Barreal Waterfall

Location: Peñuelas

Getting there: From San Juan, drive 1 hour 45 minutes south to the lesser-visited municipality of Peñuelas. Park on the road near this man’s house making sure not to obstruct his driveway. The hike takes a little over an hour to reach the waterfall. Make sure your phone is charged to navigate in the general direction of the falls. There will occasionally be other trails leading in different directions but generally, the trail is well marked. You will cross the river twice, so hiking sandals or water shoes are good to have. 

Things to do: Bird watching – there are many birds in this forest, including some rare birds that birders look for. I saw many, among them the Puerto Rican Tody, Julián Chiví, Puerto Rican Bullfinch, and the Puerto Rican Cuckoo. Forage – When I went in late May, there were many mango trees loaded with ripe mangos and I am not ashamed to say I ate a couple off the ground. There is also a natural spring coming out of the ground before you get to the river. You’ll come across an area where the ground is wet. I found a hose that led downhill, presumably to someone’s home, it had become separated so the water was spilling on the ground instead of continuing through the hose. I was thirsty enough on the way back that I collected water from the hose and drank it. I haven’t died of Giardia yet so it must be safe. Get in the water – The pool at the foot of the falls is shallow around much of the shore but does get too deep to touch close to the bottom of the waterfall. 

Heads up:  Be very careful, there are wasps at various points along the trail. I noticed they had small hives on vines of small branches hanging over the trail. If a friend had not pointed them out to me I might have run right into them.  Apparently there is a kind of mango there that often has small worms in it. I didn’t notice any in the ones I ate and I have no regrets.