Location: 25 mi (40 km) Southeast of San Juan Map
Tel. 787 888 1810
Open: 7:30am- 6pm daily
Area: 28,000 acres (115 km2)
The El Yunque National Forest or simply El Yunque
(formerly the Caribbean National Forest) is a national park located
in Puerto Rico and is the only tropical rain forest in the national
forest system of the United States. This nature reserve is located
25 mi (40 km) Southeast of San Juan in Puerto Rico. It covers a
total area of 28,000 acres (115 km2) of lush untouched tropical
forests. Its name is an adaptation to the Spanish of the word of
origin Taíno «Yu-Ke» that means «White Earth». It is one of the most
rainy places in the world. It is also a tourist place, which is
visited, admired and protected by the citizens of the island. El
Yunque is a semitropical rain forest of cool temperatures, located
in the Sierra de Luquillo in eastern Puerto Rico. It comprises
113.32 km². Although it is not the highest point in the Puerto Rican
archipelago can be seen at long distance, municipalities as distant
as Vieques, Culebra, San Lorenzo, Caguas, Barranquitas, Cayey,
Aibonito, among others, can observe this national heritage. The
Visitor Center, El Portal, is located at the entrance to the forest,
on highway # 191, at km. It has educational exhibits and a theater,
in addition, you will find personnel of the Forest Service who will
provide you with information and will guide you in your journey
through the forest.
El Bosque was founded by King Alfonso XII
of Spain in 1876, only 4 years after the creation of Yellowstone
National Park in 1872, the first national park in the United States
of America.