The hike to Seven Sisters Falls is only about an hour each way, wandering through forests thick with vines and ferns on trails that can turn from easy to arduous depending on the recent rains. Mount Qua Qua rewards those who take the sometimes slippery challenge with views of the Caribbean and Atlantic and hillsides painted in every shade of green. Puerto Rico boasts the only tropical rain forest within the U.S. National Forest System, the Caribbean National Forest , or as it is popularly called, El Yunque . Only an hour drive from San Juan, El Yunque has thirteen hiking trails covering 23 miles of incredibly varied terrain. Some paths, such as Big Tree Trail, are well-marked nature trails.
Hikers pass through several ecological zones to a rare dwarf forest where trees appear stunted.
Besides El Yunque, Puerto Rico has fourteen forest reserves scattered across the island. Some of the best ones for hiking are the Guanica Reserve, a mecca for bird watchers on the south coast, and the Toro Negro Reserve, which surrounds Puerto Rico's highest peak, Cerro de Punta at 4,390 feet. For most hikes on the island you do not need a guide because trails are marked, but it can be more enjoyable and educational to join a group run by an outfitter. Two wheels can take you further than two feet. On a bike, you achieve lung-expanding workouts on the uphills and relish the cool thrills of the downhills.