Puerto Rico 2025: March 13, 2025

Our day began with a visit to El Bosque Nacional de El Yunque (El Yunque National Rainforest). We went to the Visitor's Center where we watched a film (in Spanish) on the history of the rainforest and learned many facts about the animals there - mostly birds and 1200 kinds of insects, as well as the water the rainforest provides for the country (20%) and the connection the people have to the land, which goes back centuries to the indigenous cultures that first lived there. It also included information about conservation efforts related to the rainforest. Then we visited the souvenir shop and took a short walk around the grounds.

We then hopped back into the bus and drove down to visit one of the many towers found in the rainforest. We climbed the 96 steps to the top and saw a great view! Afterward, we split into two hiking groups. The first group took a shorter trail throughout the forest, and the second group hiked to Torre Mt. Britton. Afterward, we were all tired and sweaty, so we drove down to the Luquillo Beach Kiosks, where we split into groups, got a bite to eat, and went shopping. It rained really hard while we were there!

Then, we took a very entertaining bus ride back to the hotel, where we got to reflect on our week, sing songs, and play games. We had free time for dinner, so some of us went to the beach or pool or hung out in the rooms. Can't wait to see what our last day here in Puerto Rico brings!

Written by: Paige Blanding, Sara Miller, Kate Phillips, and Leah Torres