Rainforest

​El Yunque National Forest

   The only tropical rainforest in a U.S. National Forest.   It is located outside of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Territory.  Today we went to the Visitor’s Center to get a glimpse of this pristine rainforest.   

   El Yunque is a 28,000 acre block of public land located in the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains in northeastern Puerto Rico.  This lush jungle rainforest gets more than 200 inches of rainfall annually. Entrance reservations are required as this area is very popular with locals and tourists. Entrance tickets are free with a National Park Pass.  There are miles of hiking trails, waterfalls teeming with plant life, high canopy, wild tropical fruits and flowers. 

   At one time, according to the park’s staff member, native parrots were near to extinction, down to only about 60 remaining. They were captured and placed in an Aviary to be cared for by the experts. Today there are more than 600 in number. Soon, the parrots will be released back into the wild.  We were able to observe two of them at the visitors center through a blue veiled screen. 

   Today was a cloudy, overcast day with misting rain. It was a good day to visit a rainforest.  Even though it was cloudy and a bit foggy, we enjoyed the awesome views from the top of the nearly 600 foot high Yokahu Observation Tower.