Puerto rico rainforest tour: El Yunque Rainforest Guided Hiking Eco-Tour with Waterfall 2023

El Yunque Tours | Puerto Rico Rainforest Tours

Top Rated on TripAdvisor!

El Yunque Tours has been awarded Certificates Of Excellence every year since 2013

• Most Popular!

$55

Enter the forest just about one hour before the sun sets on a guided nature walk tour to learn about El Yunque’s flora and fauna and enjoy the sights as twilight falls.

• Tags
  Beginner – Intermediate
  Fitness Level Beginner – Intermediate
• Clock
  Evening
  Time of Day Evening
• Hour Glass
  3 Hours
  Duration 3 Hours

El Yunque Tours Welcomes you to Puerto Rico’s Rainforest!

El Yunque Tours (legal outfitter since 2006) is driven to bring guests into the El Yunque National Forest in such a way that gets them out of buses and cars, off the roadside attractions and main touristic corridors and immerses them in the sights, sounds, smells, and natural wonders that are truly the El Yunque National Forest! The adventure begins under the canopy, via guided nature walks and hiking tours. Our guides add color via commentary on flora, fauna, history, culture, and outdoor ethics while keeping our goal of smaller groups, better guide-to-guest ratios and quality equipment to enhance each guest’s experience with a fun, safe, memorable adventure every time! So come join our award-winning guide team for day or night guided tours into the El Yunque Rainforest.

Rated Among the Top 5 Outdoor Activities in Rio Grande

Amazing Hike and Swim!

What an AMAZING tour and tour operator! We took the Scenic Drive and Rain Forrest Hike through Royal Caribbean on board Harmony of the Seas. We were initially a little nervous about the ride to the Rain Forrest, but there was NO REASON for that. This is a grade A++ tour company and would recommend them to ANYONE!!! This is A MUST DO when in San Juan, and there is no better tour operator than El Yunque Tours!

– TravelRN15, TripAdvisor

El Yunque Tours Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

Our tour was wonderful. Our guides were very knowledgeable about the rainforest and Puerto Rico. They took us on a great hike and explained so much about the area, flora, and fauna. We liked how they explained how to prepare in situations of flash flooding and taking care of the land. Micheal gave special attention to our son which meant a lot to our family. Each guide was awesome and we would highly recommend this tour.

– bjminier, TripAdvisor

Awesome!

We loved every bit of the tour. I lived in Puerto Rico for 17 years and I was impressed by the Team’s knowledge. I fell in love with our Island once again. My two boys loved it! You need to come and experience El Yunque at nightfall . ..words cannot describe the beauty! The Team treated us with the utmost kindness and superb professionalism!
Thank you El Yunque Tours, thank you Michael and family!

– adriano7rofeh, TripAdvisor

Great Tour

I really enjoyed the tour. The tour is definitely doable without a tour guide, but Dan was very knowledgeable about the rainforest. I learned a lot and Dan and Jonathan took the time to even show us wildlife we encountered on the way to the waterfall. There are some steep areas and it is a workout on the way back, especially since it is hot. However, nothing extremely hard.

– Nissi_Vee, TripAdvisor

Eco-Friendly Tour Operator

El Yunque Rainforest & Bio Bay Tour

A perfect hike & kayak adventure!

Starting at

USD per person + tax

QUICK INFO

Starting at

USD Per person + tax

RESERVE YOUR SPACE

EL YUNQUE RAINFOREST & BIO BAY DETAILS

What’s Included?

