When to go to El Yunque
 

We have been to PR before but somehow never managed to get our butts off the beach and do some sightseeing. This time will be different!

We have two opportunities to visit El Yunque and wonder which is better.

1. After 2 nights in Condado we leave about 9 am for Rincon. We would like to arrive in Rincon by 4 so we can grocery shop and settle in before dark.

2. Leaving Ponce about 10 am flying out of SJU on 4 pm flight. Must buy food for 8 hour direct flight.

Which one provides the better opportunity?

Probably better to underestimate the time and be late for grocery shopping than for your flight.

I guess I am having trouble deciding because I don't know how long it takes to visit, and how long it takes to get there.

That's pretty much my point, go when you can spend more time than you imagined you would, no plane to catch.

Use the "Directions" feature on Google Maps to get route and estimated drive times between El Yunque, Condado, Ponce and the airport. Once you know that you can figure out if you want to have a leisurely visit in El Yunque before going on to Ponce or a shorter visit on the way to the airport to catch your flight.

MmePerdu is right, if you end up getting to Ponce a little later than expected shopping there's no real harm other than it might be getting dark but you can still do your food shopping. On the flip side, if you get to the airport 1 minute after your plane leaves you've missed your flight.

It's YOUR choice but the answer seems obvious.

I am not really interested in a google maps result since traffic can be quite heavy in PR. Also still have no idea how long a visit requires. Must pick up condo key (Rincon) by 6 and suspect it is a 4-1/2 hour drive from El Yunque to Rincon.

A word of caution. Two years ago adult daughter and I spent a week in PR. Despite GPS, phone apps for directions, and a reasonable sense of direction, we became lost getting to and then within El Yunque. The GPS proved to be wrong. The phone app somewhat useful, but satellite kept telling us we were not on a road.

So make sure you allow enough time for this part of your trip.

gail: Was it worth it? I'm tending to think we should just skip it.