi-generational trip, or you just want fun without much physical stress, this is the tour for you.
There’s hiking, but it’s on a paved, flat, short path that ends with a natural swimming hole for kids (and kids-at-heart) to splash in.
You’ll also have time to snack on local food from a variety of Puerto Rican food stalls before enjoying yourselves on Luquillo Beach.
It’s an awesome way to get forest, food, and beach experiences in one compact half-day experience.
Tips for Visiting El Yunque National Forest
Views of the rainforest from the tower of Los Picachos Tower
Plan to spend at least half a day here.
While it’s not a long drive from San Juan, you’ll want to spend at least a few hours exploring the visitors center, a waterfall or two, and at least 1 trail while you’re here.
Most of the tours to El Yunque from San Juan take half a day, and that’s a half day of your vacation well spent.
If you prefer to do a longer visit to the forest, you can also find full day guided tours, or you can stay on the edge of the forest and visit on your own over multiple days.
It’s a low cost addition to your Puerto Rico trip.
You can walk any of the trails there for free if you'd like to go self-guided, making this an incredibly affordable way to explore this area of Puerto Rico.
If you’d like to go to the visitors center, there’s a small fee per person ($8 per adult, or $4 with an America the Beautiful pass).
You don’t have to go to the visitors center during your visit, but I think that the exhibits are helpful in understanding the forest’s impact and importance on this island.
Look into the ranger-led programs.
There are also ranger-led tours of the forest if you want to hop on a guided tour but don’t want to commit to the more expensive and longer guided tours from San Juan.
Ask at the front desk of El Portal about any programs or tours that are available during your visit. We’ve done all sorts of ranger-led activities while exploring the U.S. national parks and forests, including a boat tour in Yellowstone, a guided hikes, and kid-friendly nature programs at Glacier National Park.
These are always low cost (or free) and are a great way to add more learning to your time outdoors.
There’s a trail for everyone.
While the trails do vary in intensity, the path that we took was pretty easy and gently sloped up to the tower. I highly recommended stopping by El Yunque if you're visiting the east coast of Puerto Rico!
When you travel, do you include nature walks or trails into your trips? What national forests have you visited?
Bring comfortable hiking shoes.
There are some amazing trails and outdoor experiences at El Yunque, and you’ll want to make sure that your footwear isn’t what is holding you back.
When we’re hiking in warm, humid places like El Yunque, I prefer to wear hiking sandals over hiking boots or trail runners.
Hiking sandals have thick, textured soles, but are more open on the uppers to allow for air and water to flow through.
I love my Keen Newport H2 hiking sandals for situations like this, as they allow me to wade through water on a trail and then have my shoes dry very quickly.
Look for the coqui.
As you walk along, look for the Puerto Rican frog, the coqui, which makes its home within the forest.
We saw several of them on the plants while hiking here, and they are so tiny!
If you’re hiking with kids, make a game out of it, and see how many you can spot.
