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How do you pronounce El Yunque National Forest?
The US Forest Service website claims it’s el-ZHUN-kay (although as a word is Spanish, I don’t think that really makes sense; that said it may or may not be Taíno in origin) Mario Gonzalez, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company pronounces it “YOON-kay”
Why is El Yunque called El Yunque?
The forest’s current name, El Yunque (i.e., meaning anvil in Spanish), is a corrupted derivation of the Taino word (Domínguez-Cristóbal 1997a, Moran Arce 1971). Although some may believe that the mountains resemble an anvil, most will agree that the summits are cloud covered much of the time.
What is Yunque in English?
This forest is commonly known as El Yunque, which may be attributed to either a Spanish approximation of the aboriginal Taíno word yu-ke which means “white land”, or the word “anvil,” which is yunque in Spanish. …
What is El Yunque and why is it special?
El Yunque is not only a refuge for endangered species, but also a refuge for people. In fact, it has an international reputation as a refuge—it’s one of the most important destinations in the Caribbean for ecotourism. It gets at least 900,000 visitors annually.
Is El Yunque open?
These areas are have been announced as “open to the public” by the Forest Service, as of 7/2021. Even though these areas are “open”, due to on-going maintenance and reconstruction in the forest, a site may be temporarily closed on any given day.
How much does it cost to visit El Yunque?
There is no entrance fee for the Forest itself. The El Portal Visitors Center (optional) is $4/adult and $2/senior. Kids under 16 are free. There are lots of tour operators who will provide transportation from your hotel and give you a guided tour of the Rain forest for a fee.
Can I just walk into El Yunque?
Normally, El Yunque is free to enter and you don’t need a permit. However, due to park regulations regarding COVID-19, you need to reserve your time slot online here ahead of time. It’s still technically free to enter, but there is a $2 service fee, which you pay by credit card online.
Is El Yunque worth?
El Yunque is a huge tourist spot and there are hundreds of tour buses that make the trip up the two-lane road winding through the forest. If you don’t start early, you can get stuck coming and going from the forest behind these buses. It is well worth the effort to wake up early for this one.
Do you need a permit for El Yunque?