Hey ya’ll! I know it’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me, but I’ve got a few projects in the works that have been occupying my time. Since the summer is slowing down you’ll definitely be hearing from me more often! 🙂
On my trip to Puerto Rico last June, it was my goal to get out and explore as much of the territory as possible. After speaking with a few locals about the best way to do this, my mom and I decided against the guided tours and opted to go off the beaten path instead. My one “can’t-miss” activity of the trip was a hike through El Yunque National Rain Forest, the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System.
On our last day of the trip, my mom and I set off in a rental car, driving the 45 minutes to El Yunque. The directions given by the concierge at the hotel were mediocre at best, but we still managed to find our way with no major issues. Although my Spanish is definitely a bit rusty, I was quite impressed with my ability to read the road signs!
When we arrived at the Rain Forest, we decided to hike the trail along La Mina River, which is a beautiful trail along the water. It’s the shortest trail to La Mina Falls, which is located at the end of the trail. Although the hike itself was only about a mile, I will give some caution to those of you who ever attempt to hike this trail – the terrain is very steep and precarious in some places. But it is sure to give you a good workout!
Lucky for us, it was a cool day with no rain. Surrounded by lush foliage and massive trees, it was hard to believe we were at a popular tourist destination…it seemed as if we were truly out in the wild. You can see in the picture below that the leaves were more than 3 times the size of the palm of my hand!
After hearing the calm rush of water as we followed the river down the trail, we came to the biggest attraction of them all: La Mina Falls. Many people were climbing on the rocks and reveling in the cool water.
After our workout for the day, my mom and I spent the remainder of our afternoon at Luquillo Beach, located about 5 mi from the rain forest and frequented mostly by locals. We made friends with a basket-weaver and a waiter who served us drinks from coconuts! The scenery was perfect – with El Yunque in the background and the ocean running over our feet, it was a pretty good day.