Going Green
Exploring the Nooks and Crannies of the El Yunque Rainforest

The raindrops drum onto leaves below, the twittering Coqui frogs keep time with the beat, and every inch of the land is a shade of green, from turquoise to olive to chartreuse.

Just a short bus ride from the seaside resort town of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, it's hard to believe the El Yunque Rainforest exists so close to civilization.

But El Yunque, the only rain forest in the U.S. Forest Service system, encompasses 28,000 acres of Puerto Rico and includes the Luquillo Mountains, offering spectacular, emerald views from every angle.

The Mt. Britton lookout tower, perched at 3,088 feet and accessible by foot or car, is an excellent place to start taking it all in. It's a simple, stone cylinder rising from the trees, allowing visitors to peek at the foliage from windows at many levels of a winding, stone spiral staircase. At the top, rain clouds can be seen retreating or approaching, and on a clear day, the coast is visible in the distance. A deep bank of fog lolling over the tree tops, however, is more likely, and equally striking.

It's a small rainforest in comparison to other tropical forests around the globe, but as such, is a concentrated hot spot for life in countless forms.

El Yunque is what is called an 'experimental national park;' It is the site of several studies of flora and fauna, climate, and other environmentally based subjects. Walking through the forest, though, either alone or on a guided tour, is the only way to fully appreciate how amazing El Yunque is in its diversity.

Some plants grow so fast, it's possible to see and hear the stalks creeping upward. Others are so deeply rooted they've stood firm in the same place for decades.

A glimpse at an endangered Puerto Rican parrot is a rare treat, and more common marvels are the tiny, chirping Coqui frogs (an unofficial mascot of the island, some exist nowhere in the world but in El Yunque) and giant snails, clinging to branches and leaves.

A different look at a culinary delicacy or two could be found as well; in the case of hearts of palm, for instance, the root, found in many Caribbean and Latino dishes, cannot be harvested until the tree in which it lives is felled, and at El Yunque, that's always of natural causes.

A walk through El Yunque isn't just a hunt for strange sights, though. It's a truly ecological experience, and a brief study of a rare and tiny island rainforest that is also considered by experts to be one of the most fragile in the world.
There are lessons to be learned in Puerto Rico's rainforest, where the rhythm of life drums quietly on.

Learn more about this author, Jaclyn C. Stevenson.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Travel destinations: El Yunque Rain Forest, Puerto Rico?
We want to hear your view. Write now!