EL YUNQUE RAINFOREST & BIO BAY TOUR

• Round Trip Transportation

Part 1: Rainforest

• Fully Guided Rainforest Tour
• Professional Tour Guides with Lifeguard, CPR & First Aid Certification
• Pictures throughout Tour
• Eco Interpretations throughout the Rainforest Trails
• Refresh in Beautiful Natural Swimming Pools and Waterfalls
• Slide Down a Natural Water Slide!
• Rope Swing into the River
• Cliff Jumps
• Light Snacks & Refreshments
• All Necessary Equipment
• Training and Safety Instructions prior to Tour
• Stop at Local Restaurant for Dinner (not included in price)

Part 2: Bio Bay

• Fully Guided Bio Bay Tour at World Famous Laguna Grande
• Professional Tour Guides with CPR & First Aid
• Eco Interpretation of the Bioluminescent Lagoon and Surrounding Area & Eco Systems
• Paddle through the Red Mangrove Forest
• Discover Bioluminescence at the Fajardo Bio Bay
• Watch and learn about the Constellations
• Training and Safety Instructions prior to Tour
• All Equipment Including: Kayak, Paddle, Life Jackets & Low Intensity Navigation Lights
• Eco-Friendly Insect Repellent
• Light Snacks & Refreshments

Not Included

• Dinner (available for purchase at Local Restaurant)
• Tour Guides Gratuities; not mandatory but appreciated

Explore the El Yunque National Rainforest with Island Journeys and Discover Bioluminescence at the Fajardo Bay with Kayaking Puerto Rico. Transportation Services are also provided by Island Journeys.

View Related Puerto Rico Tours

Explore El Yunque Rainforest. Discover bioluminescence at the Fajardo Bio Bay with Kayaking Puerto Rico. 

Itinerary

Rainforest & Bio Bay Combo Tour

Your day will start by meeting your local guide in the morning at your accommodation or nearby meeting point. After completing all of our pick ups, we will head towards the rainforest, sharing with you beautiful views and a few fun facts about the areas along the way. This relaxing sightseeing drive will take you through 4 towns of Puerto Rico before arriving to our first stop at a fresh fruit stand in the town of Luquillo. Here, your guide will pick up a variety of fresh local fruit for the tour (included), and you have the opportunity to purchase some local fritters and/or a fresh fruit smoothie. After this stop, we will continue towards Puerto Rico’s majestic Rainforest.

El Yunque is without a doubt Puerto Rico’s greatest Natural Wonder. It is the only Tropical Rainforest, and the most studied Forest, in the United States National Forest System. It is the most biologically diverse forest, hosting hundreds of plants and animals, some only found here in Puerto Rico!

After an interpretive hike through natural trails lined with beautiful flora and fauna, and some river wading, we will arrive to a hidden gem found in the heart of the rainforest. This breathtaking segment of the 29,000 acre forest is like a natural playground. Here you will have the chance to swim in the natural pools, refresh in the waterfalls, slide down an exhilarating waterslide, rope swing into the river, jump from different rock formations, and enjoy fresh local fruit with a view. Along with all of this excitement, you will also have time to simply relax to the sounds of cascading waters and take in the beauty of this very special place.

By this time you have worked up an appetite! We will make a stop for dinner at a local restaurant for you to enjoy Puerto Rican Cuisine and relax for a bit until it’s time for your 2nd part of your combo tour – the Bioluminescent Lagoon.

Bioluminescence is one of planet Earth’s best kept secrets. Tiny organisms called “dinoflagellates” make the water glow at night and fortunately, they have found the perfect place to live in the Fajardo Bio Bay, so we are able to experience them all year round.

Our Fajardo Bio Bay Kayak Tour begins at Las Croabas. After receiving a brief of Kayaking 101 and few safety tips, we will load up in our kayaks and head toward the Red Mangrove Forest with an amazing view of the sunset.

The Mangrove Forest is part of Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve. You will kayak approximately 30 minutes, and along the way your Eco Guides will point out the forests beautiful protected flora and fauna.

Upon arrival to Laguna Grande, the sun will set and the magic begins. The Fajardo Bio Bay Kayak Tour feels like discovering a whole new world. At every stroke of your paddle, lots of sparkles will appear in the water. The kayaks will create a swirl of light, and the fish will glow in the darkness of the water. To add to its beauty, the Fajardo Bio Bay is perfect for viewing constellations too!

We will cruise back through the mangrove channel to the departure point with your Eco Guides and the navigation lights on the kayaks leading the way. Through the darkness the air is fresh and the sounds of nature are exotic.

