This is a must visit when in PR. This is a 45 min drive from San Juan but it is worth it and it is…read morefree. There is a map when you enter, parking is on the side of the road or they have parking lots the further you drive. There is a lot of parking so you would be likely to find parking as busy as it gets people come and go so parking becomes available. Even if you do have to wait it wouldn't be long before a spot is available. You see a waterfall at the beginning of the tour. As you proceed to drive up and view the rainforest further you will get to hike and find other waterfalls. Aside from waterfall there are beautiful trees and flowers. On one side you have the rainforest and on the other you have a view over the island.

Lovely visit the the El Yunque National Forest while staying in nearby San Juan…read more About a 45-minute drive from San Juan. No fee to enter the national forest...only an $8 fee when visiting El Portal Visitor's Center, which I recommend. I followed other visitor's recommendations by getting there when the forest opened and going directly toward the end to Mount Britton. I was luckily able to get one of those few designated roadside parking spaces. I finished the Mount Britton Tower (Torre) in about two hours (45-minute, 0.8-mile walk/hike each way) before making my way back toward the entrance stopping at the other attractions along the way. Note that it is about a 25-minute drive from the park's entrance to Mount Britton Trailside parking...due to the speed restrictions given the sharps turns and hills. As most others have said...the forest main road (191) goes one way through the forest, and loops back around towards the exit. Along the way, there are lots of stops...just look for the parking lots of roadside parking spaces and you will know you are close to an attraction. I ended the trip with visiting the El Portal Visitor's Center...at around 3:30pm...and it was very empty. I do suggest working the Luquillo Kiosks into the trip...given it is about a 15-minute drive away from the forest.

A really cool trail in El Yunque, and one of my favorites. To get to this trail, you will turn off…read morethe main road and keep driving for a little bit until reaching it. It's a very short walk down a path and some stairs, before you reach a clearing with some rocky outcroppings and a nice pool. There are some fish swimming in the water. A really nice place to sunbathe, cool off, and relax.

This trail is outside of the gated entrance along a secondary narrow road. This was best for our…read moreparents as it was a steady decline down and incline up, yet a bit lengthy (about 20 minutes one way). At the end of the trail, there's a river where you can take a dip in, so make sure to have your swimsuit.

Don't leave PR without trying the Full Adventure Tour! My whole family absolutely loved this! The…read moretrek and obstacles Gabe has designed is second to none. If you need motivation to get in shape let it be to do this tour. You need a decent amount of upper body strength and endurance to do all the incredible feats from climbing the side of a cliff to swinging across a narrow canyon and swimming through waterfalls. It's insane! It's amazing! I can't even put it into words. There's just nothing like it--and that includes Ricky's off the charts delicious fried chicken and special sauce! That family is something special. What an incredible unforgettable experience!

If you want a personalized outdoor experience, this is for you! The tour is directed by a local…read morecompany and is adjusted based on your preferences and comfort level. Montana Explora is the tour company located in Naguabo. Its location is slightly remote so I recommend looking it up in advance before you head over. You can also call/text the company's phone number, and they will text you their GPS coordinate. If you feel like you're driving to the middle of nowhere, you're heading the right direction. Once you get there, you'll see a small building with a bunch of life jackets/equipment on the outside. Our tour start time was 8:00am. We showed up early so we beat our guides there. They arrived few minutes after we did, and after they got the equipment together, we started around 8:30am. They do provide the equipment so all we had to bring was ourselves. I do recommend wearing canyoneering shoes or good hiking shoes because it is a slippery environment and the likelihood of falling is high in other shoes. Ha. Possibly long pants and long sleeve but not mandatory. Some of the trees have thorns, but they are rare. The company is family-owned and operated so the tour guides appear to care about the company greatly. Actually, our tour guides, named Luis and Gabriel, had a great attitude and seemed to enjoy their job a lot. They were extremely patient, friendly, and helpful. They are in very good shape physically and helped us the entire way, even if that required lowering us or offering a knee for us to step onto. They were very competent,and I felt very safe the whole time. I feel like the amount I paid for this experience was way less than the risk they took to keep us safe. I feel so indebted to them and forever grateful for them. This tour was highly based on our preferences and comfort level. We were able to add or subtract activities as we wanted. There was hiking, water sliding, zip lining, and more water slides. It was a lot of fun. I highly recommend this company and their tours. They do offer multiple tours so check them out!

This place is SO BEAUTIFUL! I highly recommend going! Here are a few tips to help your experience…read morego smoothly: 1) if you drive there yourself, it is $5 to park and $1 per person. Pretty cheap! 2) wear water shoes or closed toed shoes. The rocks are slippery and there is mud in certain areas. 3) if you are going without a tour guide, you are able to explore at your leisure. There is no time limit. 4) be extra careful in the water. There are sudden dips and lots of rocks. Also spiders are present between some of them. A couple told us that they saw a snake but it went in another direction. So just use caution. 5) the water is very cold. But once in, it's okay. That's all! Definitely a must see!

