Eastern Region
The Eastern region is home to some of Puerto Rico’s main tourist attractions. Foremost among these is the beautiful El Yunque National Forest. It is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest System and covers an area of approximately 28,000 acres. There are no cities in this region worth spending time in. Along with the forest, the best thing to do is take a ferry from Ceiba to Culebra or Vieques Island. If you want to know the best things to do on the eastern keys and islands, check out my page on the region. On the east side of the main islands there are several notable beaches that are worth a visit.
El Yunque has played an important role in Puerto Rico’s cultural and economic development. The Taínos, Puerto Rico’s indigenous people, believed that the forest was the home of their gods and used its resources for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Later, Spanish colonizers established sugar plantations in the area, which relied on the forest’s water supply and fertile soils. Today, El Yunque is recognized as a National Forest and protected area with only a small section of the forest commonly visited.
Geographically, El Yunque is characterized by its rugged terrain and high rainfall. The forest is located in the Luquillo Mountains, which rise to over 3,500 feet in elevation. The region’s high rainfall, which can reach up to 200 inches per year, feeds the forest’s rivers and streams and supports one of the most biologically diverse areas in Puerto Rico. It is home to over 240 species of trees and plants, including many rare and endangered species. The forest is also home to a wide range of animals, including the critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot, the coquí tree frog, and the Puerto Rican boa. Lucky visitors can observe these species and many more in their natural habitats, making El Yunque a popular destination for birdwatching and wildlife photography.
For more information on these spots, check out Waterfalls & Rivers.
Beaches
This region does not contain as many great beaches as others (not counting the nearby keys and islands). It’s all relative, though. These beaches still outshine the California beaches where I grew up. Many are less popular and have less developed surroundings which make them seem more wild and untouched. There are many coconut trees and finding ripe coconuts is normal in my experience. There are many beaches on this side of the island worth a visit for different reasons. The two most popular are Luquillo and Piñones Beaches.
Luquillo Beach is extremely popular for its size, the backdrop of the mountains of El Yunque behind the beach, and the many kiosks just past the sand. The water is calm and shallow. The kiosks are mainly restaurants and bars. I suggest walking through these and trying different fried foods from different spots. If you want to sit down and eat, I recommend Terruño and La Parilla. Avoid the sweet and sour chicken at all costs, the sauce is just ketchup.
Playa Piñones is a local favorite for similar reasons. The beach is extremely long and there are many little turnouts where you can park and claim a spot on a bluff looking out at your own little section of the beach. There are restaurants all along the road that are popular for street food, or “chinchorreo”. The water here is rough in most spots.
Here are a list of the beaches, for more information on them and to see them ranked, check out Beaches.
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