Driving in Puerto Rico from Fajardo to El Yunque National Forest
We begin today's adventure from our home-base in Fajardo. Fajardo is a small city in Puerto Rico located in the east region of the island. Fajardo is the hub of the majority of recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the American and British Virgin Islands. It is also the home to the largest Marina in the Caribbean, called Puerto del Rey.
Fajardo was founded sometime between 1760 and 1774 (depending on the authority) as Santiago de Fajardo. It was one of the locations used by the Americans to invade Puerto Rico in 1898.
Fajardo is popular among tourists, especially local tourists, because of its seafood, hotels, and ferry ports with daily trips to the islands of Culebra and Vieques. Fajardo's beaches are bounded by calm, clear water ideal for snorkeling. Seven Seas Beach offers plentiful water sports facilities, offshore points for sailing, snorkeling and plenty of scuba diving. Fajardo is also home to one of the few Bioluminescent Lagoons in the world.
Now sit back as we drive through Fajardo beginning our adventure to the famous El Yunque Rain Forest.
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Upon leaving Fajardo, we pick up Route 3 which will take us up the coast to Luquillo before turning into the mountains to El Yunque.
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Just a short drive outside San Juan, Luquillo is a popular tourist destination with one of the nicest public beaches in the San Juan area.
One of my favorite stops in Luquillo are the Luquillo kiosks (or kioskos). This long row of humble buildings are right alogside Route 3 and the beach in Luquillo. Today, as we pass by, it is early and few of the kiosks have opened. But, later in the day and into the evening it will become crowded with locals and tourists. Don’t let their appearance discourage you — stop in and you will be in for an experience that is uniquely Puerto Rican. There are about 60 different kiosks that sell souvenirs, food and drinks.
We now turn south as we head into the El Yunque National Forest.
Anticipation builds as we drive along a winding road lined with lush vegitation.
As we enter El Yunque, it's interesting to note this is the only tropical rainforest that belongs to the U.S. Forest Service. El Yunque National Rainforest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, encompassing 28,000 acres of land, making it the largest block of public land in Puerto Rico. It is home to over 200 species of trees and plants, 23 of which are found nowhere else.
Our first stop is La Coca Waterfall. This is by far the easiest waterfall to visit as it is right off the road.
La Coca Falls is probably best described as a slide falls. The water slides down a 60' rock face, after which the creek narrows down significantly. It’s a very pretty waterfall, and the tropical rain forest surrounding it is just stunning.
If you want to see a waterfall on Puerto Rico, this is your best bet, especially if you’re not interested in hiking up and down hills.
Next stop is the parking lot that begins the Big Tree Trail leading to La Mina Falls. The 0.7 mile hike begins mostly downhill with a few steps up and downhill for about 35 minutes or so.
11 of the 16 species of common coqui (tree frogs), have been found in El Yunque. This small frog earned its Puerto Rican common name due to the call of the most common coquí species on Puerto Rico, which begins as the sun sets and ends in early dawn. This has made it an animal of great endearment to Puerto Ricans.
Eventually we reach a small footbridge in front of the falls.
La Mina Falls is a relatively modest 10m waterfall surrounded by pools of cool mountain water, perfect for a refreshing dip.
Remember that 0.7 mile downhill hike to the falls. The tip back is uphill so be prepared for a bit more strenuous hike back to your car.
As we drive out of El Yunque, you'll notice quite a bit more traffic and cars parked alongside the road. I would highly recommend to visit the rainforest in the morning hours because as you can see the crowds increase in the afternoon, oftentimes leading to closing the park to traffic.
One final stop before heading back to Fajardo is the Yokahu Tower, providing spactacular views of the forst, the north coast and, on a clear day, the peak of El Yunque itself.
EL YUNQUE RAINFOREST, Soaring Views in Puerto Rico
VIEW MORE OF MY PUERTO RICO VIDEOS
Taken Dec. 14, 2012
El Yunque rainforest Pico, reaching the 3500' above sea level summit.
El Yunque Rain Forest, Puerto Rico
The Caribbean National Forest is located 40 kilometers east of San Juan metro area. It consist of 28,000 acres of the most beautiful Rain Forest in the world. It is characterized by a rugged topography and an overabundant, highly diverse vegetation. There are 240 native tree species, 23 of them found only in El Yunque. 88 Rare tree species. 50 native orchids and 150 types of ferns.
For the Taino aborigines, the Luquillo Mountain Range was a sacred place. The word Yuke means white lands in reference to the mountain tops which are usually covered by clouds. Petroglyphs can be found in some remote parts of these mountains.
