Rainforest private tour or cab...

[Aussiegrlfl]

There is a group of us coming into PR soon that would love to go to the rainforest....problem is we dock at 7:30 ish and have to be back by 3pm....has anyone every taken a larger cab from the port and gone directly there, spent time there and came back?.....how long did it take....and what is the approx. cost......We would ultimately like to leave early around 8 and get back in time for lunch at Barrachinas which we have gotten some awesome reviews......anyone done this...please advise.....thankyou in advance....Lee

[RayInPR]

Public taxis cannot go up into the rainforest.

They would have to drop you off at the base of the mountain, then you'd have an 18km walk up-hill to the interesting trailheads.

 

Renting a car (especially if you're a group) is the best way to go. Otherwise, get onto a tour.

[rainforestgirl]

There is a group of us coming into PR soon that would love to go to the rainforest....problem is we dock at 7:30 ish and have to be back by 3pm....has anyone every taken a larger cab from the port and gone directly there, spent time there and came back?.....how long did it take....and what is the approx. cost......We would ultimately like to leave early around 8 and get back in time for lunch at Barrachinas which we have gotten some awesome reviews......anyone done this...please advise.....thankyou in advance....Lee

 

There will be loads of tour guides waiting at the pier to take people to the rainforest. They usually have vans/ small buses.

Usually a 4 -5 hr tour-

Cost is cheap- I can't remember exactly- I think in the $30 pp range.

[yogimax]

There will be loads of tour guides waiting at the pier to take people to the rainforest. They usually have vans/ small buses.

Usually a 4 -5 hr tour-

Cost is cheap- I can't remember exactly- I think in the $30 pp range.

 

What does the tour consist of?

[RigleysMommy]

Hi! I just got back from San Juan and had an amazing time with our tour guide Albert Aguirre surfcabs@yahoo.com (787)317-6907. I wrote a really long review about our day that I'll just paste here below so you can read it for yourself - it cost $50 per person and we felt like we got a steal! Albert might be able to accomodate more than 8 but I'm not sure, you'd have to ask him.

Puerto Rico Perfection!! I searched and searched for things to do in Puerto Rico before leaving and couldn’t find anything reasonable through the ship or independently. I had expected a somewhat boring day but this turned out to be the gem of our entire cruise. I was so impressed that I will make every effort to spread the word about our great day so that others can also have a day of Puerto Rico Perfection. The key to our day’s success was a chance encounter with a tour guide as we were walking through the cruise terminal. His name was Albert Aguirre of Surf Cab Tours and he approached us to offer a tour of the rainforest. I liked him instantly and felt comfortable with his demeanor and professionalism. There were 4 of us in our party and he said that for $50 each he would be our personal tour guide in a 2008 air conditioned tour van. He required a minimum of 6 passengers though so he asked us if we minded waiting a couple of minutes while he tried to find a couple of other people to join us otherwise, he would have his colleague pick us up. In about 3 minutes we were on our way with a nice couple and their two children, making 8 of us in total. We fit comfortably in his clean and tidy vehicle with AC as promised. Albert amazed us with his charming banter and ability to answer any question we asked about PR from politics to religion, history, current events, real estate etc. He has made PR his passion and knows it inside an out, from the best surf spots to the names of the different plants, flowers and animal species that inhibit the rain forest. He drove us to El Yunque rain forest where we paid the $2 per person entry fee, he took us to the waterfall where he turned out to be a very proficient photographer taking excellent shots of each of us in front of the falls using our cameras, he then turned into a ham and made a hilarious hat out of some large leaves and a stick he found on the ground, we took turns wearing the hat for more memorable pictures. Next was the observation tower, 100 steps up and wonderful views of the valley and mountains around us. Beyond that, a rest stop with washrooms followed by the entrances to the hikes. We chose the 45-60 minute hike which included the option to swim and play in the waterfall in the middle of the hike. We are 4 fit adults but we like taking pictures and we enjoyed our time in the falls, we were shocked to learn that we had actually taken 1 hour and 45 minutes by the time we reached the end of the hike. Albert was calm and easygoing about our tardiness and still promised we’d have time to tour the beaches area and get some traditional Puerto Rican food. The drive through the beaches area was surprising, I had no idea that the beaches were so beautiful, the drive was lovely with Albert’s narration and we just soaked it all in. We arrived at a hot spot for local food where we had the unique experience of drinking from freshly chopped coconuts and eating delicious local food that I can only try to describe as crab corn dogs and cod flatbread – deep fried goodness! Everything was cooked over an open fire and the smell of the food, the fire, the traditional music and the smiles on the faces of the women cooking in the kitchen is an experience we will never forget! We didn’t feel rushed at all but we were aware that we needed to be back on board by 3PM and Albert wanted to give us a tour of the historical part of San Juan city so we finished our meal (which I think cost us about $5 each) and drove back to San Juan where Albert described each interesting building and area of the city. He told us about Ponce de Leon’s burial place, the bar where the first Pina Colada was served and the architecture of the fortresses, churches and buildings. We needed to stop for some supplies and he found us a drug store and still had us back to the cruise port with a couple of minutes to spare. I could not possibly overstate what an exceptional day this was. I had walked off the ship that morning with very little expectation of the day and walked back on feeling truly blessed by an amazing experience. I asked Albert’s permission to post his contact details, he is welcome to discuss tours and make arrangements in advance of your arrival and if you don’t have a party of 6 he will be sure to find a few more willing to join you – call him, you won’t regret it! Surf Cab Tours – Albert Aguirre, tour guide, surfcabs@yahoo.com – fully bilingual, Spanish/English (no accent in either) (787)317-6907.

