El Yunque Tours
from $60 per person
Wild & Scenic Rainforest Nature Walk to River Adventure and 1 more option
- Length
- 2.5 hours, morning
- Group
- up to 18 guests
- Age
- 6+
Forest Service authorization ID YNF4050; on the USFS authorized operator list
Quick picks
- Lowest price El Yunque Tours $60 per person for Wild & Scenic Rainforest Nature Walk to River Adventure
- Youngest passengers El Yunque Tours 6+
Every option side by side
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild & Scenic Rainforest Nature Walk to River AdventureIncludes Backpack, Towel, Snack, Water bottle |
$60 per person |
2.5 hours, morning |
up to 18 guests |
6+ | Check dates | ||
El Yunque Rainforest Night WalkIncludes Guided walk on the Angelito Trail, Snack and swim break at Las Damas pool (weather permitting), Backpack and towel |
$65 per person |
2.5 hours (about 5:30-8:00 PM) |
up to 20 guests |
6+ | Check dates | ||
El Yunque National Forest Tour (meet at launch site)Includes Forest entry fee, Guided tour, Natural pools, water slide and rope swing, Fresh fruit and snacks, Equipment, Photos |
$79 per adult |
4 hours |
Minimum 8 guests |
8+ | Group minimum not met: reschedule, private rate or penalty-free cancel. Weather cancellations decided by operator. | Check dates | |
El Yunque Rainforest Small Group Tour from San JuanIncludes Guided hike, Forest entrance, Life jacket and helmet, Bottled water, Hotel transport (transport option only) |
$79 per person |
About 3 hours of guided hiking (half day) |
Small group |
7+ | Full refund if emailed 48+ hours before; bookings under 48 hours final; weather cancellations by operator refunded or rescheduled. | Check dates | |
Rainforest Adventure with TransportationIncludes Round-trip transport from San Juan, Guided eco-interpretive hike, Fruit, snacks and refreshments, Park entry fee, Equipment, Photos |
$105 per adult |
About 6 hours (Saturday about 1 hour longer) |
Minimum 8-10 guests |
8+ (maximum 70) | Free cancellation up to 48 hours before; groups of 10+ need 2 weeks. Operator decides weather cancellations. | Check dates | |
El Yunque Rainforest Tour (Explora el Bosque Tropical El Yunque)Includes Transportation from San Juan metro area, Certified guide, Stops such as Angelito Trail, La Coca Falls and Yokahú Tower |
Not listed |
Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 22, 2026. How we compare.
PR-191, Road 988 and Frutera Flores in Luquillo
The main entrance is PR-191 North in Río Grande, which Discover Puerto Rico puts about 45 minutes' drive from San Juan. That corridor leads to La Coca Falls, Yokahú Tower, the Juan Diego ravine, the Mt. Britton trail and the Palo Colorado information center. Road 988, the Luquillo entrance, reaches the Angelito Trail at km 3.6, and the tourism board says the south entrance, PR-191 in Naguabo, draws smaller crowds. The forest covers nearly 29,000 acres across eight municipalities, the Forest Service says.
Island Journeys gathers self-drive guests at Frutera Flores, a fruit stand in Luquillo where guides buy fruit for the group. From there guests follow the guide by rental car; taxis and Ubers are not allowed. Its transport option picks up at 9:00 am at the Walgreens at 5984 Avenida Isla Verde in Carolina, according to its own page, or at SuperMax in San Juan, according to Kayaking Puerto Rico's. Either way it waits 15 minutes at most.
San Juan Tours picks up at a list of San Juan hotels, among them the Caribe Hilton, Condado Vanderbilt and Fairmont El San Juan, and at Plaza Colón for guests in Old San Juan. Guests staying outside San Juan meet at the Caribe Hilton, and the driver waits up to 5 minutes. Its self-drivers follow the guide from an agreed meeting point. El Yunque Tours walks the Angelito Trail but gives no meeting point on its tour pages, and G&K Adventure Tours collects guests around the San Juan metro area.
La Coca Falls, Juan Diego and Angelito Trail
La Coca Falls, about 85 feet high by the Forest Service's measure, can be seen from the road, Discover Puerto Rico says. Other corridor stops include the 69-foot Yokahú Tower, built in the early 1960s, and Juan Diego, a short path to a pool and waterfall you can wade into, where capacity is limited. Los Picachos, a spur off the El Yunque Trail, ends at a stone viewing platform that looks out in every direction, and the Mt. Britton spur climbs to a tower the Civilian Conservation Corps built in 1937.
The Angelito Trail, off Road 988 at km 3.6, descends 132 feet over 0.2 miles through tabonuco trees to the Río Mameyes. The river became a National Wild and Scenic River in 2002, and Las Damas pool and other swimming spots lie along it. El Yunque Tours runs both its morning walk and its night walk here. At dusk, the company says, bats, Puerto Rican screech owls and tree frogs become active, and Wikipedia counts 13 of Puerto Rico's roughly 16 coquí species in the forest.
La Mina Trail, which leads to the forest's best-known waterfall, remains closed. The Forest Service's trail alert, first posted March 15, 2023 and updated April 28, 2026, also keeps Big Tree Trail closed and El Yunque Peak Trail shut beyond the Los Picachos spur. Baño de Oro Trail is closed for a federal emergency road repair project, though the 1930s swimming hole it passes is open as a photo stop. Island Journeys and San Juan Tours swim and slide in natural pools whose rivers they do not name.
