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P U E R T O R I C O ( H T T P : / / P R I C E L E S S - C A R I B B E A N . C O M / C A T E G O R Y / P U E R T O - R I C O / ) /

J A N U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

EL YUNQUE NATIONALPARK, PUERTORICO’S PARADISEFOR NATURE-LOVERS

A R U B A ( H T T P : / / P R I C E L E S S - C A R I B B E A N . C O M / C A T E G O R Y / A R U B A / )

J A M A I C A ( H T T P : / / P R I C E L E S S - C A R I B B E A N . C O M / C A T E G O R Y / J A M A I C A / )

P U E R T O R I C O ( H T T P : / / P R I C E L E S S - C A R I B B E A N . C O M / C A T E G O R Y / P U E R T O - R I C O / )

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R E P U B L I C / )

A lthough it’s less than an hour’s drive from San Juan, stepping foot into

El Yunque National Forest(http://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/elyunque

/recreation) transports you to a world away. You’ll experience

everything differently in this jungle-like setting: the surrounding sounds

muted as they disappear into the lush foliage, your view disappearing into a

blanket of clouds and humidity enveloping you with fragrant scents.

As a nod to the ancient Indian legend of the good spirit Yuquiyu and his

protection over Puerto Rico(http://www.mastercard.com/pricelesspuertorico/), El

Yunque gets it own watchful eye as the only tropical rain forest protected by

the U.S. Forest Service. Named among the top 10 places worldwide to see a

rain forest by USA Today, you’ll soon see why this virgin forest is an

incredible natural habitat.

Flora

Get caught in one of the pop-up rain storms and enjoy being part of the 240

inches (or 100 billion gallons) of annual rain that helps create the park’s

emerald green lushness. From glow-in-the-dark fungi to giant ferns, El

Yunque is home to over 200 species of trees and plants, 23 of which aren’t

found anywhere else. These 28,000 acres on the Sierra de Luquillo

mountains are also home to 50 native orchids and 150 types of ferns. These

plants are located throughout the forest’s four areas, which are named

Tabonuco, Palo Colorado, Sierra Palm and Dwarf.

Fauna

Consider this Mother Nature’s menagerie of all things small. The familiar

high-pitched, squeaky “wee-see wee-see” song of the warbler is your

backdrop as you stroll through the forest. On any branch you might see one

of its 349 bird species, including the Puerto Rican emerald hummingbird,

black and yellow Bananquit warbler, Elfin-woods warbler (originally

discovered here) or endangered Amazon parrot. Less exciting for some

would be the 1,200 varieties of insects that creep and crawl the forest floor.

But no one should miss catching a glimpse of the beloved coquí tropical

frog, whose endearing song of beeps and chirps is heard throughout.

Thirteen of its 15 variations can be found here, so you’re bound to see — and

definitely hear — these tiny native creatures.

Your Adventure

There are a dozen maintained trails for hiking and exploring stone towers,

rivers and waterfalls. For a little advice, stop at the visitors’ center. Then pop

your phone, wallet and camera into a Ziploc bag and hit the 24 miles of

hiking trails.

The most popular is the La Mina Trail, a 0.7-mile-long trail that passes by the

35-foot La Mina Falls. Bring a swimsuit if you want to take a refreshing dip in

the chilly water. And, not for the faint at heart, brave the three-hour hike to El

Toro, the forest’s highest mountain peak. Your heart will be pumping as you

walk over the rocky terrain.

For a parrot’s eye view, take a stroll up to one of two observation towers: the

Yokahu Tower that’s commonly known as the best view or the Mt. Britton

Tower, a higher vantage point that can be reached by a 45-minute hike on a

narrow but well-maintained paved path.

Enjoy feeling the humid fresh air, seeing the beautiful plant life and listening

to the coquí sing as you take in the sights of the forest, the Atlantic Ocean

and the Caribbean Sea. That is, until the clouds show up.

Photo source:Wikimedia Commons(http://commons.wikimedia.org

Off the Beaten Path(http://priceless-caribbean.com/tag/off-the-beaten-path/)

S H A R E O N : F A C E B O O K ( H T T P : // W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M

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/wiki/File:Puerto_Rico_El_Yunque_6.jpg)

Map data ©2014 Google Imagery ©2014 TerraMetrics

Bosque Nacional El Yunque

Río Grande 00745

+1 787-888-1880

Save

4.8 172 reviews

View on Google Maps

View Larger Map(https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=el+yunque&

aq=&sll=18.460824,-66.07609&sspn=0.012375,0.021136&t=h&ie=UTF8&hq=el+yunque&hnear=&ll=18.294356,-65.784727&

spn=0.396189,0.676346&z=11&iwloc=A&cid=9458393457357890769)

Río Grande 00745, Puerto Rico +1 787-888-1880 · fs.usda.gov

Report a map error

R I C O S -

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Cheryl Fenton (http://priceless-caribbean.com/author/sw-33287/)Cheryl boasts two decades as a freelance magazine and

online lifestyle writer. With her focus on travel, beauty,

fashion, celebrities and food, she has been called a “kitchen

sink writer” — writing about everything including the kitchen

sink (interior design is another area of expertise). Her

bylines have been in The Boston Globe, USAirways,

Glamour, Wallpaper, Women’s Health & Fitness and

Cooking Light, along with several online outlets like

MySecretBoston.com and Virgin Atlantic Airlines travel

blog. Cheryl admits travel junkie status, stretching her

wings to leave her Boston home and fill her journal with

personal notes from around the world.

Tw i t t e r ( h t t p s : // t w i t t e r . c o m / c h e r y l f e n t o n )

P R E V I O U S A R T I C L ETHE CONDADO VANDERBILT

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N E X T A R T I C L EDISCOVER SOFO RESTAURANTS

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