El Yunque Rainforest

Puerto Rico has the only rainforest that exists within the United States! I have always wanted to go to a rainforest and I was pretty darn excited about being able to see one! El Yunque is the name of the rainforest in Puerto Rico and even though it is smaller than most other rainforests, it was breathtaking. The king of Spain established El Yunque  as a rainforest in 1876, making it one of the oldest forest reserves in the Western hemisphere. El Yunque has doubled in size since it was first established, the Puerto Rican parrot being the largest symbol of El Yunque.

 

Beautiful flower I noticed at the end of our hike!

I'm in a rainforest!

Aren't these trees just beautiful?

I loved the way the water looked...

Ready for you to just jump right in!

Huge leaf that the natives would use as an umbrella when it rained.

We hiked in the rainforest for about 4 hours and had the chance to see two large waterfalls while hiking. I was amazed at how incredibly green the rainforest was! I grew up in North Carolina so I am used to forests, but I was taken aback by how many types of trees are within the rainforest.

 

La Coca falls

La Mina falls

Unfortunately I did not have the chance to see a frog, or a Coqui, as the Puerto Ricans call it, but I heard quite a few while hiking through. The most interesting tree while there was by far this tree, every time a piece of its bark would fall off a new color would emerge. I have never seen a tree like this one before, though I can’t recall its name I loved the different colors of its trunk.

 

RAW beauty.

 

Many people still reside within the rainforest, selling fruits from the rainforest and having tourist shops to make a living. I saw a beautiful mango tree while there! Look at how BIG the mangos are! They were very sweet and super delicious! Thanks to our dear friend Wilson we were able to try some!

 

 

Huge mangoes!

 

The hike wasn’t a very difficult one; we chose to hike on La Mina falls. Coming back up the mountain was very strenuous, I took two breaks but I was fine!  The observation tower was closed for construction, but we were still able to park at a high peak in one of the mountains and see the rainforests from above. Here are a few photos to see!

 

Every step counts!

Esmie and I while taking a break to BREATHE!

After hiking the rainforest, Esmie and I were exhausted, so we ate at a restaurant called Don Esteban. I would like to return to that restaurant again should I go to Puerto Rico, it was delicious! The service was excellent, and the meal was a great cost, $12.00 for a drink, dinner, and for a dessert as well. Here is the address of the restaurant so that I can look back at this one day and return: Street 940 km. 4.2 Bo. Quebrada Fajardo, Fajardo 00738, Puerto Rico. Here is a picture of our delicious meal! YUM! It was much needed after the hike in the rainforest.         

The AMAZING food!