El Yunque National Forest, El Yunque National Forest

Beautiful, clean and peaceful place. Very friendly staff and cool amenities. Really nice to take a stroll through the trail and learn about the fauna and flora. The theater was not open for public yet but the rest of the experience was worth the price.

I assume there are going to be more features added someday, but as of Feb 2022 it's not worth the $8/adult admission. The 1 trail is very short - a 15 min walk if you stop to look at things as you go. If you are into tropical botany, I did notice some beautiful plants on this trail that I did not see on the other trails (north half of the park). The educational displays are nice but it's questionable that they are worth $8 to see. If you want a trail map, it costs additional $. Water bottle refill station and drinking fountain were closed off. There is a café but I did not eat there.

National Forests rarely have visitor centers and if they do they're usually just small affairs to get permits and maps and ask questions. On any visit to El Yunque you'd be remiss to pass by El Portal though. The entrance is via an elevated walkway that leads you to the gorgeous main hall with its high ceiling supported by lattice-like beams and colorfully decorated columns. There are the expected exhibits about the forest and a large gift shop and the usual visitor counter but also a cafe and then a short path to give you a taster of what the rain forest is like. The hall has a display of local parrots but there are plenty of birds and other fauna to see on the path if you're observant. Definitely the best visitor center I've been to of the National Forests I've visited and even rivals the usually bigger budgeted facilities at the National Parks.

Great place to take your kids on a day long rainforest exploring trip. We went in April and the weather was switching from sunny to heavy rain all day long. It was great to recharge at the Center - have a snack, use washroom, check out maps, parrots, and ask local guides some questions. For example, we learned that about 10 people died in the forest last year and that to keep yourself safe you should pretty much run if you see water with leaves and debris coming through waterfalls because it may be a sign of a landslide. The food at the small cafe there was fresh and nice. The place looks clean and well maintained. Definitely worth visiting.

Currently you need to reserve tickets ahead of time. The new visitor center is huge, open, and beautiful but might not be worth your time if you mostly want to hike and see the outdoors. A lot of trails are currently closed but there’s still a good variety and it’s just beautiful here. The variety of foliage is amazing.