After kayaking back to shore enjoy complimentary snacks and water before heading back to your accommodation.

In conclusion, our Rainforest and Bio Bay Tour is simply a must!

Approximate Itinerary

Pick Up at Accomodation or nearby Location Assigned

Transportation Services Provided by Island Journeys

Drive from San Juan

• Interpretation of the sites and areas passing through

Stop at a Fresh Fruit Stand

• Guides pick up a variety of fresh local fruit for the tour (included)
• Guests have the opportunity to purchase local fritters and/or a fresh fruit smoothie

El Yunque National Forest (approximate)

Arrival to Foothills of the Rainforest for Check In with Island Journeys

• Sign Waivers
• Use Restrooms
• Pass Out Equipment

Excursion Starts

• Safety Orientation & Excursion Itinerary Chat

Guided Hike on Rainforest Trails

• 30-40 minutes (approximate) depending on group size
• Interpretation of the area and different Flora & Fauna
• Cross through river and continue hike up river to First Stop (10-15 minutes approximately depending on group size)

First Stop at Rain Forest

• Slide down Natural Water Slide!
• Refresh in a Natural Pool
• Hike to next stop (10-15 minutes approximately depending on group size)

2nd Stop at Rain Forest

• Rope Swing into the River
• Rock Jumps
• Enjoy Fresh Fruit
• Relax and enjoy the Area
• Refresh in a Natural Pool

Hike back to Departure Point

• 20-30 minutes (approximate) depending on group size

Arrive to Departure Point

• Rinse Off
• Use Restrooms
• Change Clothes

Local Restaurant for Dinner

Taste the local flavors of Puerto Rican cuisine at a Local Restaurant (not included in price)

Bio Bay Kayak Tour (approximate)

Arrival to Las Croabas Park for Bio Bay Check In with Kayaking Puerto Rico

• Sign Waivers
• Use Restrooms
• Pass out Equipment

Excursion Starts

• Kayaking 101 & Safety Orientation
• Load Kayaks

Begin Paddle

• 30 minute (approximate) Paddle through Red Mangrove Forest

Arrive to Bioluminescent Lagoon

• View Sunset
• Eco Interpretation of the Bioluminescent Lagoon and Surrounding Area & Eco Systems
• View Bioluminescence
• View Constellations
• Free Time to Paddle Around

Paddle Back to Departure Point

• 30 minute (approximate) Paddle through Red Mangrove Forest

Arrive to Departure Point

• Enjoy Light Snacks & Refreshments
• Use Restrooms & Change

Drop Off at Accomodation or nearby Location Assigned

Duration: 12+ hours (Approximate)

Important Note: One of the things that we enjoy the most about our excursions is that everyday on the water, in the rainforest, or anywhere in Puerto Rico, it’s a different experience. According to the specific weather conditions, seasons, and availabilities for any given day, a trip may vary slightly from our advertised offerings. On these rare occasions our tour guides will select the route that they believe will be the most fun and enjoyable for the entire group. Some days a given trip may do an additional stop beyond what is advertised, at the same time, that trip may do one less stop than what is advertised. For that reason, we encourage you to choose your trips based on the rough descriptions provided here on our website and simply trust us to provide you with a wonderful experience.

Planning & Restrictions

EL YUNQUE RAINFOREST & BIO BAY TOUR

What to Wear & Bring

• Cell phone (in the event that we need to contact you or you need to contact us prior to the excursion)
• Comfortable hiking clothes that can get completely wet/dirty
• Bathing suits (already have on)
• Close-toed shoes that can get completely wet/dirty, have good grip for hiking on wet surfaces, and provide comfort and support (no sandals, water shoes, or flip flops)
• Towel and change of clothes 
• Water bottle to refill throughout the day (provided if you do not have one)
• Money for dinner
• Dinner Note: It is important that you eat a good breakfast prior to your pick up. Dinner will be around 4:00pm. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided on both the Rainforest and Bio Bay tour.
• Items can be left in vehicle during Rainforest and Bio Bay Tours

Restrictions

The difficulty level of this excursion is considered to be moderate to strenuous depending on your physical fitness level. It is very important that you are in good physical condition in order to participate and enjoy yourself. The terrain in the rainforest can be muddy, slippery, uneven and include river-wading, climbing large rocks and steep inclines. The kayaking can be strenuous when the current is strong and requires upper body strength. This excursion is recommended for guests with an active lifestyle. It is a long, but fun-filled day!

