Where to even begin? I guess we have to go back a few days to when we were panicking because two other tour companies cancelled our Puerto Rican adventures. We were running out of days and out of luck when we came across Atabey on trip advisor. We wanted a real rainforest excursion, not a zip lining cake walk (no offense of course, but we wanted to get down and dirty and hike like the locals). When we came across Atabey's Magical Mystery tour we knew we found what we were looking for, but now we needed to make sure they would take us. It was Friday night and the only day we had available was Monday before our flight home on Tuesday. Enter Andres and his excellent communication. He emailed us within a few hours and after a few details were confirmed we were booked for our own PRIVATE excursion for the same cost as the other place that cancelled on us because not enough people signed up. Yes!!!! We were so excited.
And it only got better and better from there.... Monday morning Jorge picked my fiancé, Brook, and I up from the hotel in the adventure van. Right off the bat we knew it was going to be a great trip. You see... A "tour guide" can really make or break a trip. If you get someone too pushy or not knowledgable enough it can ruin the experience. Lucky for us Jorge was incredible. He might be one of the nicest people I've ever met, but he also grew up in Puerto Rico so he knows it like the back of his hand. He's studied the island and plant life and in general kept us learning all day! Whether it was stopping to show us a fern that moves when you touch it, or try a leaf known for its healing properties or smell a ginger flower... The list didn't end! But I'll try to stop gushing about Jorge long enough to tell you about our adventure.
With the Magical Mystery Tour you really get to customize your own trip based on what our interests are. We told Jorge when he picked us up we wanted to do it like the locals and get deep in the forest since we already saw a lot of the beach and the ocean. He was on it! We do not know what to expect, but I'm glad we trusted him. The day was divided into two sections; 1. The River Walk & Waterholes, 2. El Yunque National Forest - The Three Waterfalls.
For the first leg of the trip we drove about 20 minutes to a remote entrance of the River. On our short hike down to the river we met a lot of dogs and one friendly bull (cow) that we fed a few of my dried apricots to! As soon as we got to the river there was a beautiful lake. We started our hike which lead us to a 40 foot waterfall and jump. And that's where the fun began! It really just became like three good friends having a blast jumping in the river and swimming up and down. And we kept climbing up the river over rocks and through some forest to more and more waterfalls and waterholes. Each one was different and spectacular. And Jorge took photos and videos the entire time. After a few ours of river walking in the sun we decided to head back and grab lunch before our second adventure.
Lunch was local and delicious. We had the typical island cuisine of sweet potatoes (patatas), BBQ chicken (pollo), Arroz con Grandules (rice with lentils and bacon), sweet plantains (amarillas), palettes (holiday dish made with local pumpkin and other things I couldn't identify wrapped in a banana leaf). There were plenty of options for everyone.
Next we drove for another 20 minutes or so to the El Yunque National Forest Welcome Center. From there we hiked to three different waterfalls. The hike was strenuous and mostly up hill but we were the only ones there which was incredible! Jorge said he has only ever seen two other people at the third water in all his time hiking there. It wasn't easy, but it was so worth it. We played like children and made videos of us jumping in the water. And made a friend for life. I'm not joking when I saw that we are inviting Jorge to our wedding next year. The trip was incredible, the forest was stunningly beautiful, but Jorge really allowed us to enjoy it. Without him we never would have had such a memorable experience. We also have pictures that will last a lifetime.
Let's just say we can't wait to go back! Atabey Tours is really the only choice. #weloveJorge read more