Top 5 Rivers & Waterfalls Near El Yunque

hikingriversnature

May 27

Written By Brik

Top 5 Rivers & Waterfalls Near El Yunque — Watch Now On YouTube

Click Here

If you've ever visited Puerto Rico or if you're planning on visiting, it wouldn't be a surprise if El Yunque is on the top of the list of things you're planning to do while visiting the island. El Yunque is the ONLY tropical rainforest located within the United States and it is full of incredible fauna, flora, and history. In my first travel guide, which you can watch by clicking on the banner above, I give you a complete guide on everything you can see and do while visiting the most popular part of the rainforest. From breathtaking 360 degree views from the top of lookout towers to scenic hiking trails that lead you to the highest point of the rainforest, this area of el Yunque seems to have everything you'd need to connect to nature. One of the main things that many people come looking for when visiting El Yunque are large rivers and waterfalls. However, visitors might be disappointed to find out that most of these bodies of water are not located within the area of el Yunque that most people visit. You see, El Yunque is a large rainforest that spans various municipalities of Puerto Rico. The area that most people visit of El Yunque is an area near the municipality of Rio Grande and it requires visitors to book a ticket ahead of time on the website recreation.gov. Within this area, there are rivers and waterfalls, but they are either small or temporarily closed. But don't worry, in this travel guide I'll show you 5 amazing rivers and waterfalls you can visit close to the main visitor area of El Yunque!

We start our countdown with the only waterfall in this list that is located within the main visitor area of El Yunque, the Juan Diego Falls. This small collection of unique ponds and waterfalls are located a short drive from the main entrance checkpoint of El Yunque. To get to the waterfalls you'll need to walk up the Juan Diego Trail. The first section of this trail is easy and ends in a beautiful waterfall that is perfect to visit with kids. However, if you want to see an even more breathtaking waterfall you need to go up the trail that is just to the right of the first waterfall. Even though this short trail is difficult, muddy and steep, in the end you'll be rewarded with a picturesque waterfall that cascades over a dark rock formation. Remember, this trial is located within the main area of El Yunque so you'll need to book ahead of time on the website recreation.gov.

Next up is probably the most accessible river in this list, Puente Roto. This spot is a short six minute drive from currently closed El Portal Visitor Center. To get to the river, simply park your car right next to the main road and walk down an extremely short trail. This spot is so easily accessible that it gets extremely crowded on the weekends with locals and tourists alike. So if you want to visit and avoid the crowd, loud music and screaming babies, I suggest you come during a weekday.

Number three is possibly my favorite river spot on this list, Angelito's Trail. To get to the beginning of the trail you need to drive two minutes past Puente Roto. After you park your car next to the road, start walking down the scenic trail past incredibly beautiful vegetation. After about eight to ten minutes of some light hiking, you'll end up right next to the riverbed. Here you can take a dip in the deep pond, lounge around and take a nap on the many rocks within the river, or even venture upstream to explore the area. I find that Angelito's Trail is the perfect spot to relax, meditate and connect to nature.

Book a Flight to Puerto Rico!

Las Paylas Natural Water Slide — #4 LAS PAYLAS NATURAL WATER SLIDE

The fourth spot on this list is the entertaining Las Paylas river. This spot has several areas visitors can enjoy, but the main attraction is an exhilarating large natural waterslide that drops visitors off into a pond. Las Paylas is located a short eight minute drive from Angelito's Trail. When searching for Las Paylas on Google Maps, make sure that you're headed towards the location in Luquillo, since there is another spot called Las Paylas in Comerio. When you get to Las Paylas you can either park in the parking area inside a local family's property which will charge you $5 for the parking and for accessing the trail that leads you to the river or you could park near the home of a local and pay to access the trail that leads to the river which is right next to their home. Depending on which trail you choose, you'll end up right in front of the waterslide or a short walk below. If you want to have some fun, very carefully walk up the right side of the natural waterslide, wait your turn and then build up some courage to slide down! When you've decided that you need to take a break from all this action, you can simply walk downriver where you'll see several little ponds where you can relax or you can walk all the way down to a beautiful large pond where you can lounge on the rocks or enjoy swimming around.

Las Tinajas Falls — #5 LAS TINAJAS FALLS

The last spot on this list is also the most challenging spot to get to and it's called Las Tinajas. Driving from Las Paylas to the parking area at Las Tinajas will take you approximately 30 minutes. There are two main parking areas at Las Tinajas which will both cost you. The parking area with the easiest and quickest trail to Las Tinajas is located at the very end of the street and is more expensive. The other parking area is cheaper but the hike from this area is 20 minutes longer, much more difficult and will require visitors to walk upriver over rocks and climb up the side of the mountain where they will find the easy trail that leads to Las Tinajas. Needless to say, if you take the longer trail you might feel lost at some point so if you just want a straightforward trail, spend a little bit more cash to park in the more expensive parking area. After walking for a couple of minutes down the easy trail you'll see another trail to your right leading you to the riverbed. Once you come down to this area you'll see a beautiful pond with crystal clear water. Here you can grab a rope hanging from a tree and carefully swing into the river or carefully climb up some rocks and jump into the freezing water. This area of Las Tinajas is amazing and beautiful, but it is not the only spot you'll love here. If you walk on the right side upriver you'll find a challenging trail that leads you to smaller ponds and some natural waterslides. These slides are shorter than the one at Las Paylas, but I assure you they can be equally exciting!

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS!

And finally, before the end of this travel guide I want to give you guys some very important disclaimers. First, before you head out to visit any river in Puerto Rico you need to check the weather. If by any chance it is raining, please avoid visiting any river. Rain can provoke a powerful flash flood which can lead to serious injury and even death. I want you to enjoy Puerto Rico and everything it has to offer, but I also want everyone to be safe while doing so. Second, when you go out on your adventure you need to be prepared for any situation that may happen, so always bring with you a backpack with essential items that will help you out in case of an emergency such as a first aid kit and extra water. Also make sure you wear appropriate shoes that'll protect your feet and ankles when you're hiking. And last but not least, whenever you go out to explore anywhere in Puerto Rico, please make sure you pick up your trash, especially when visiting our natural resources. Unfortunately, during my visit to these spots I encountered a lot of trash near the riverbed that contaminates the water and harms our wildlife. As an explorer, sometimes I hesitate to teach others where these amazing natural wonders are because I'm afraid of the negative impact it will have in these areas, but I hope that everyone will do their best to keep our natural resources clean, beautiful and free of trash.

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.

Support My Work

If you'd like to support my work, you could make a small one time or monthly donation on Buy Me A Coffee! These donations, as small as $5, help me improve the quality of my travel guides and allow me to continue making free content to help people explore Puerto Rico.