In the meantime, El Portalito is the place to get information before setting out to explore. The El Portal Visitors Center is currently closed for renovation. There's a northern entrance near Luquillo and a southern entrance near Naguabo, both off Hwy 191. Be sure to check the latest conditions of El Yunque's roads before heading out. DonвЂ™t try it: these roads are unmaintained tracks that often dead-end in serious jungle. Some road maps also suggest that El Yunque can be approached via a network of roads along the forest's western border. However, Hwy 191 has been closed south of Km 13 for years and there are no plans to reopen it. Take note that some maps still show that you can traverse the forest on Hwy 191, or access El Yunque from the south via this route. Turn south at Palmer and follow the signs to El Yunque National Forest. Since thereвЂ™s no public transportation to El Yunque, you will need to get here with a private vehicle or on a guided tour from San Juan or Fajardo.Дriving from San Juan, there will be signs directing you from Hwy 3 to Hwy 191. Almost all gain some elevation one of the toughest is to El Toro, around 3500ft above sea level.Д®l Yunque has two entrances: the northern side, 25 miles east of San Juan, receives the majority of visitors, while the southern side close to Naguabo retains a wild pristine feel.Дue to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in 2017, check the website for up-to-date information on the trailsвЂ™ status.Д®mbark on hikes (short and sweet, with information boards and tourist hoards, or long and lonely, with coquГ frogs for company) through the oxygen-rich mist and gawk at Jurassic-sized ferns.Д«ring a raincoat and binoculars, too of the 26 species found here and nowhere else on Earth, youвЂ™ll want to keep a sharp eye out for the Puerto Rican parrot, one of the world's 10 most endangered birds. Some are short and paved, others long, steep and overgrown. The only rainforest in the US National Forest System, El Yunque (named after the TaГno god, YГєcahu) has 25 miles of trails to suit all hiking abilities. Read moreД®l Yunque National Forest is one of Puerto RicoвЂ™s crown jewels with nearly 29,000 acres of lush, mountainous terrain scattered with waterfalls, rushing rivers, towering trees and bamboo groves, all opening up to spectacular ocean views. With so many islands, beaches, cultures, flavors and waves to choose from, how could this not be vacation paradise? You can do nothing on the sand, party at a resort, explore a new community, hop between islands, discover wonders under the water or catch a perfect wave above, revel in a centuries-old culture (and sway to some of the world's greatest music while you're at it), and then run off to find your inner pirateвЂ¦ Just about anything is possible in the Caribbean. You can find any kind of island adventure here. Glorious crumbling Cuba, reggae-rolling Jamaica and Vodou-loving Haiti top the wish lists for travelers seeking unique cultural experiences and Unesco heritage havens. YouвЂ™ll also see every hue at intense, costume-filled festivities like Carnival, celebrated throughout the region but particularly in Trinidad. Even the food is colorful, with rainbows of produce brightening up the local markets. Like birds shedding dull adolescent plumage, visitors leave their wardrobes of gray and black behind when they step off the plane and don the Caribbean palette. Outdoor-adventure enthusiasts make a beeline for unspoilt islands such as nature-loversвЂ™ Dominica and St LuciaвЂ™s iconic lush Piton mountains, which send out a siren call to climbers. Hike into emerald wilderness and spot the accents of red orchids and yellow parrots. Feel the sand between your toes at any one of a thousand picture-perfect beaches. Swim below the waters for a color chart of darting fish and corals. Can there be a greater contrast than between bustling Barbados and its neighbor, the seemingly unchanged-since-colonial-times St Vincent? Revolutionary Cuba and its next-door banking capital, the Caymans? Or between booming British-oriented St Kitts and its sleepy, Dutch-affiliated neighbor Sint Eustatius, just across a narrow channel? Island colorsДЄzure seas, white beaches, green forests so vivid they actually hurt the eyes вЂ“ there is nothing subtle about the landscapes of the Caribbean. But, for all they share, thereвЂ™s also much that makes them different.

ItвЂ™s a lively and intoxicating profusion of people and places spread over 7000 islands (fewer than 10% are inhabited). The Caribbean is a joyous mosaic of islands beckoning paradise-hunters, an explosion of color, fringed by beaches and soaked in rum. From high mountain peaks to shimmering reefs, spicy salsa rhythms to deep rolling reggae, pirate hideouts to sugar-sand beaches, the Caribbean is dizzyingly diverse.

Herolab inner sea world guide