El Yunque in Puerto Rico

[Anonymous]

Going to PR for Thanksgiving break. We'd like to visit El Yunque. Any suggestions for how to do it with kids 7 and 8? I've seen the guided tours but it mentions 1.5 mile hikes and I'm not sure they'd be able to keep up with others on the tour.

Should we just show up and walk around on our own? We didn't plan to rent a car but I suppose we will need to if we go that route.

[Anonymous]

It’s easy to explore on your own.

As long as you don’t mind driving on very narrow mountain roads.

[Anonymous]

Went there a few years ago with young kids on our own. It didn't even occur to us to take a tour. Even if you're not outdoorsy, just follow the signs, park in the parking lot, and walk along the well marked paths.

And the paths aren't that difficult. I don't know if your children have any special limitations, but the average 7 year old would have no problem doing a 1.5 mile hike. That should only be about a 30-40 minute walk, so even if they are a bit slower, you'd just arrive at the end a few minutes later than the group. (A typical rule of thumb is that kids should be able to hike 1/2 to 1 mile per year of age, so the average 7 year hold would hike about 4-7 miles. Our 4-year old did a 6 mile hike. And then there are the extremes, like the 4 year old who hiked the Appalachian trail, averaging 13.5 miles a day for 2,193 miles: https://www.advnture.com/news/how-a-4-year-old-hiked-the-length-of-the-appalachian-trail)

[Anonymous]

I went to El Yunque this past July. I think the guided tours actually focus more on the waterfalls and swimming, and less on hiking. The hiking will be really easy. If you don't do a tour then you definitely will need to rent a car because once you're in the park, cell service is unreliable so it would be hard to get an uber to bring you back to your hotel. Also know that you need to make an online reservation to get into the park. It's like $3/car so the cost is very minimal, but it's to control the volume of people.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you think your 7 and 8 year olds can complete a 1.5 mile walk?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to El Yunque this past July. I think the guided tours actually focus more on the waterfalls and swimming, and less on hiking. The hiking will be really easy. If you don't do a tour then you definitely will need to rent a car because once you're in the park, cell service is unreliable so it would be hard to get an uber to bring you back to your hotel. Also know that you need to make an online reservation to get into the park. It's like $3/car so the cost is very minimal, but it's to control the volume of people.

Agree with above. I did the guided tour a few years ago. The trail is relatively flat and an easy walk, albeit a bit washed out and muddy in places. We walked to a waterfall where you could go swimming, and then walked back. After that we were driven to another waterfall that you could climb around, and then driven to a lookout tower.

[Anonymous]

Rent a car for the day. That is what we did. The visitors center was nice but small. It was much easier for us to drive to where we wanted to hike within the park.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- thanks. I think we'll rent a car for the day. Our kids can handle the walk generally, at their pace. Just the guided tours showed lots of photos of going down a large natural waterslide, and swimming stuff. If it's just a walk they're good with it.

[Anonymous]

Start at the visitors center, get a map, and ask the park rangers for tips on where to park and which trail to take.

[Anonymous]

rent a car, stop at the visitor center. there are a few really easy hkes that kids that age will enjoy. when we were there this past spring, we needed a reservation so make sure you check current covid/capacity rules at the park.

[Anonymous]

My suggestion is bring a pair of extra shoes. My kids sneakers ended up caked in mud and didn’t dry for the rest of our trip so they wore flip flops every place else. I guess that should have occurred to me in advance but it was really muddy!
Wear bathing suits and bring some towels and maybe a change of clothes for your car. There are some nice swimming holes at the base of the falls. They are a bit chilly but refreshing if it’s hot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My suggestion is bring a pair of extra shoes. My kids sneakers ended up caked in mud and didn’t dry for the rest of our trip so they wore flip flops every place else. I guess that should have occurred to me in advance but it was really muddy!
Wear bathing suits and bring some towels and maybe a change of clothes for your car. There are some nice swimming holes at the base of the falls. They are a bit chilly but refreshing if it’s hot.

+1. My 6.5 year old had no problem with the hiking and loved the waterfalls. Definitely bring water shoes (Keens or something would be perfect) and a bathing suit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -- thanks. I think we'll rent a car for the day. Our kids can handle the walk generally, at their pace. Just the guided tours showed lots of photos of going down a large natural waterslide, and swimming stuff. If it's just a walk they're good with it.

PP here. I believe that a lot of the tour companies market the water slides and rope swings into waterfalls because that's what people are most excited to do, but the ones that I talked to (not for el yunque, for other excursions) are pretty happy to create a tailored itinerary depending on your preferences. You may end up paying more though, b/c it would be just your family probably.

[Anonymous]

Are you staying in San Juan? If not, the hassle of getting back to SJ to rent the car, drive back out to El Yunque and in and then return the car and get back to your lodging is so much worse than just paying for a guided tour that will pick you up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you staying in San Juan? If not, the hassle of getting back to SJ to rent the car, drive back out to El Yunque and in and then return the car and get back to your lodging is so much worse than just paying for a guided tour that will pick you up.

OP here. We're staying in Isla Verde but there happens to be two different car rental companies with offices within a block of our hotel. I'll reserve a car in advance for the day, pack swimsuits and mud shoes, and I think we'll be good. Then for trips to Old San Juan we'll just Uber.