[Quampapetet]

Thanks for the info.! That's another tour to check out. Sounds like you had a really great tour!! And got some awesome photos, which is one of my goals of going to the rain forest.

[Nanatravel]

Thanks. People are always looking for great tour guides in PR.

 

Bon Voyage

Nanatravel

[cpayne]

How far of a drive is it to the rainforest from the terminal?

 

Can a car be rented pretty easily right there at the terminal?

 

We are in port 1 - 10 pm and would like to do a lot of hiking. A tour wouldn't allow that so thinking of renting a car. I know the park closes at 6 so wondering with the drive time how much actual time we'd have.

 

Thanks.

[jdg22]

I found an interesting option on Trip Advisor called Rocaliza- They offer a full/half day trip to the rainforest and i am looking to book something like this. I would be curious to know if we would have time for the full day trip as our time at port is 7-330

[shannonnball]

I also just got back from PR and did the tour with Albert Aquirre. AMAZING!!!! You and your family will not be dissapointed. It was $50 pp and he was GREAT. Contact him at surfcabs@yahoo.com or call him at 787-317-6907. He is well worth the $$$ even if you can find someone else to do it for cheaper.

[Syran]

How far of a drive is it to the rainforest from the terminal?

 

Can a car be rented pretty easily right there at the terminal?

 

We are in port 1 - 10 pm and would like to do a lot of hiking. A tour wouldn't allow that so thinking of renting a car. I know the park closes at 6 so wondering with the drive time how much actual time we'd have.

 

Thanks.

 

It's a fairly decent drive, roughly an 60-90 minutes depending on the traffic in the city. Charlie Car is probably the best rental place, you'd have to call them when you got in port for them to pick you up.

[theschwanz]

Hi! I just got back from San Juan and had an amazing time with our tour guide Albert Aguirre surfcabs@yahoo.com (787)317-6907. I wrote a really long review about our day that I'll just paste here below so you can read it for yourself - it cost $50 per person and we felt like we got a steal! Albert might be able to accomodate more than 8 but I'm not sure, you'd have to ask him.