The following guests cannot participate:
• Guests with neck, back, arm or leg problems or casts
• Guests with recent surgeries
• Pregnant women
• Guests who have epilepsy, heart conditions and/or dizziness

The maximum weight limit is 250 lbs per person and 425 lbs per kayak. Minimum age is 8 years old. All guests must be able to communicate in English or Spanish. Guests that show signs of intoxication by drugs or alcohol will not be allowed to participate.

Please remember that it is your responsibility to notify us ahead of time with any concerns about your health or physical condition for the excursion.

DISCLOSURES

• Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon that is unpredictable and subject to change. Therefore, it is impossible to ensure its brightness levels.
• Depending on the season, it is possible to find large amounts of sargassum (floating algae) during the tour; this is also a natural phenomenon, but it can become uncomfortable.
• At times, we experience strong winds and currents in the bay, which increases the effort of paddling and physical activity. However, you’ll be paddling out to a lagoon, so you won’t have to worry about waves in open water.
• Participants must be comfortable with dark environments. Not recommended for guests who may be prone to anxiety while on crowded and reduced spaces.

Minimum Requirement

This excursion requires a minimum of at least six guests in order to provide the tour. In the event this minimum is not met, we will call you before the excursion to go over alternative options (i.e. reschedule for a different date or time that has the minimum requirement, payment options for a private excursion, or cancel without penalty).

Need more info? Check our Frequently Asked Questions.

Kayaking Lesson

First time kayaking? No problem!

Check out this video for a couple of tips before joining us on your Bio Bay Kayak Tour.

Pictures Throughout Tour

Kayaking Puerto Rico and Island Journeys Tour Guides will take pictures throughout your Rainforest & Bio Bay excursions. Each company will upload your photos and send you separate links via email for each excursion so you will be able to download your favorites. These photos are free to you as a way to thank you for choosing us as your operators while in Puerto Rico. That said, if something out of the ordinary were to happen and there are no photos of your excursion, please note that there will be no reimbursements as it is a free service.

Notes: Please allow 5-7 days for the link to be sent to you via email. If you would rather not have your photo taken no problem, please just notify your guides at the beginning of each excursion.

Transportation

This tour includes round trip transportation. The transportation service is scheduled directly with Kayaking Puerto Rico and provided by Island Journeys (as is the Rainforest excursion). After booking, you will receive a confirmation email including a pre-assigned pickup location and approximate pickup time depending on your location. We provide round trip transportation from pre-assigned locations close to all major hotels and guesthouses in the San Juan area and North Eastern Puerto Rico.

Approximate Hotel Pickup Times:

• San Juan: 8:00-9:00am
• East Coast (Rio Grande, Luquillo and Fajardo): 10:15-11:00am

Puerto Rico Days Two and Three

Yesterday was an excursion to El Yunque Rainforest Reserve. To be honest, I imagined the jungle a little differently. Even after I saw a tropical forest in Hawaii – you never know, some kind of Polynesia, but here right up to the Amazon, you can say. Despite the fact that the tree species are certainly different, and in some places there are thickets of imported bamboo, the general appearance is almost the same as the native Ural small-leaved forests. Fortunately, however, there were no mosquitoes in the forest – where it washes away, where bats burst (did you know that a bat can consume several thousand mosquitoes in one night? how not to love them after that!). Instead of the promised hike, it was more like a bus ride and it was possible to move only when they climbed the observation tower and when they went down to the waterfall and went up from it. I expected more … and we were not very lucky with the guide, I heard guides of other groups – they told much more … It was interesting to swim in the waterfall, but the water was cold and the stones were sharp both at the bottom and on the way to the water. Again, hello to the native Ural “beaches”. My hopes for communication with the local fauna were not destined to come true, I saw only one lagartiho lizard, and it did not fall into my hands, like its urban cousins. And I also saw a coca frog (I hear them in my hotel too!), But already caught by one boy, in a bank.