EL Yunque is the oldest Forest Reserve in the Western Hemisphere. In 1876 King Alfonso XII of Spain set aside 12,000 cuerdas (1 cuerda =.9 acres of land) to be protected for all times. In reality his goal was to avoid the enemy from getting hold of some of the great wood for making strong ships that grew and still grow at EL Yunque. In 1903, the forest was proclaimed The Luquillo Forest Reserve and became the only Rain Forest within the US National Forest System. It is the only Puerto Rican Forest administered by the US Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service.
El Yunque
Puerto Rico
View
Summit
Beaches
El Yunque National Forest
El Yunque National Forest is located in the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains, about 25 miles east of the San Juan area. A short ten-minute drive through the village of Palmer in Río Grande and up PR Road #191 will lead you to El Yunque. Covering over 28,000 acres of land, the forest derives its name from the Taíno word Yuké meaning sacred or white lands. From its peaks, it offers visitors some of the most breathtaking vistas found in the Caribbean. Temperatures range from almost 80 degrees Fahrenheit on the lower parts of the forest to a cool 65 degrees in areas closer to 3,300 feet above sea level.
El Yunques biodiversity makes it unique among other forests in the United States National Forest System. Frequent rain showers generate close to 100 billion gallons of rainwater a year and conspire with Puerto Ricos warm tropical climate to accommodate over 240 species of native trees, 50 species of orchids, and 150 species of ferns. Almost a third of the tree species are native to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and 10 percent of them are endemic to El Yunque and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
The forests animal life is dominated by reptiles, amphibians, and birds, including the endangered Higuaca or Puerto Rican Parrot. The forest attracts over a million visitors each year, who come to hike its more than 13 miles of trails while enjoying the lush scenery and fresh mountain air. Guided tours of these trails are available through the USDA Forest Services innovative Forest Adventure Tours and Rent-A-Ranger programs.
The core of El Yunque National Forest remains largely untouched to this day and has proven to be an exceptional asset to the worlds scientific community. It not only serves as a leading research site for numerous studies, but also provides a unique window to the past, when the original forest covered Puerto Rico in its entirety.
Recomended for: Adventurers, Sightseeing, Relaxation, Twentysomethings, Family, Explorers
Hours of Operation: Monday: 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Tuesday: 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM
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Thursday: 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM
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El Yunque Puerto Rico Rain Forest
More at The El Yunque Rain Forest is a cool, mountainous, sub tropical rainforest. The Eastern side of the Luquillo Mountains, which has the El Yunque rainforest at the top elevations, gets most of the rain.
The sub tropical 'Rain forest' occupies very little area in Puerto Rico, only a single, crescent shaped, band on the windward side of the El Yunque mountains. It lies wholly within the El Yunque National Forest Reserve. Its' main features are the Sierra Palms and a superabundance of epiphytes.
More at
El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico - La Coca Falls HD (2015)
El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Luquillo National Forest and the Caribbean National Forest, is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System. The forest is commonly known as El Yunque, which may be attributed to either a Spanish approximation of the aboriginal Taíno word yu-ke which means white lands, or the word anvil, which is yunque in Spanish. The second-tallest mountain within El Yunque is also named El Yunque. El Yunque National Rainforest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, encompassing 28,000 acres (43.753 mi² or 113.32 km²) of land, making it the largest block of public land in Puerto Rico. El Toro, the highest mountain peak in the forest rises 1,065 metres (3,494 ft) above sea level. Ample rainfall (over 200 inches a year in some areas) creates a jungle-like setting — lush foliage, crags, waterfalls, and rivers are a prevalent sight. The forest has a number of trails from which the jungle-like territory's flora and fauna can be appreciated. El Yunque is also renowned for its unique Taíno petroglyphs.
El Yunque Rainforest Tour, Puerto Rico
Holly Firfer takes us on an off-the-beaten-path tour of El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico.
El Yunque Pico - DIRECTIONS to the SUMMIT via Mt Britton Trail
Taken Dec. 14, 2012
Pico El Yunque - Directions to the summit via Mt. Britton Trail
El Yunque Rain Forest, Puerto Rico
The Caribbean National Forest is located 40 kilometers east of San Juan metro area. It consist of 28,000 acres of the most beautiful Rain Forest in the world. It is characterized by a rugged topography and an overabundant, highly diverse vegetation. There are 240 native tree species, 23 of them found only in El Yunque. 88 Rare tree species. 50 native orchids and 150 types of ferns.
For the Taino aborigines, the Luquillo Mountain Range was a sacred place. The word Yuke means white lands in reference to the mountain tops which are usually covered by clouds. Petroglyphs can be found in some remote parts of these mountains.