 

Puerto Rico Perfection!! I searched and searched for things to do in Puerto Rico before leaving and couldn’t find anything reasonable through the ship or independently. I had expected a somewhat boring day but this turned out to be the gem of our entire cruise. I was so impressed that I will make every effort to spread the word about our great day so that others can also have a day of Puerto Rico Perfection. The key to our day’s success was a chance encounter with a tour guide as we were walking through the cruise terminal. His name was Albert Aguirre of Surf Cab Tours and he approached us to offer a tour of the rainforest. I liked him instantly and felt comfortable with his demeanor and professionalism. There were 4 of us in our party and he said that for $50 each he would be our personal tour guide in a 2008 air conditioned tour van. He required a minimum of 6 passengers though so he asked us if we minded waiting a couple of minutes while he tried to find a couple of other people to join us otherwise, he would have his colleague pick us up. In about 3 minutes we were on our way with a nice couple and their two children, making 8 of us in total. We fit comfortably in his clean and tidy vehicle with AC as promised. Albert amazed us with his charming banter and ability to answer any question we asked about PR from politics to religion, history, current events, real estate etc. He has made PR his passion and knows it inside an out, from the best surf spots to the names of the different plants, flowers and animal species that inhibit the rain forest. He drove us to El Yunque rain forest where we paid the $2 per person entry fee, he took us to the waterfall where he turned out to be a very proficient photographer taking excellent shots of each of us in front of the falls using our cameras, he then turned into a ham and made a hilarious hat out of some large leaves and a stick he found on the ground, we took turns wearing the hat for more memorable pictures. Next was the observation tower, 100 steps up and wonderful views of the valley and mountains around us. Beyond that, a rest stop with washrooms followed by the entrances to the hikes. We chose the 45-60 minute hike which included the option to swim and play in the waterfall in the middle of the hike. We are 4 fit adults but we like taking pictures and we enjoyed our time in the falls, we were shocked to learn that we had actually taken 1 hour and 45 minutes by the time we reached the end of the hike. Albert was calm and easygoing about our tardiness and still promised we’d have time to tour the beaches area and get some traditional Puerto Rican food. The drive through the beaches area was surprising, I had no idea that the beaches were so beautiful, the drive was lovely with Albert’s narration and we just soaked it all in. We arrived at a hot spot for local food where we had the unique experience of drinking from freshly chopped coconuts and eating delicious local food that I can only try to describe as crab corn dogs and cod flatbread – deep fried goodness! Everything was cooked over an open fire and the smell of the food, the fire, the traditional music and the smiles on the faces of the women cooking in the kitchen is an experience we will never forget! We didn’t feel rushed at all but we were aware that we needed to be back on board by 3PM and Albert wanted to give us a tour of the historical part of San Juan city so we finished our meal (which I think cost us about $5 each) and drove back to San Juan where Albert described each interesting building and area of the city. He told us about Ponce de Leon’s burial place, the bar where the first Pina Colada was served and the architecture of the fortresses, churches and buildings. We needed to stop for some supplies and he found us a drug store and still had us back to the cruise port with a couple of minutes to spare. I could not possibly overstate what an exceptional day this was. I had walked off the ship that morning with very little expectation of the day and walked back on feeling truly blessed by an amazing experience. I asked Albert’s permission to post his contact details, he is welcome to discuss tours and make arrangements in advance of your arrival and if you don’t have a party of 6 he will be sure to find a few more willing to join you – call him, you won’t regret it! Surf Cab Tours – Albert Aguirre, tour guide, surfcabs@yahoo.com – fully bilingual, Spanish/English (no accent in either) (787)317-6907.

 

you are absolutely correct on albert. what a great guy. we went with him two weeks ago and had a great experience in the rain forest. he was there at the ship as promised and took us directly to the rain forest. was willing to do whatever we wanted as far as stopping, looking etc. he took pics of our group, made hats out of giant leaves and was very knowledgeable about everything puerto rican. albert is the man and you will not be disappointed if you go on a tour with him.