It is about 4.5 stars. Las Paylas is natural water slide close to El Yunque National Forest. The…read moreaccess can be reach through Luquillo. You need to study the area carefully before you come. Try to be there in the morning due to limited parking space. The water slide is actually behind the community houses next to river Rio Pitahaya. The natural slide only can access through this location. The residents here create a concrete step pathway to reach the water slide. Parking at the property was $5. It is worth the money for the concrete step. It look scary to slide down the natural slide. My wife was scare at first. After she saw me slide down several time, she finally do it herself. The trick is you can start at the middle slide by climbing the rock on the side and slide down to increase your confidence. Once you got it, you will enjoy higher location. I recommend you wear water shoes for this location. This location do not have facilities, so go to the bathroom at Luquillo before you come in.

Googled top places to enjoy a sunset, this one showed up. This was quite the pleasant adventure…read moreHere was my experience. ---- You know those beaches that immediately make you slow down and appreciate where you are? Seven Seas Beach was one of those for me. Coming from the mainland, it almost felt unfair how naturally beautiful this place was--clear water, palm trees, soft sand, and mountain scenery all blending together into one peaceful view. AMBIANCE Parking: There's a parking lot but there's parking on the road. I'd probably prefer parking on the road if you're going to leave as the beach closes (the line can get long) Seating: Plenty! Whether it's in the main beach or the hidden beach you got a lot of choices. Vibes: The area is a more calmer side of Puerto Rico. Fishing-town environment with local bars, seafood spots, and opportunities for bio tours. The main beach is really nice with with turquoise water, green palms, and views toward the surrounding landscape. There are a few kiosks setup if you do want to grab some food. If you're up for an adventure, coming from the main entrance, you go through a forest (enjoy the sights and sounds, like the coquis) for a good 30 minutes you can enjoy "playa escondido" a beautiful secluded beach with the common calm, shallow, and crystal clear waters but less human traffic and a better view of sunset. TL;DR OVERALL 5 Stars. B-E-A-utiful! I'm glad to have stumbled across this spot. My only wish was that I was there longer to enjoy and take it all in. Beautiful scenery, calm waters, relaxing atmosphere, and enough nearby activity without ruining the natural vibe. Whether you want to swim, relax, nap under palm trees, or simply reset mentally for a few hours--this spot is absolutely worth visiting. Would gladly come back again. TIPS * Shoutouts to the local that told me not to give up or be afraid midway through my trek to "playa escondido" * If the parking machine is still slow. I'd recommend street parking. * This spot earned its name for its isolation, shades of blue, and different bodies of water

Parking is just $5 and the stunning turquoise waters in this Fajardo, Puerto Rico beach not far…read morefrom our B&B in Luquillo, was enough to return for a second visit. You'd never know this beach exists if you're standing on the street. The beach is decent, there are food and drink kiosks that come handy when you want a break from swimming or sun bathing. We noticed some people set up beach chairs and small tables and turning their area into their own personal comfy space.

Mom & daughter hike. We had so much fun with Andre, he is by far the best tour guide we have had!…read moreGreat personally, kind & fun!!! Thank you Andre for more great memories!!! Kelsey

We hired Altura for a hike in the Puerto Rican rain forest. André was an excellent tour guide who…read moretook us on a moderate hike to amazing waterfalls. He was able to adjust the hike to our needs. It was the perfect day!

This trail takes you to Mt Britton tower, which you can then use to take to the EL Yunque Peak if…read moreyou'd like to keep going. It is a somewhat strenuous and rocky trail, but it's pretty well-shaded, which is nice. It does get HOT, however, and quite muddy if it rains. The views from the peak of Britton are phenomenal. The hike itself is about an hour one way. There is a parking lot close to the trail entrance.

Mount Britton Trail is a moderately challenging hike (about 45 minutes to 1 hour) to reach a tower…read morewith a 360 degree view of El Yunque National Forest. It can be cloudy or misty at the top, but if you get a break of sunshine, you can see the northeast part of the island (Fajardo and Cayo icacos) as well as the tall buildings of San Juan. This was definitely one of the highlights of our family visit to El Yunque National Forest. As of April 2022, the trail head is open. But there's some road construction in effect. You can park near the entrance of Route 9938 (about 10 spots are available on the roadside), but will need to walk 0.2 km to the trailhead entrance. From that point, it's a steady climb along an elevated concrete path with trees on both sides. Not too much to see along the way, but you may hear some coqui frogs (with its 2 distinct rising tones) and birds calling. 3 rest stops with benches are provided along the trail if you need to catch your breath. Toward the end, you'll see another paved road and then ascend up a final short climb to the tower itself. Be sure to go all the way to top (3rd floor) for the 360 degree vista! It's well worth the effort. If you're not accustomed to uphill hiking, be sure to take rest breaks along the way and bring water. To reach the trailhead, you will need an advance reservation ($2 through recreation.gov). The park limits the number of vehicles each day (to avoid overcrowding). One tip is to arrive at the trailhead in the early morning (by 9:00am) when it's less busy. You will see a lot more people and tour groups by 11:00am.