Things were better on the culinary front – got acquainted with the following representatives of Puerto Rican cuisine:
– pastel with stewed chicken (a roll of green plantain and chicken puree is wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled) – you can eat it, but to be honest I’m not a fan
– yellow rice with beans – well, I love rice with beans in all variations thereof
– alcapurria with ground beef (this is a fried pie, like pies with jam for five kopecks from our Soviet childhood, only here the dough is not made from wheat flour, but from a mixture, again plantain, which is eaten here in everything and with everything, and yautia, this is such a tropical root, a subspecies of malanga) – delicious
– freshly cut coconut – in general, I don’t like coconut “milk” even the freshest, it’s kind of nasty, but I chewed the coconut itself with pleasure. Thanks to the guys in the cafe, they regretted looking at how ineptly I deal with him, and gutted him for me. 🙂

Yesterday evening I was told that my today’s tour to the Kamuy Caves and the Arecibo Observatory was canceled because there weren’t enough people. I didn’t give up, but reserved a car (I didn’t have to at my hotel, there were no cars here, but in another, nearby) and drove myself. I got there easily, with the help of instructions “how to get to the right road” from the rental agency and the signs. On the way, I also bought a bunch of “apple bananas” – the whole bunch is big – for only a dollar. You can go nuts … they are much tastier than ordinary large bananas. And in my opinion, those dried bananas from again our Soviet childhood were just from these bananas – I directly recognized the familiar notes … I had dinner with them today.

The caves are beautiful, they are only allowed in with a guide and according to the numbers that they give out at the entrance, but our guide was wonderful, she told everything, she didn’t hurry anywhere . .. the cave complex is relatively small (well, the whole island is 100 miles by 35) but cute. I liked the tour very much, not for nothing that everyone recommended it.

Actually I wasn’t going to the observatory, but since it was on the way – I saw a lapel on the way to the caves – why not. She has a good astronomical museum there … I’m not really a specialist or an amateur, but amateurs would be very interested, I guess. Anyway, I spent an hour and a half there. And on the way it was interesting, I drove past farms and through villages from one street – I love this very much, you can “feel” the place much better than if you only see the cities.

On the way back, I decided to eat at a cafe that was highly praised on the Internet, in the nearest city to the observatory – Arecibo. I decided to get there first, then use the navigator on my phone … but at one fork I was not sure which way to go. And the phone said “but there is no signal!” Just in case, the fireman drove into the first institution on the right – it turned out to be a car repair shop – and asked the peasants if I was driving the right way. It turned out to be correct. in general, I found this place (the Google map does not count, she said – on the left, but it was on the right – I had to do an extra two turns!). The girl behind the counter spoke English a little better than I did in Spanish, but in two languages ​​and on our fingers we figured out what we had on the menu today – the establishment is small and very homely. Tried:
– pastelon amarijo with meat (do you know potato casserole? replace mashed potatoes with mashed yellow plantain, and go)
– chickpea (garbanzo) stew with potatoes and lots of spices
– rice with cilantro and chicken
Everything is very tasty, simple, and really very homely. The people around were also of a simple kind … in general, obviously the right institution.

And I also enjoy the sun and the breeze every evening for three hours – somewhere from half past three to half past six – on the beach. True, since I’m afraid to burn out, I haven’t gotten a tan too much yet. And thoughtfully I study cocktails in the bars and restaurants of the hotel… 🙂 True, no more than two per day.

Tomorrow morning I’m going to the market, then I’ll have a massage and other procedures, and after that I’ll either go to the old town or something – whatever the mood and the weather will be, otherwise they’ll scare me with rain.

Tags: food, travel

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