El Yunque

Flowers at the organic market

After our late night return from Fajardo, we had a relaxed start to our day on Saturday. We got a glimpse of how the locals spend their weekends while wandering around Old San Juan during the late morning. We visited two different markets: a farmer's market specializing in organic food, and another market used by locals to do their weekly shopping. Strolling through the plaza, we saw residents taking weekend classes and were even able to listen in on a group cuatro rehearsal. The cuatro is an instrument made here on the island that resembles a small guitar but has 10 strings. It is the national instrument of Puerto Rico.


In the afternoon, we headed into the rain forested slopes of the Luquillo Mountains. El Yunque National Forest is one of the smallest national forests managed by the US Forest Service, yet it contains more species of trees than all of the other national forests combined. The only tropical rain forest in the US National Forest system, it rains every day here, often receiving over 200 inches of rainfall annually. Eight of the island's rivers begin here.

We began at El Portal Rain Forest Center with an educational video on the area before taking a driving tour with a naturalist guide. We then did a short hike to La Mina Falls, where the kids were able to wade or swim in the pool at the base of the waterfall. The trail provided stunning views of the island and a chance to listen to the coquis and the birds in their natural habitat. Everywhere we could look, there were unique  trees, flowers, vines, mosses and other plants covering the landscape. This was a truly remarkable place.

Relaxing at La Mina Falls