Other reviews have said plenty already! The only thing I can add is to recommend doing a night hike…read moretour (we did ours with El Yunque Tours Inc). Seeing all the coqui frogs alone was worth 5 stars! On top of that, we saw stick bugs, a tarantula, blue-green lightning bugs, and tiny scorpions that glow in the dark if you shine a UV flashlight on them! The best part of this forest is undoubtedly all the cool animals!

The last time I visited El Yunque was 10 years ago, so we thought it was a good idea to start with…read moreEl Portal de El Yunque Visitor Center, which has educational exhibits, a Café, Gift Shop and a Theater. There is also an information desk where you can get all of the information needed to plan your day. We made the mistake of not eating before coming here, so we ate at the Cafê. We had the Chicken Sandwhich and fries and although they were pretty good, they were pricey, so I recommend you don't make the same mistake we made. We really enjoyed the short film in the theater and after visiting the exhibits and the gift shop, we were ready to explore. One of my favorite hikes is to La Mina Waterfall, but it was closed for repairs during our visit, so instead we hiked the Mt. Britton trail and really enjoyed it. It's considered a Moderate hike with a paved path almost the whole way. At the top, there is a Tower, where you can enjoy views in all directions. I recommend you take your time as you hike, to enjoy the sounds and suprise wildlife sightings as well as the vegetation and the damp rainforest air. A truly unique and beautiful experience. Make sure you have water with you. It was cool when we started, but it quickly warmed up, so I was glad that I didn't get complacent and had plenty of water. A visit to El Yunque is definitely a 5/5 experience.

AMAZING! This deserves way more than 5 stars, it was the…read moreabsolute best! This was my favorite part about my vacation. The adventure is challenging but extremely fun! You'll be hiking, body rafting, cliff jumping, rock sliding, and everything in between! I cannot stress enough how unforgettable this experience was. Ricardo and his team are beyond incredible. They definitely made this adventure even more exhilarating. They are very welcoming and very fun to be around. The tour even includes food before and after the adventure, which was awesome. I definitely recommend doing this tour if you go to Puerto Rico! Definitely worth my time and money. Amazing experience of a lifetime! *Take hiking shoes and if you don't have any, RENT some from them. You will be sorry if you don't! Also take long sleeve shirt and leggings if possible, you'll get tons of scratches if your arms and legs are uncovered!

I booked a private outing with Ricardo and his team in December 2014…read more After arriving at the teams base camp I observed how prepared these guys were for the day, from all angles, including safety as well as fun. The entire tour from the maintenance of the private trails to the coordination of activities was expertly handled. Throughout the day I did things not experienced for decades like jumping off 40ft waterfalls, repelling down rock faces, and body sliding down natural water slides. I brought my young son along for the adventure and here again these guys shined in a big way, Fernando specifically paid extra special attention to his safety but also making sure he had a great time. The expertise in safety and the detailed oriented planning put into this adventure allowed me to do what I came to do - have fun, without fearing injury or harm to my young Son. These caliber of activities (some might call them "extreme") would not usually instill such a feeling of calm and safety in me - or most people in general. This was the best tour of any kind that I've ever been on. If you love nature, hiking, andwater do it. It's the best money you'll spend on a tour.

The Best Experience Ever! Strongly recommend to visit this gem!…read more The water is cool at first but warms up the longer you're in it.,feeels amazing!!! I jumped off the rocks for the first time what a thrill to have!! Met a lot of friendly locals. The parking is $5 . The parking is up a steep hill. And there's a man there waiting to greet you with homemade liquor! I took a few Shots before and after! Please go here!!

Want to experience a hidden gem that is one of the best waterfalls and swimming experiences in the…read moreNaguabo area? You can google Charco El Hippie in Naguabo. This spot is definitely worth it to go swimming and cliff jumping. This spot is not over run with tourists and tourist companies. Upon arrival there is a small house that provides parking for $5.00. A small walk up the hill and a climb down to the waterfalls becomes a great swimming experience. Just be aware there are deep spots and does have a slight current. Otherwise the cliff jumping and swimming is awesome. Best to go early to get a nice spot to sit at. You can also climb to a higher location and see another waterfall and other smaller swimming holes. You can bring food and drinks and your own music if so desired. I highly recommend this location if you desire a smaller crowd and privacy. This is my go to spot and my family loves the location. It's a hidden gem.