Caribbean Map

Entrance to El Portal Centre

La Mina River, Puerto Rico

The trail follows the course of the La Mina River with it's tumbling waterfalls, huge rocks and lush vegetation (see right image above). The trail path is a mixture of steps and slopes, mostly concrete surface and quite steep in places and slippery. You need to be reasonably fit and able to walk two miles and climb steps. A most enjoyable trek with fabulous surroundings, but final decent to La Mina Falls is steep steps and many visitors give up just before the final destination! Wear sensible shoes with some grip and allow 45 minutes to walk down the trail and more than one hour to return.

A tropical rain forest is characterized by having more than 68 inches of rain every year. Almost 30% of the world's oxygen is created in these forests and they also account for more than 40% of the world's total animal, insect & plant species. There are two types of rain forest; tropical forests (typically located between the Tropics of Cancer & Capricorn) and temperate forests, located in a cooler climate. The El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico is tropical.

How are rain forests and a jungles different? A rain forest restricts plant species growing at ground level due to the lack of sunlight caused by the tree canopy. When the trees are thinned it becomes a "jungle" with the increased growth of plants on the jungle floor.