The lost side of El Yunque

Visitors to San Juan, Puerto Rico can easily arrange for a taxi or tour bus to take them to the National Rain Forest, otherwise known as El Yunque. Those looking to explore a little further afield and get off the beaten path can consider hiking trails on the southern end of the park. Though it takes more planning to reach the southern reaches of the park, it could well be worth the effort.

The Associated Press’ Frank Griffiths offers a look into this less-visited area.

The forest suddenly becomes hushed except for the two-tone chirp of tiny tree frogs called coqui and the twitter of birdsong, though there’s no sighting of the endangered Puerto Rican parrots that live in El Yunque.

A panoply of giant ferns, banana trees and royal palms fan out overhead, among some 240 native tree species fed by the 100 billion gallons of rainwater that fall here each year.