Has anyone visited El Yunque Rain Forest recently?

[Watergal501]

We are stopping in San Juan the first week in February and wanted to visit El Yunque. I was wondering if anyone has taken a tour recently?

[Loonbeam]

May of 2018 - some areas still closed then but the 'primary' visitor areas have reopened (well except for the current shutdown).  The foliage was back everywhere we were and it was very nice.   Book with a reputable tour guide, like Ellis, who can monitor current conditions.

 

[cubicd1]

I recently read that some of the trails are still closed as are some of the parking areas.  Making open trails crowded.

[alfaeric]

Missed this thread- we were there a few weeks ago- and did some hiking.  

 

There were places that were open as they have been recovered, but closed due to the shutdown.  Mina falls was closed- so perhaps it will open back up, soon.  We were able to hike up to Mt Britton, and you could continue to El Yunque on a longer hike if you wanted.  

It was pretty interesting to see- since we've been there before, the damage due to the hurricane was pretty obvious, but the recovery has been remarkable.  

 

Worth seeing, for sure.

[stepf717]

I just returned fro PR and the falls are still closed but you can hike up to Mt Britton. You can see signs of hurricane damage in places dead branches trees not as lush etc,  but overall is still beautiful. 

[helensobol]

For what is and isn't open.  Use this site:  http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/el-yunque-post-maria/

 

[richbum]

Can anyone recommend a tour guide...or is this something we should do on our own? Price?

[Airrace]

We were there in December 2018 and even though some of the trails were closed we had a great time. We went swimming and then to some nice waterfalls. We climbed underneath a tunnel of rocks to some great water falls.

 

it was a all day tour provided by Ellis. He has a Facebook site. 

[CruzerDeb]

How difficult is the hike?  Is it a lot of uphill and ruggedness or more of a level walk on paved paths?

[alfaeric]

Depends on which hike you take- there are some that are relatively flat, and there are some that are steep on a dirt path.  The path to the falls is paved, I think, but it's not flat- you have to walk down to the bottom of the valley to reach the water fall.

[helensobol]

On 4/16/2019 at 11:26 AM, richbum said:

Can anyone recommend a tour guide...or is this something we should do on our own? Price?

 

You can do this on your own.   Rent a car and drive to the various locations for hikes or view. 

 

I wouldn't waste your money with a tour guide. 

[helensobol]

On 4/18/2019 at 9:59 AM, CruzerDeb said:

How difficult is the hike?  Is it a lot of uphill and ruggedness or more of a level walk on paved paths?

 

All of the trails are label by difficulty and the amount of time it will take.  Some are very steep and can be slippery with the rain.  I suggest good shoes and a walking stick.  

[Airrace]

Hello

We took a tour in December and it was great. We used Ellis Tours (you can find him on Facebook) one of the best tours I have ever been on. Ellis spendthrift the whole day with us in the rainforest, pig highway, a cool waterfall were we swam under it and several other spots. We got all the islands history from him. He picked us up in a nice clean vehicle and he had plenty of water to drink. You can customize your tour with him and see what you want.

 

Enjoy your tour but don’t do it on your own, you will miss to much history and this way you can just sit back and enjoy the tour. The best part was it’s not to expensive, I thought it was very reasonable and Ellis know a lot about Puerto Rico.0

[Aplmac]

There are a a few El Yunque Rain Forest photos in this album

but they were all taken in April 2011, before the devastating hurricane/s.

 

 

[Loonbeam]

As far as rainforest goes, I would recommend a tour guide like Ellis (who we used).  By doing so, you can plan in advance what kind of day, they will already know the appropriate trails etc, plus they know the spots likely to be less crowded etc. 

 

 

[Airrace]

Yes I would agree with the last post