TravelWorld International Magazine Fall 2022
The magazine written and photographed by North American Travel Journalists Association members.
The magazine written and photographed by North American Travel Journalists Association members.
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EL YUNQUE NATIONAL FOREST – NO RESERVATIONS REQUIRED<br />
Timed entry tickets are required to<br />
enter the La Mina Recreation Area<br />
(along Rd 191 starting near La Coca<br />
<strong>Fall</strong>s.) But there are sections of El<br />
Yunque National Forest that do not<br />
require a reservation.<br />
El Portal de El Yunque<br />
Visitor Center<br />
Brand-new and stunning, the El Portal<br />
de El Yunque Visitor Center opened<br />
in January <strong>2022</strong>. This is an excellent<br />
place to learn about the only tropical<br />
rainforest in the U.S. National Forest<br />
System.<br />
Set aside in the late 1800s, when<br />
Puerto Rico was under Spanish rule,<br />
the original sectors of the forest were<br />
a response to deforestation due to<br />
demand for ship-building hardwoods.<br />
But, of course, the forest’s history and<br />
name can be traced even further back<br />
to the indigenous Taíno, although<br />
accounts vary as to whether Yunque<br />
refers to deity or peak.<br />
Not long after the U.S. invaded Puerto<br />
Rico, gaining the territory under the<br />
Treaty of Paris in 1899, conservationminded<br />
Theodore Roosevelt became<br />
the 26th President. He is credited with<br />
establishing five national parks and 150<br />
national forests, including the Luquillo<br />
Forest Preserve that came to be known<br />
as El Yunque.<br />
Today, El Yunque Peak and the<br />
surrounding Luquillo Mountains<br />
provide 20% of Puerto Rico’s freshwater.<br />
And it’s one of the most biologically<br />
diverse forests in North America,<br />
featuring: 240 native tree species<br />
(including 23 forest exclusives,) 150<br />
fern species, 127 terrestrial vertebrate<br />
species, and 50 native orchid species.<br />
One of the most interesting forest<br />
inhabitants--and most endangered-<br />
-is the Puerto Rican Parrot. Daily<br />
ranger-led interpretive programs<br />
introduce visitors to parrots visiting<br />
from the aviaries where, thanks to<br />
ongoing conservation efforts, there are<br />
now 800, after being on the verge of<br />
extinction in 1973.<br />
Discover a variety of educational<br />
exhibits inside the Portal, as well as<br />
labeled nature trails (including an<br />
accessible portion) surrounding the<br />
building.<br />
El Portal De Yunque Visitor<br />
Center reopened to the<br />
public in January <strong>2022</strong><br />
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