Free corridor, $8 El Portal and afternoon rain
The PR-191 North corridor is free, needs no reservation and is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, according to the Forest Service's access page, last updated February 27, 2026. The agency manages visitor numbers because parking is short and construction continues, and cars may park only in designated areas. When reservations ended on August 23, 2023, News is my Business reported that the gate would close at 200 cars and let in 20 more each time 20 left.
El Portal, the main visitor center, is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and closes September 8 to 20 each year for maintenance. The Forest Service charges $8 for visitors over 16 and $4 for interagency pass holders, children 15 and under enter free, and Recreation.gov sells the tickets. A proposal released May 6, 2026 would cut El Portal's day pass to $4 and add a $4 day pass at La Mina Recreation Area. Its comment period closed August 4, 2026, and the release gave no start date.
Afternoons bring more rain, Discover Puerto Rico says, and December to April is the drier season. Parts of the forest get more than 240 inches a year, according to Wikipedia. The Forest Service warns that El Yunque's rivers can flood suddenly, and San Juan Tours says some natural features may close when water runs high. Island Journeys takes ages 8 to 70, up to 240 lbs, on its transport tour. San Juan Tours takes ages 7 and up to about 275 lbs, and El Yunque Tours ages 6 and up.
Forest Service permits, hotel pickups and 48-hour refunds
El Yunque Tours Inc and G&K Adventure Tours appear on the Forest Service's list of 26 authorized tour operators, updated August 26, 2026; Island Journeys and San Juan Tours do not. El Yunque Tours, authorization ID YNF4050, charges $60 for a 2.5-hour morning walk to Las Damas pool for up to 18. Its $65 night walk runs from 5:30 to 8:00 pm for up to 20. Both take ages 6 and up and include a backpack, towel and snack, and neither page describes transport.
Island Journeys rates its hike moderate to strenuous, with river wading, a natural water slide, a rope swing and rock jumps, and its guides hold lifeguard, CPR and first aid certification. Kayaking Puerto Rico, which sells the tour, lists $79 plus tax for about 4 hours if you drive to Luquillo and $105 for about 6 hours with transport. Island Journeys' own page shows no price. Changes and cancellations are free up to 48 hours out, and groups of 10 or more need two weeks' notice for a full refund. When it cancels for weather, it offers a new date, another tour or a full refund.
San Juan Tours charges $79 to drive yourself or $89 with hotel pickup for about 3 hours of guided hiking, swimming and natural rock slides, with life jackets and helmets supplied. It refunds in full on cancellations emailed 48 hours or more ahead, treats bookings made inside 48 hours as final, and refunds or rebooks when it cancels for weather. G&K Adventure Tours includes transport from the San Juan metro area and a certified guide but shows no price.
Before you book
- Arrive before 10 am. Discover Puerto Rico says mornings have easier parking and thinner crowds, and afternoons bring more rain.
- Arrange your ride back before you go. The Forest Service says La Coca gate and El Portal are not authorized rideshare pickup or drop-off points. It suggests a private or rental car, a taxi, or a tour or transport company with a permit to operate in the forest.
- Wear closed-toe shoes with good grip and a swimsuit under your clothes, and bring a towel and dry clothes. Island Journeys rules out sandals, water shoes and flip-flops.
- Check conditions and flood reports before swimming in a river. The Forest Service warns that El Yunque's rivers can flood suddenly.
- Getting there. Discover Puerto Rico puts El Yunque about 45 minutes by car from San Juan and 25 minutes from Luquillo. The main entrance is PR-191 North in Río Grande; the south entrance, on PR-191 in Naguabo, is less crowded.
The operators
Island Journeys
from $79 per adult
El Yunque National Forest Tour (meet at launch site) and 1 more option
- Length
- 4 hours
- Group
- Minimum 8 guests
- Age
- 8+
Guides hold lifeguard, CPR and first aid certifications
San Juan Tours
from $79 per person
El Yunque Rainforest Small Group Tour from San Juan
- Length
- About 3 hours of guided hiking (half day)
- Group
- Small group
- Age
- 7+
Driver waits up to 5 minutes at hotel pickup
G&K Adventure Tours
Price on request
El Yunque Rainforest Tour (Explora el Bosque Tropical El Yunque)
USDA Forest Service special use permit YNF2206; on the USFS authorized operator list
Sources
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 22, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.
- discoverpuertorico.com/es/articulo/...
- newsismybusiness.com/...
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/recreation/groups/...
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/recreation/trails/...
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/recreation
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque
- kayakingpuertorico.com/home/tours/puerto-rico-rainforest
- islandjourneys.com/puerto-rico-tours/...
- sanjuantourspr.com/adventures/...
- elyunquetours.com/tours/scenic-walk-to-river
- gkadventuretours.com
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Yunque_National_Forest
- elyunquetours.com/tours/...
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/alerts/...
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/alerts
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/conditions
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/recreation/...
- recreation.gov/ticket/10089811/ticket/10089812
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/newsroom/releases/...
- fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/permits/...