EL Yunque is the oldest Forest Reserve in the Western Hemisphere. In 1876 King Alfonso XII of Spain set aside 12,000 cuerdas (1 cuerda =.9 acres of land) to be protected for all times. In reality his goal was to avoid the enemy from getting hold of some of the great wood for making strong ships that grew and still grow at EL Yunque. In 1903, the forest was proclaimed The Luquillo Forest Reserve and became the only Rain Forest within the US National Forest System. It is the only Puerto Rican Forest administered by the US Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service.
El Yunque Mountain Road
spot the chubacabra
Hike through El Yunque National Rain Forest!!
Day 4 in Puerto Rico...we went for a hike through the El Yunque National Rain Forest.
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Exploring El Yunque Rainforest | Photography in Puerto Rico
VLOG 141 - April 2, 2017 - Exploring El Yunque Rainforest PR
In this Puerto Rico Travel vlog I explore the El Yunque Rainforest in northeastern of the beautiful country of Puerto Rico. I explore many of the park trails like Mina waterfall, la coca and Mount Britton, then up to the high-altitude dwarf forest. El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System. El Yunque National Rainforest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, encompassing 28,000 acres of land, making it the largest block of public land in Puerto Rico. The forest has a number of trails from which the jungle-like territory's flora and fauna can be appreciated. El Yunque is also renowned for its unique Taíno petroglyphs and the nightly calls of coquí tree frogs.
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Exploring El Yunque Rainforest
Explore El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico through the lens of a GoPro!
El Yunque Official Trailer
Situated in the Luquillo Mountains in north-east Puerto Rico, this biosphere reserve comprises a cross section of the natural environments of Caribbean islands, and is valued by the public as assets for conservation, recreation, tourism, education, and research. El Yunque National Forest is a steep isolated mountain on an oceanic tropical island rising rapidly from only four kilometers from the sea to an elevation that supports four distinct forest formations. It contains in a small area most of the reported species in some taxonomic groups and most reported life zones for a given jurisdiction. It contains five out of six life zones reported for Puerto Rico (i.e., subtropical moist forest, subtropical wet forest, subtropical rain forest, lower montane wet forest, and lower montane rain forest).
El Yunque Mt. Britton Trail Hikers
Taken Dec. 14, 2012
Hiking up to the summit of El Yunque on Mt. Britton Trail.
El Yunque Rain Forest, Puerto Rico
The Caribbean National Forest is located 40 kilometers east of San Juan metro area. It consist of 28,000 acres of the most beautiful Rain Forest in the world. It is characterized by a rugged topography and an overabundant, highly diverse vegetation. There are 240 native tree species, 23 of them found only in El Yunque. 88 Rare tree species. 50 native orchids and 150 types of ferns.
For the Taino aborigines, the Luquillo Mountain Range was a sacred place. The word Yuke means white lands in reference to the mountain tops which are usually covered by clouds. Petroglyphs can be found in some remote parts of these mountains.
EL Yunque is the oldest Forest Reserve in the Western Hemisphere. In 1876 King Alfonso XII of Spain set aside 12,000 cuerdas (1 cuerda =.9 acres of land) to be protected for all times. In reality his goal was to avoid the enemy from getting hold of some of the great wood for making strong ships that grew and still grow at EL Yunque. In 1903, the forest was proclaimed The Luquillo Forest Reserve and became the only Rain Forest within the US National Forest System. It is the only Puerto Rican Forest administered by the US Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service.
Puerto Rico El Yunque hike to waterfalls
We loved these mountains and the area in general, so beautiful.
Luquillo, Puerto Rico From The Air
On this day I flew my drone over beautiful Luquillo, Puerto Rico. Luquillo is situated between the Atlantic coastline and El Yunque National Rainforest. Luquillo Beach is situated here too, which is one the nicest beaches in the area. This town is located about 40 minutes east of San Juan. If you are ever in the area don't forget to stop by.
My address: P. O. Box 8251, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
La Mina Waterfall in El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico Rain Forest
La Mina Waterfall is the most popular waterfall in El Yunque National Forest and possibly the most popular waterfall in Puerto Rico. El Yunque is the only Tropical Rain Forest in the entire US Department of Forestry system. La Mina Waterfall can be accessed by two trails that converge at La Mina Waterfall. Those trails are, Big Tree Trail and La Mina Trail. Big Tree Trail starts from it's own parking area, while La Mina Trail starts from the Palo Colorado Recreation Area. Palo Colorado has quite a bit of parking, but it also serves three other trails, a Visitor Center, and Picnic Area.
