Resources of The Caribbean
In Puerto Rico, a Rain Forest Full of Easy Adventure
By LISA W. FODERARO / The New York Times
"I feel so small," bleated Amelia, my 10-year-old, as she surveyed her surroundings in El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. Not exactly the feeling a mother wishes to instill in a child on vacation, but in this case, it was the right response.
Compared with the diminutive leaves and blooms that had been unfurling back home in suburban New York, everything seemed super-size: giant ferns, majestic candlewood trees, towering stands of bamboo, coral-hued blossoms the size of grapefruits.
Set among the Luquillo Mountains in Puerto Rico's northeast corner, El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United States national forest system. Occupying a relatively modest 28,000 acres, but with more than 1,000 plant and animal species, El Yunque was an ideal choice for a family that wanted adventure — but perhaps not too much. The trails are not only easy on inexperienced hikers, but also paved and well marked. (In some areas, where the terrain drops sharply from the path, there are even railings.) To the relief of our 7-year-old son, Sawyer, there are no poisonous snakes — or monkeys or large cats, for that matter.
In all other respects, El Yunque provided the full jungle effect. Mists drifted down verdant hillsides. Mysterious clicks, peeps and trills emanated from the canopy. Lizards skittered along tree trunks. Afternoon downpours erupted from thin air. And plant life emerged from every crevice: a simple rock face sported a fuzz of moss and a profusion of tiny ferns and other shoots. Some of the more than a million people who visit the forest each year never leave their cars, taking in the roadside waterfalls and dense landscape from Route 191, the only road through the preserve. >>> Go to Full Story >>>