It rains every day at the forest, so be prepared with comfortable clothes, shoes, and your swimsuit. Always wear your tennis shoes for walking, but if you have wet shoes I highly recommend bring them and wear them when you get into the water. Also sunblock and mosquito repellent. There's a few kiosks along the way where you can buy food, but I highly recommend you bring your own snacks and water also.

Your first stop when you go to el Yunque should be El Portal Rain Forest Center (open 7 days a week 9am-5pm). The visitor center is right before you enter the forest reserve. There you can explore interactive exhibits and watch a 15 minute video (alternating between English and Spanish) narrated by Benicio del Toro. Admission to El Portal is $3 for adults, $1.50 for seniors, and free for children under 16. The visitor's center will be closed on Dec. 25th.

You can see a lot of the forest by just driving through. The forest gates are open 7 days a week from 7:30am-6:00pm. Your first stop after El Portal should be La Coca Falls, one of the most popular photo ops in the forest.

Next up is Yokahu Tower. A spiral staircase takes you 69 feet up for one of the most spectacular views of the forest and the coast.

La Mina Falls is not far from the tower. To see this you need to park and walk the trail down to the falls. It is about a half hour hike going down... going back up is much harder. There are a few picnic tables along the way so you can stop to catch your breath. The trail is paved, but slippery in some areas. Big Tree Trail is gentler and much better suited for children. Once you get to the falls you can relax on the rocks, get in the water, and if you dare, get a massage under the falls!

If you still have some energy left after your hike to La Mina Falls, you can continue driving up the road to Mount Britton Trail, which leads to another observation tower in the peak elevations of El Yunque. Known as a cloud forest, this section is the coolest, windiest and wettest of El Yunque. Its trees are stunted and gnarled, and dozens of varieties of orchids grow there.

Palo Colorado Visitors Center offers one hour guided tours of the forest. Prices for this tour are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and children 5-12. You will probably see some of the most dramatic plant life in this tour. The impatiens in El Yunque are pale pink, some growing more than two feet tall.

For more inforamtion about El Yunque, call 787-888-1880.