Exploring El Yunque National Park
At the Visitor Center of El Yunque we visit a fascinating exhibition about the park and the rainforest. We take a good hour for a lovely hike.
Into El Yunque National Park
Monday, September 17: We dress jungle-ready and drive along the coast heading east, then inland, about 45 minutes into El Yunque National Park.
At various spots we park our car and enjoy magnificent views across the rainforest, all the way down to the coast.
A short stop is well worth it at La Coca Waterfall right by the road (just past the Visitor Center) and at the Yokahu Observation Tower.
The tranquility and the fantastic views here are absolutely worth it.
Hiking the Trails
A little further along, the hiking trail to La Mina Waterfall begins (there are 2 routes to get there). The hike takes about 1.5 hours in total and is absolutely worth it. A swim in the middle of the rainforest after the effort feels wonderful and is a unique experience.
Britton Tower in El Yunque
We drive to the end of Ruta 191 and hike the Mt. Britton Trail, up to Britton Tower. From here we enjoy the view across the entire rainforest, up to the summit on one side and back to the coast on the other.
The atmosphere is breathtaking. At times thick clouds roll by and you can barely see your hand in front of your face, then it clears up again, sunny and incredibly quiet.
Here at the top of El Yunque there are still plenty of exciting trails. We, however, slowly head back, as we still have the whole island ahead of us and the day is already coming to an end.
Lunch Time
On the way back we need a little pick-me-up and stop at one of the small restaurants. Oh yes, the food is authentically Puerto Rican and sometimes a bit of an acquired taste, but most of it is very delicious.
Conveniently, our second suitcase arrived at the hotel today while we were out, so now we can start our island road trip.
