DIY to Rainforest or Private tour?

[Vineyard View]

DH and I generally DIY whenever it makes sense. I have read mixed opinions about how best to see the Rainforest - and even whether it is worth the day to do so.

 

I would appreciate some feedback around renting a car and exploring on our own, or whether to hire a private guide - my first inclination is exploring independently but I would appreciate knowing thoughts around this.

 

Thanks!

[tartan cruiser]

We were on the Celebrity Summit 2/18/2017. Wanted to do the rain forest tour but didn't have anything booked. Got off the ship about 9:45 am and Alfred with San Juan Happy Tours was offering tours for $47. We were pleased with his tour. Did about a 45 minute loop tour through the rain forest which was enough for us. About 18 people on an air conditioned bus. Saw a waterfall and short tour of Old San Juan on the return. He did stop for lunch which was not included in the tour price. I would have skipped the lunch stop but it was ok. Tour was approximately 4 hours.

 

Ship tour was $75 but didn't want to hike all the way back to the waterfall. Happy Tours was a shorter and less strenuous hike which worked better for us. I don't think I would do it on my own. It's nice to have a guide and renting a car if time is short would seem like a hassle for us.

[Vineyard View]

Thanks for your response. Sounds like you enjoyed it? Would you take the time to do it again?

 

We will want to spend more time there if we go.....I am a regular hiker....DH is not....so we will meet that one as always in the middle and definitely take time exploring waterfalls etc if we do this.

[anjomojo]

My boyfriend and I have been to San Juan 3 times now. We rented a car and went to the Rainforest on our own. Also while staying overnight before and after cruises we took public transportation to various places saving $ so we could thrn splurge on good meals and activities.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

[Stinger-pr]

I always use this two words to answer a lot of questions here: "It depends". There are some drive-by tours (which I honestly don't see the point to but to each his own, I guess) and others that spend more time in the forest and "hike" to the bigger falls. And when I say "hike" I really mean more like "walk". El Yunque National Park has two main attractions: the drive-by Coca Falls and La Mina Falls. La Mina is bigger, more impressive and you can even take a dip under it in a natural pool. Two paths lead to La Mina falls. Both are mostly paved or concrete with maybe a few spots of gravel steps. But both paths are totally different. The Big Tree trail (the first path to La Mina) is a 45 minute walk each way on a relaxed pace. It's steep at the beginning going down (hence, going up when you return) but other than that part, it's a relatively easy walk. Further up the road you come to a second visitor's center and the second entrance to La Mina. This path is maybe a 30 minute walk all downhill going to the falls but it can be a killer going back up because there are tons of steps on this path.

 

So my point is: It depends the experience you want. Some vendors don't even come into the National Park area and take tourists to surrounding areas of the mountain. Remember, El Yunque is the mountain, not just the forest. They might take you to places where you don't even have to walk much to reach the river and soak in it for a while. But if you want to go all out and have no time constraints, definitely rent a car and go on your own. It's an easy drive and exploring at your own pace might just make the difference.

[tartan cruiser]

" It depends" is very good advice. For us the group tour through Happy Tours was perfect and I would do it again.Would have skipped the lunch stop if given a choice. At least it wasn't a shopping stop. This was the only negative but was only 1/2 hour. I have asthma and some days are better than others so I didn't want to get myself into something that would cause me problems. The hike (walk) was very low key and yet I got a taste of the rainforest. For others more active they might be disappointed. The previous poster gave a very good overview of El Yunique. We did like having a guide to answer our questions and had a wealth of information. I did feel the tour was worth the time and scenery was beautiful. We were in San Juan from 8-5 and wanted to take advantage of the time to see the Rainforest. Most of our other stops in San Juan have been 3-10 PM. and not enough time for the rainforest. We also like to avoid ship excursions.

Edited March 5, 2017 by tartan cruiser

[Vineyard View]

Stinger - thanks much. I didn't realize that El Yunque is the mountain rather than the whole Rainforest area in the region. It also helps clarify that this isn't really hiking (which I love doing) and is a rather rather short distance to the falls.....with steep incline at one end....so that does clarify it better in my mind.

I looked into a couple private tours and I see now that they are offer options outside of the national park.....

 

Tartan thank you for clarifying what your tour was like and it sounds like it was almost perfect for you - and helps me better understand what a tour consists of.

 

Anjomojo -'I get the impression that you really enjoyed the independence in renting a car - I think that is the direction we are leaning.

 

One more thing - is it fairly easy to continue traveling further on to the Caribbean side of the island? I have heard it is quite beautiful....and if you had a fully open day is that even realistic to add on to the same day?

 

Thanks again!

[skywalkr2]

To be clear the forest is called El Yunque, and everyone on the island refers to it that way..

 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/elyunque

[Vineyard View]

Thank you for the clarification.

[CruisinCons]

How easy is it to rent a car when you're coming off a cruise ship? Can you get rentals for the day only?

[Vineyard View]

We are staying at the Sheraton Old San Juan....I recently found out that they have a car rental in their lobby. I have yet to research the details but will be doing so shortly. I am certain a car can be rented for a single day, and I am thinking it more economical to reserve in advance.

 

I remain curious as to venturing further than the National Park on our own so will also be looking into information around that idea.

[Stinger-pr]

To be clear the forest is called El Yunque, and everyone on the island refers to it that way..

 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/elyunque

Actually the name "El Yunque" comes from the times that the island was colonized by the Spaniards. Yuqnue means anvil and they though that the mountain looked somewhat like an anvil from the distance. The National Forest part of the mountain gets the name "El Yunque National Forest" just like Yosemity National Park gets its name from the Yosemity Valley in California. Yes, when you talk to anyone in the island about el Yunque, they will more than likely talk about the National Forest part. But we locals know and frequent other parts of El Yunque that are outside the National Park boundaries as well. Some tours like the one Ellis Tours do do not take tourists into the National Park area but still take them to El Yunque.

[Stinger-pr]

We are staying at the Sheraton Old San Juan....I recently found out that they have a car rental in their lobby. I have yet to research the details but will be doing so shortly. I am certain a car can be rented for a single day, and I am thinking it more economical to reserve in advance.

 

I remain curious as to venturing further than the National Park on our own so will also be looking into information around that idea.

Where are you planning to venture to??

[Vineyard View]

Thank you StingerPR.....to answer your question I am not certain where to venture. We will not be in your home until late this year & first of next so I have time to research .... I have just heard that there is such beauty to be found/seen beyond the cities.