Rain Forest In Puerto Rico
 

Two families will be taking a cruise leaving from San Juan. We have from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m. in San Juan before we board the ship and were interested in going to the rain forest if that is possible to do in that time frame. Can anyone comment or recommend how we might do that?

I am reasonably certain you oould arrange to book a tour with a recognized company.<BR>A second option could be to rent a van and do it on your own. The question is whether is worth the effort, time and expense. You may have a window of 8 hours but it is really not that long. It is more like 6 hours considering you are not going to accomplish anything after it gets dark. You would have to allow a minimum of one hour travel time each way giving you three or four hours at the rain forest assuming you depart at promptly at 1pm. I can think of some logistical problems. You talk about boarding the ship at 9pm - are you arriving in PR on that day? Is your luggage being checked through to the ship? If not, what do you do with the luggage while visiting the Rain Forest? If you are arriving in PR that day there could be a flight delay. Also, baggage retrieval at San Juan is usually slow. I find the wait can extend to 45 minuites.<BR>The pleasure of the Rain Forest is hiking some of the trails - you probably won't have much time for that activity.<BR>You might consider the following alternative. Board the ship as early as possible, have lunch and then spend the time touring Old San Juan. The ship is docked there. You mention "family". I assume this to mean children. There is no doubt in my mind that most children would find the fort, El Morro, more interesting than the Rain Forest, unless the child is into flora and fauna.

I think the answer depends on how motivated you are. Definitely consider everything in the last post as far as your luggage getting to your ship in good time, etc. But, you can acutally get to the rainforest from the airport in about 45 minutes (of course, plan on an hour just in case). It will take you longer to get to your ship from the rainforest because the piers are on the opposite side of San Juan from the airport. The rainforest is really cool and there are lots of short hikes. I believe the gate closes at 6pm (which is about when the sun is setting now), so you should get to see plenty by then. If you really want to check out the rainforest, I say go for it! I don't think you will be disappointed.

Factor in extra time to get back into San Juan, especially if it is around rush hour. The traffic between the Luquillo area and San Juan will be bad at that time.

I'm looking for a real El Yunque expert who can tell me the best places to take my 6 yr old daughter, like what trails, swimming, etc. Is a half day enough at El Yunque? Is a guide necessary? What about caves (Rio Camuy?) or kayaking? Thanks,<BR>T-

I'm not sure I'm a Yunque expert, but I do live just 10 minutes from there. Half a day is more than enough. You definitely don't need a guide; the main trails are well-marked. I recommend to all visitors the Mt. Britton trail. For a 30-minute hike, you'll be rewarded with views of San Juan, the east coast and far south too (provided the clouds haven't rolled in). The trail is steep, but not so much so that it will be difficult for your daughter. I would think she would have enough energy to power right up there. If not, there are a few benches along the way to sit and take a break. Another nice trail is the Big Tree Trail which leads to La Mina falls. You can swin at the falls. This hike goes down first (steps too) to the falls and then you hike back up. I prefer to do my hiking in the opposite direction, but the waterfall is pretty. For more information, there are maps and there is a permanent building and museum (forget the name) on the right just as you enter El Yunque. The admission is $2pp and they have lots of interesting information there. <BR><BR>I went to the Rio Camuy caverns a week ago. I enjoyed it, but it was a long drive to get there (two hours from where I live in a crappy Honda) so that took away some of the enjoyment. When you get to the caverns, there is a movie you can see. We skipped that and went right to the tour since they were starting one in English right after we arrived. The tour lasts 45 minutes or an hour. It's hard to say whether your daughter would enjoy this. You take a cool tram ride down to the cave. Then you walk around the cave with a guide. Ours gave us a lot of interesting information about the cave. Then the tram picks you up and takes you to a couple other pretty spots where you can get out and look around. Finally, it takes you back to where you starting.<BR><BR>As for kayaking, the only trip I've done is to the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo. If you are coming at the right time (small moon, warm waters), this a great trip. You could paddle with your daughter along for the ride. The guide's name is Mark and he knows a lot about the ecology of the area too. You can contact him at Caribe Kayak at 787-889-7734 or [email protected]. I think he may do trips other than the bioluminescent bay. <BR><BR>Enjoy!