El Portal Visitor Center in El Yunque REOPENED!
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If you’re visiting Puerto Rico, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you’re excited to strap on your hiking boots and wear your raincoat to visit El Yunque, the only rainforest that is part of the US National Forest system. This luscious rainforest is home to hundreds of endemic plants and animals, has immersive hiking trails, breathtaking views from lookout towers and refreshing ponds and waterfalls. But, did you know that it recently reopened its beautiful and informative visitor center? Well, in this travel guide I’m gonna take you on a tour of El Portal and show you why you definitely need to stop by before heading up to your day of adventure at El Yunque.
El Portal was actually inaugurated in 1996, but after the passing of Hurricane MarÃa in 2017, the visitor center suffered significant structural damage that prevented it from reopening. Thankfully, after a lot of work it was able to reopen in January of 2022 and is now ready to receive visitors again!
El Portal is located on the right side of the street, just 10 minutes before the entrance of the main recreational area where you would find La Coca and other attractions. Contrary to the main recreational area of El Yunque, to visit El Portal you don’t need a reservation, but you’ll need to pay an $8 per person entrance fee for adults older than 15 years of age. With the receipt of your entrance fee payment you’ll be able to come back into El Portal at any time during their operating hours on the day of your purchase. So, make sure to keep it somewhere safe just in case you want to buy more souvenirs after going up to the main recreational area.
EL PORTAL ENTRANCE
Once you pass the entrance and leave your car in the spacious parking area, you’ll walk down to the beginning of El Portal where you’ll find a map of the area to guide your visit. Then you’ll cross a bridge that leads directly to the main pavilion. In this open space you will see all sorts of informative displays that entices visitors to learn about the diverse ecosystem and topography of the rainforest through interactive games. If you want to learn more from an expert, you’ll also be able to follow guided tours of el portal and its trails with experienced and knowledgeable park rangers.
GUIDED TOURS
But, for me, what stands out from everything else in this space are the beautiful Puerto Rican parrots. This gorgeous parrot is endemic to the island of Puerto Rico and is characterized by its emerald green body, white ring surrounding its eyes, a red stripe between its eyes, and its turquoise colored wings that can be appreciated in flight. Unfortunately, the Puerto Rican parrot is facing a critical threat of extinction, going as low as 16 parrots alive in the wild in the 1970. Fortunately, since then there have been efforts to keep this species alive which has helped their population increase significantly both in captivity and in the wild despite threats to their survival such as deforestation and hurricanes. At El Portal, you’ll be able to appreciate this beautiful and playful parrot up close and learn about the efforts being done to conserve its species.
PUERTO RICAN PARROTS
And after this, you can head over to the gift shop where they have all sorts of souvenirs of El Yunque, including plush toys of the Puerto Rican parrot which proceedes directly go to the conservation efforts. This gift shop has just about anything for anyone, from local coffee, t-shirts, postcards to even lego sets of the coquà frog and the Yokahú Tower.
SOUVENIR SHOP
After the gift shop you should visit the spacious restaurant and cafe located on the second level of the pavilion where you will find all sorts of food options for breakfast, lunch and even delicious local foods such as empanadillas and bacalaitos. And by the way, if you’re interested in learning more about authentic puerto rican foods, you should check out my video of the Top 10 Foods You Must Eat In Puerto Rico by clicking the link below.
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Now that you have a full stomach, it’s time to pass by the exhibit room that’s right across from the restaurant. Similar to the first level of the pavilion, in this area you’ll play with interactive displays and exhibits that explain in detail the ecosystem of the rainforest such as the diversity of insects, trees, and other animals you might be able to see at El Yunque. This area is perfect for sparking the curiosity of children and developing a respect and appreciation of nature.
INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS
Then, from here, you’ll be able to start taking one of the two trails at El Portal. The trail closest to the exhibit is zig-zagged, made with concrete and is perfect for immersing into the rainforest elderly and physically handicapped individuals that might have otherwise found it difficult or even impossible to walk in the rocky, steep, and long trails you find in the main recreational area.
EASY TRAIL
Though short, this trail is absolutely beautiful and even connects directly to the second trail at El Portal. This second trail is made with gravel and goes in a loop for about five to eight minutes into the forest. Here, you’ll be able to appreciate the foliage and quite possibly see some of the animals and plants you learned about in the pavilion.
GRAVEL TRAIL
And that’s it! El Portal is a fantastic place to learn about El Yunque, spark your curiosity and even come face to face with the rare and absolutely gorgeous Puerto Rican parrot. So I absolutely recommend that you find some time during your trip to Puerto Rico to visit El Portal. And if you’re looking for more travel guides of El Yunque, make sure to click the card below that leads you to a playlist where I share the ultimate travel guide of the main recreational area of El Yunque and another guide of the top 5 rivers and waterfalls near El Yunque.
EL YUNQUE TRAVEL GUIDES PLAYLIST
And that’s it! I hope you found this travel guide helpful. Make sure to check out my YouTube channel, Brik’s Travel Guides, to see the full video of this and other Puerto Rico travel guides.
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