San Juan

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Discover El Yunque: Half-Day Rainforest Tour

Badge of ExcellenceSan Juan, Puerto Rico

5 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Get back to nature in Puerto Rico thanks to this guided exploration of the El Yunque National Forest. Immerse yourself in the beautiful surroundings of this rainforest paradise as you 'stop to smell the flowers’ (the park has over 240 native species), visit the picturesque ‘La Coca’ Falls, and enjoy the views from Yokahú Tower. Park entrance fees are also included. This is a low impact activity suitable for all ages and does not involve any hiking.

Explore Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Forest on a guided tour
Admire exotic plant life like wildflowers, tree orchids, giant ferns and wild ginger
Marvel at the beauty of La Coca Falls as it plunges into a shallow pool below
Learn about the rainforest ecosystem from the educational displays at El Portal Visitor Center
Take in the great views of Puerto Rico from on top of Yokahú Tower
Great way to escape the city to see a more natural side of Puerto Rico

What's Included

Complimentary pickup and drop-off in selected areas of San Juan (Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde locations and touristic zones)
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Certified Tour Guide
Live narration in English
Bottled Water and light snacks
First aid equipment
Entry to El Yunque National Forest

Gratuities
This tour does not include a stop for lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:00 AM

Pickup details

Complimentary pick up only in selected areas of San Juan: Old San Juan, Condado, Isla Verde, Miramar, Ocean Park and Calle Loiza. Meeting point available in Rio Grande. Exact pick up time will be provided the day prior to the tour.

What To Expect

Receive an included pickup in the morning from your San Juan hotel, after which you’ll transfer by air-conditioned bus or van through a number of local Puerto Rican towns heading to El Yunque, one of the oldest forest reserves in the Western Hemisphere.

You’ll continue into the rainforest, heading to the first trailhead to take your first guided nature walk. Note: this is a low impact activity and does not involve any hiking. As you wander along the trail, your guide will introduce you to the exotic varieties of flowers and the fresh ginger that grow alongside your route. You’ll also learn about the reserve’s significance to the local Taino Indians, who have long considered the area as sacred.

Continue to the reserve’s El Portal Visitor Center, where you’ll have time to explore the exhibits including an elevated forest walkway, walking trails, and educational displays as you learn more about this unique ecosystem. Leave the visitor center behind and head to La Coca Falls, an 85-foot (26-meter) cascade that plunges down a series of rock formations into a shallow pool.

Then head to Yokahú Tower, a 69-foot (21-meter) tall tower offering unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside, plus a range of lush plant life like wild flowers, giant ferns, tropical hardwoods, and tree orchids growing nearby. After your stop at the tower, you’ll receive a transfer back to your San Juan hotel.

El Portal Visitor Center - El Yunque National Forest

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Catarata La Coca

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

El Yunque National Forest

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late or non-arrival of cruise ship
At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: contact phone number or email, ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
A minimum of 8 persons is required for the tour to operate. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund. This activity operates on limited days a week.
The duration of transfers from San Juan to the Forest is 1 hour each way approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions. Estimate activity duration includes driving time.
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.

Have a good breakfast before departing, as this tour does not include stop to eat.
Children 0-6 years must use car seats in order to participate on tour (can be provided complimentary if requested with anticipation, and is subject to availability).
Children must have purchased ticket regardless the age.
Travel light and only bring the necessary to the tour. Leave behind electronic devices, any important documentation like passport, large sums of cash or credit cards. Cell phones require waterproof case. Bespoke Lifestyle Management will not be responsible for lost or stolen belongings. No luggage allowed on the buses.
Please be ready at confirmed location 5-10 minutes prior to the confirmed time, bus will only wait 5 minutes per pick up stop.
The El Yunque National Forest Half Day tour is led by Bespoke Lifestyle Management, who operates under special use permit 4024-03 on the El Yunque National Forest and operates on a non-discriminatory basis.
Bespoke LM Reserves the Right of Admission - If a person appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs or not following instructions the Guide has the right to Cancel their reservation at any moment, and No Refunds will be issued due to this.
Published starting time is only an estimate. Exact pick up time will be provided the DAY PRIOR to your tour.
This is a low impact activity suitable for all ages and does not involve any hiking
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

336 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 336 reviews

Great trip!

Kaitlyn_C, Apr 2024

Frankie, our guide was very knowledgeable and super friendly! We saw many different plants while in the rainforest and stopped at a waterfall on the way to the observation tower.

Leisurely and informative

Amy_T, Apr 2024

This tour was perfect for the adults in our group, as we all enjoyed the slow stroll through the rainforest. Frankie was our tour and he was fabulous! He was funny and knowledgeable, and spent a lot of time making sure we learned all about the different plants and trees around us, as well as the history, culture, and fun facts about Puerto Rico. The only negative for us was that this was not the most exciting tour for our 2 teenagers (14 and 17).

Educational and entertaining!

Eileen_S, Apr 2024

We were very excited to see a rain forest. Our guide Frank was extremely knowledgeable about the forest and also very entertaining. We hope to return and see more of what Puerto Rico has to offer

Great tour with Frankie

Gary_F, Apr 2024

Frankie was a fantastic and enthusiastic guide! My only comment is that we followed the directions and didn’t bring anything with us, including our phones. Wish we had had our phones with us to take pictures. Others on the bus had backpacks, shopping bags, etc. If we had known that we could leave bags on the bus, that would have been helpful.

