One of my favorite things to do while traveling is hiking. El Yunque National Forest is located on the east side of Puerto Rico, and is filled with lush, green plants and trees. I joined a tour group for this hike because I read that hiking there alone was not recommended, and as we began our hike it became clear why having a guide was important. It was muddy and slippery!! Along with the slippery mud were steep drop-offs on one side of the trail, and we were advised to stay on the opposite side of the trail lest we slip and fall over the cliff. There were several times we were literally walking in narrow, muddy indentations in the trail. At a small clearing early in the hike our guide stopped and talked about the abundance and variety of flora and fauna in the forest. He pointed out one particular plant nearby and advised us not to touch it because it was poisonous. He said they call it “Itchy, Itchy” because it has the same effect as poison ivy on your skin.
I chose this particular tour because we were going to hike to a natural water slide which I thought sounded interesting. We hiked a couple of miles along the trail with a small river nearby. One thing that was notably missing was wildlife. I don’t know if this is due to the number of tourists (there were many), or if we were too low in the forest, but I saw very few birds, and nothing else.
Finally, we arrived at a large, open pool of water. It was really hot and humid in the forest,
and the cold (yes, cold!) water was refreshing once you caught your breath back
after stepping into it! We hung out
there for a few minutes, and then began to make our way to the natural waterslide,
which required climbing across and over rocks on the side of the pool of
water. Some were so steep that the
guides gave us a hand up onto some of the rocks, which this short-legged girl
needed! Once we got to the top of the waterslide,
we waited in the river for our turn to go down the waterslide. I was a bit apprehensive about doing this because
I’m not that adventurous, but I was determined to face my fear!
My heart pounded when it was my turn. The guides gave me instructions to cross my
hands across my chest, and keep my elbows in, then they let me go. It was a blast!! Since we were sliding on rocks, I expected
the slide to be a little rough, but it was a really smooth ride down to the
pool below. Crashing into the water was
refreshing. It seemed like it took forever
for me to come back up to the surface, and I really wished we could have gone
down the slide more than once. However,
many other people were waiting for the same experience.
After the slide we came back a short way where people could
dive off of a tall rock into the pool below, and then further back, a rope
swing into the pool. I didn’t do either
of these because I’m a chicken! HaHa.
Best of all, I met some wonderful people on this tour. It’s so nice to meet people, and that’s one
of the things I like about traveling in general, but is a plus with tour groups
as well.
I had originally planned to drive around a big looping
highway inside El Yunque after my tour, but I was soaking wet, muddy and tired,
so I decided not to do it. Plus, there
was a waterfall I wanted to see and the trail to it was closed, so that will
have to wait for another time.
I'm so sad to have to leave this beautiful country tomorrow, but what great experiences I had while here. I want to go back and explore the interior of the country where so many of the mountain towns are located, and many waterfalls!
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