El Yunque Waterfalls & Waterslide Beach
The rainforest, a natural rock waterslide, and a beach to land on.
- Duration
- 5 hours
- Region
- El Yunque
- Minimum age
- 6+
- Stops
- 5
El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest system, and most visitors see it through a car window on the main road. We go to the water instead.
The centrepiece is a rock chute the river has polished smooth over a few thousand years. You sit down at the top and the water does the rest. It is the single most popular thing we do with families.
This is the gentlest tour we run and the one to pick if you're travelling with kids, or if you'd rather not spend your day underground.
5 stops, in this order.
- Drive the coaststart
Hotel pickup
East along Route 3, with the Atlantic on one side and the mountains rising on the other. The temperature drops noticeably as we climb.
- Walk in+45m
Rainforest trail
A shaded trail under the canopy. Your guide points out what's worth knowing — the coquí you'll hear all night in San Juan, the tree ferns, the reason it rains here most afternoons.
- Swim+1h 30m
The waterfalls
A falls with a deep pool at the bottom, cold enough to be a shock and clear enough to see your feet. Plenty of flat rock to leave your things on.
- Slide+2h 30m
Natural waterslide
A smooth granite chute that drops into a pool. Most people go down it four or five times. Your guide will show you where to put your hands.
- Salt water+3h 30m
Beach finish
Down out of the mountains to the coast for a last swim and a rinse before the drive home.
What it looks like.
Included
- Round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off in the San Juan metro area
- Licensed guide
- Water and snacks
- Photos of your group
- Towels
Not included
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Water shoes
Bring with you
- Water shoes or trainers you don't mind soaking
- Swimwear under your clothes
- Dry clothes for the drive back
- Bug spray for the trail
The honest version of this day.
- It rains in a rainforest. We go anyway, and it is usually better in the rain.
- The rock is slick everywhere. Grippy shoes matter more here than fitness does.
- Good from about six years old, as long as they can swim.
Hold a spot on this one.
Tell us your date and how many are coming. We confirm by message within a few hours, and you pay nothing until we do.