- 6 hours
Experience Mother Nature in one of her most intimate and delicate ecosystems. Kayak the bio bay, in Fajardo.
Quick Details
Explore the Skies & the Forest! Spend more time and see more of the only tropical rainforest of the US Forest Service.
Rainforest Hiking to Mt. Britton Tower 45 minutes (1st leg)
During this leg of the hike you will receive interpretation and interactions along the trail. We also provide information on the several forest types found within El Yunque. This is a steep and slippery paved narrow trail.
Forest Bathing to Los Picachos 30 minutes (2nd leg)
Shinrin Yoku – Forest Bathing, we use this as silent therapy, as on this leg there are usually less hikers. We also ground ourselves at Los Picachos, offloading all that’s unwanted. This portion is not steep and there’s more room too, as the trail widens. Stones here, small and large; are of a loose variety.
Panoramic vista 15 minutes (3rd leg)
This leg is our chance to give thanks, thanks for all we have. With a little luck, we’re rewarded with an amazing panoramic vista. As with the 2nd leg expect loose stones, but the trail narrows.
On with the return leg of the hike, back down the mountain. Once at our transportation we’ll visit La Coca Waterfall, stop at a local place for lunch and finish the experience with swimming at the Mameyes River, Rio Grande.
Where We’ll Be
We’ll visit Mt. Britton Tower, Los Picachos (another mountain peak), and our favorite lookout. This last place is a fantastic picture opportunity. Along with these three main spots, we also make stops at La Coca Waterfall, at La Muralla (for lunch) and we finish with a swim at the Mameyes River within the portion located in the Junglequi Zipline Park.
Itinerary
| Approximate times: | Places of Interest |
| 8:00am | Plaza Colón, Old San Juan (pick-up) |
| 8:15am | Marriott Stellaris, Condado (pick-up) |
| 8:30am | Mare St. Clair, Isla Verde (pick-up) |
| 9:30am | Arrive at El Yunque National Forest |
| 10:15am (1st ascent) | Reach Mt. Britton Tower 3,087 ft. |
| 10:30am – 11:00am (2nd ascent) | Reach Los Picachos 3,175 ft. |
| 11:15am – 11:30pm (3rd ascent) | Reach Sweet Spot (higher still) |
| 11:45pm – 1:00pm | Return leg |
| 1:10pm – 1:25pm | La Coca Waterfall |
| 1:30pm – 2:15pm | Lunch |
| 2:30pm – 3:00pm | Mameyes River |
| 4:10pm | Mare St. Clair, Isla Verde (drop-off) |
| 4:20pm | Marriott Stellaris, Condado (drop-off) |
| 4:30pm | Plaza Colón, Old San Juan (drop-off) |
What We’ll Provide
- We bring a cooler with ice to provide chilled bottled water or room temperature bottled water. We will provide hydration for the duration of the tour.
- The river swim at the Junglequi Zipline Park requires payment, but we pick up the tab here for everyone in our party.
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Ford E350 Econoline passenger van.
What Guest Should Bring
- Boots or sneakers with grip (closed shoes are a requirement)
- Raincoat or fleece
- Towel
- Hat, cap and/or sunscreen
- Insect repellent (we prefer if you don’t)
- Cash for food
- A change of Clothes
Lastly, El Yunque is a tropical rainforest where flash flooding is possible. Expect variable weather. As always hiking, finding a vista to photograph, and swimming in the rivers of the NF is weather allowing.