Great learning tour

Theresa_E, Apr 2024

This can be a full or partial day depending upon your specific tour. I thought this would be a light hike exploring the rainforest but this tour was more of an ecological tour than a hiking excursion. Our tour guide frankie was extremely knowledgeable and excited about the topics and loved sharing his knowledge. He liked it when we asked questions and explored.And i'm very excited was wildlife around us. It was great for all ages and was not strenuous. Any hiking was not a requirement was considered optional. We started at the information center and walked through some pathways looking at plants and flowers and birds. We stopped at different waterfalls and towers along the way and got to see a lot. There are plenty of hiking trails and opportunities to experience more, but you need a full day to do so. Overall there is a lot to explore and the tours that include waterfalls or swimming could involve more strenuous activities. Our group included an older couple, so our tour through Viator was perfect. Definitely someplace to spend time visiting.

Our guide,Francisco, was....

Maurine_C, Apr 2024

Our guide,Francisco, was. knowledgeable, entertaining, and had great respect for the area we were touring. His personality was perfect for this half day tour.

Loved this tour!!

Paula_W, Apr 2024

This tour is perfect for those that can’t walk much! Frankie is awesome and very knowledgeable!! It was great to have someone else drive while we sat and relaxed and looked out the window at the beauty. We had plenty of time at each stop to look around. I would highly recommend this tour to those that can’t or don’t want to do strenuous tours.

Great overview of plant and animal life and the geography of the island

Jonathan_D, Mar 2024

Our guide was a charming gentleman with a good sense of humor. Using the maps on the floor of the station, he gave us a useful understanding of how Puerto Rico relates geographically to the neighboring islands and the continent below. He provided a great overview of the flora and fauna, highlighting interesting species unique to the island. The discussion of the building restoration and regrowth of the rainforest in the wake of the hurricane was encouraging. The stops at the falls and the tower were picturesque. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

Beautiful

Rusti_B, Mar 2024

Great experience! Lots of fun and information! Tour guide was great. Saw some beautiful plants. Tower was amazing with beautiful views!

Great experience

Jessica_C, Mar 2024

Our tour guide Frankie was truly amazing! This tour is great. Highly recommend. You get to sight see while making your way to El Yunque, getting information about the history, seeing the waterfall, seeing the tower and going to the top.

Price not worth the squeeze

Curtis_m, Mar 2024

We enjoyed seeing Park and using tour company to gain acces to Park due to limited access. Francisco was very nice and knowledgeable. The transportation was very questionable due to lack of maintenance. Rear tire very low and minimal tread to no tread. Driver seemed new and had to back up many times due to not calculating turn’s properly. The bus was not able to pick us up at the hotel, as described in the description, had to hike a few blocks to pick up area however all other hotels they were able to pick up at property. Don’t understand that philosophy. We had five other stops to make at various locations which took a tremendous amount of time, and we did not get back from the excursion, till approximately two hours after it was described in excursion itinerary. It was good we didn’t have anything else planned for the afternoon. Upon return the driver forgot to of the attendees hotel, so seem like they were pretty upset and when we got to the next town, they ended up having them get off the bus and take a taxi back.

A must in PR!

Gigi_V, Mar 2024

Frankie our guide was very knowledgeable and full of information and enthusiasm! We learned so much about the rainforest, ecosystem. There were lots of great stops all equally important and beautiful.

Terrible

Lisa_D, Mar 2024

Guide was late picking up by an hour- never even offered water - van was in disrepair - 90 min late returning…

Beautiful rain forest

Catherine_E, Mar 2024

We loved the stories of how the native plants are used in Puerto Rican culture. Great trip. We had a fun time.

Walk slow and steast5

Sherena_L, Mar 2024

It was a good tour just didn't realize it was for people who can't walk far. I suggest for older people or someone with disabilities.

Beautiful & interesting

Kimberly_K, Mar 2024

Francisco was a wonderful tour guide. Personable, very knowledgeable and interesting. We really learned a lot while seeing amazing sights. So much history!

Worth the money

Wendy_T, Mar 2024

Fabulous experience. Very knowledgeable and a great sense of humor. Really enjoyed the history of PR. Very enjoyable day.

El Yunque National Forest Half Day Tour

Rhonda_M, Feb 2024

Fransico was a great tour guide. Nice ac van. This was our first Rainforest and visit to San Juan. He was very informative. We fell in love with the beautiful views and lush tropical greenery. Francisco was eager to photograph everyone and do individuals. It was a great tour. Make sure your tour actually included tickets into the Park Our friends did a similar tour thru viator and did not enter the main park, if your wanting to see that. Its also good for limited mobility- you do not have to climb rocky or steep areas and the visitor center is wheelchair friendly. Our friends did a similar tour thru viator and did not enter main park. It was a great day in El Yunque. Highly reccomended.

Awesome trip to El Yunque!

Janice_N, Feb 2024

First of all, Freddie was amazing! He was extremely knowledgeable and lots of fun! We got to see the visitor center, the observation tower, a waterfall, and the baths. It happened to rain a great deal that day, but Freddie helped us all make the best of it! The timing and pace of the trip was perfect and pickup and drop off was exactly as expected!

Great time!

Larry_R, Feb 2024

Frankie was very informative and entertaining. His knowledge and passion for nature and his country is impressive. Highly recommend taking this tour. It was an easy activity for all.

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