Behind El Yunque @ a Spiritual Retreat Picnic Area
I don't recall if this little place had an official name...
This picnic area was built and is being maintained by some church or another, or maybe the landowner, especially for churches to come and have a spiritual retreat type of thing. It's surrounded by farms on the two sides where you enter, and the other two sides is just El Yunque mountain!! If you follow the water upriver, you could keep going deeper and deeper into El Yunque.
I was invited to come along with a church group (as a guest) and we spent all day there eating [ the little place had a full working kitchen type thing with a big barbeque grill built in] and running around...then all of a sudden they had an impromptu church service there...lol which was probably as long as a regular Sunday service. I woulda taken footage of the singing (they brought instruments..lol!) but didn't know if it was alright. ^_^;; I'm always so shy around people!
El Yunque, MT. BRITTON TRAIL TO SUMMIT
Taken Dec. 14, 2012
Hiking up to the summit of El Yunque on Mt. Britton Trail.
El Yunque Rain Forest, Puerto Rico
The Caribbean National Forest is located 40 kilometers east of San Juan metro area. It consist of 28,000 acres of the most beautiful Rain Forest in the world. It is characterized by a rugged topography and an overabundant, highly diverse vegetation. There are 240 native tree species, 23 of them found only in El Yunque. 88 Rare tree species. 50 native orchids and 150 types of ferns.
For the Taino aborigines, the Luquillo Mountain Range was a sacred place. The word Yuke means white lands in reference to the mountain tops which are usually covered by clouds. Petroglyphs can be found in some remote parts of these mountains.
EL Yunque is the oldest Forest Reserve in the Western Hemisphere. In 1876 King Alfonso XII of Spain set aside 12,000 cuerdas (1 cuerda =.9 acres of land) to be protected for all times. In reality his goal was to avoid the enemy from getting hold of some of the great wood for making strong ships that grew and still grow at EL Yunque. In 1903, the forest was proclaimed The Luquillo Forest Reserve and became the only Rain Forest within the US National Forest System. It is the only Puerto Rican Forest administered by the US Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service.
A Journey to El Yunque - Benicio del Toro
El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Luquillo National Forest and the Caribbean National Forest, is located on the island of Puerto Rico. It is commonly known as only El Yunque, a Spanish approximation of the aboriginal Taino word Yu-ke, thought by scholars to mean White Lands. However the lightning storms that occur there were to the Spaniards the sound of a giant hammer hitting an anvil (yunque in Spanish).
It is also the name of the second highest mountain peak in the Forest. El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System. The forest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains in Puerto Rico, and encompasses 28,000 acres (43.753 mi² or 113.32 km²) of land, making it the largest block of public land on the island of Puerto Rico. El Toro, the highest mountain peak in the forest rises 1,065 metres (3,537 ft) above sea level.
In descending order of land area the forest is located in the municipalities of Río Grande, Naguabo, Luquillo, Ceiba, Canóvanas, Las Piedras, Fajardo, and Juncos.[3] Forest headquarters are located in Río Grande.
La Coca Falls, El Yunque National Rainforest - Puerto Rico
— La Coca Falls — If there's one place in Puerto Rico that's truly a natural paradise, El Yunque National Rainforest, in Río Grande, Puerto Rico is it! Just 20 miles to the east of the San Juan Metroplex, this is the only subtropical rainforest in the U.S. Park System. Here you will find endangered bird species, beautiful waterfalls, a variety of flowers, lush vegetation, stunning vistas and winding hiking trails; all in a cool, mountainous setting that's simply breathtaking by any standard. Your Puerto Rico vacation would not be complete without visiting El Yunque National Rainforest.
El Yunque is located in the Sierra de Luquillo on the northeastern quadrant of Puerto Rico. El Yunque has been a protected forest since the 19th century when King Alfonso 12th of Spain declared it reserva de la corona, an area reserved for the Spanish Crown. Today it is the only forest in Puerto Rico managed by the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
The forest covers an area of approximately 114 square kilometers, which makes it the perfect place to get lost. So it's in your best interest not to stray away from the designated hiking paths.
Once you pass the El Portal Tourist Information Center you will enter the forest through a one lane road. A few minutes up the road you will find La Coca Falls on your right hand side. This waterfall is not very large when compared with others around the world. In fact, it doesn't have as much water either. But what it does have is a beautiful 85-foot high granite face that's unlike any other in the world.
Tourists love to climb the base of La Coca Falls and take pictures of their loved ones. It's also a great place to relax and take in the cool mountain air of El Yunque National Rainforest.