Hiking El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico
For a breathtaking view and walk, hit the El Yunque National Forest. Filled with beautiful tropical plants and guaranteed to keep you a few degrees cooler in the Puerto Rican heat, this place will keep you on your toes and give you an experience like no other. For all the details of this vacation, make sure you check out the highlights from my trip to Puerto Rico.
Hiking El Yunque (TLDR)
- El Yunque is a tropical rainforest located in Puerto Rico
- My personal experience: 10/10 highly recommend
- Moderate hike with rocky trails
- Good grip shoes are strongly encouraged
- No phone service
- multiple trails
Of the 3 rainforests in the US National Forest System, El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest and has the most biodiversity. We hiked the El Yunque Trail up to the peak and were pleased to see all the beautiful plants and experience the coolness tucked deep within the trees. Honestly, this hike was amazing, I’d rate it 10/10—highly recommend!
My husband and I took a 6-day vacation in Puerto Rico—make sure you check out our Puerto Rico itinerary. On day 5 of our 6-day trip in PR, we rented a car and took a 40 minute drive from La Isla Verde to El Yunque. Driving in PR, is interesting to say the least. My tip—be cautious, there are more than a few aggressive drivers there.
Upon arriving to El Yunque, we had dying cell phones. Though I had to turn mine off the majority of the hike, I managed to get a few photos until it finally died. Honestly, I think the heat and the sweat from our pockets took it over the edge. Looking back, I’m grateful for the time to focus on being present and truly enjoying the views and challenge from the forest.
The Yunque trails are considered a moderate hike, and I would agree. I did it in vans, but I would’ve much rather had shoes with grip as I slipped on a few wet spots more than once. The trails are made of loose rocks mostly and, despite the hot temperature, there were several muddy areas.
We hiked up to El Yunque peak, which was a 5 mile hike. We walk pretty fast and accomplished going up and back down within 2.5 hours. We could’ve easily taken our time, but it’s easier for me to go fast when hiking—keeps it exciting! Hiking up the windy, rocky trails is a moderate challenge but it’s absolutely worth it. Once you arrive at the peak, you’ll be met with two flights of steep steps. Think of these as the right of passage to a view like no other. Watch your step honey because these steps don’t look like they take no for an answer if you trip. Once at the peak you can look over the entire forest to see a breathtaking view of the what looks like the entire east side of the island.
We missed the waterfalls, mostly because we didn’t want to wait around for people taking photos to leave. However, this hike was still absolutely amazing! This was our 2nd vacation hike—our 6 hour hike in Paris still takes the cake for a challenge. Puerto Rico was an amazing vacation and, besides the beautiful beaches, El Yunque was definitely a highlight!
How was your last hike?
Keywords: hiking in Puerto Rico, hiking El Yunque, things to do in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Itenerary
