Guánica State Forest, State forest in southwestern Puerto Rico
The 9,878-acre forest spreads across five municipalities and contains various ecosystems including sandy beaches, rocky shores, mangrove forests, and coral reefs.
The area received designation as a forest reserve in 1919 and later gained recognition as a United Nations Biosphere Reserve in 1981.
The forest maintains twelve marked trails that lead visitors through different sections, including a path to Fort Capron with views of Guánica Bay.
Visitors can access the forest daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM without entrance fees and find parking spaces near the information center.
The forest houses the final natural population of Puerto Rican crested toads and contains a thousand-year-old guaiacwood tree known as Guayacán Centenario.
Location: Puerto Rico
Elevation above the sea: 128 m
GPS coordinates: 17.96556,-66.87917
Latest update: March 5, 2025 15:03
Puerto Rico offers more than the beaches and colonial fortresses of San Juan. The island contains dozens of natural swimming pools, remote coastal sections and protected forest reserves. The northern coast holds limestone caves with pre-Columbian petroglyphs, while the southwest region includes bioluminescent bays and extensive salt flats. The interior features waterfalls cascading over volcanic rock and hiking trails through mountain canyons with native vegetation. Historic sites include 19th-century lighthouses on rocky promontories, Spanish fortifications guarding harbor entrances and archaeological sites like the indigenous ceremonial center of Tibes near Ponce. Coastal areas offer natural swimming holes separated from the sea at low tide, including Las Paylas in Luquillo and Pozo de Jacinto in Isabela. The dry coastal forests of Guánica and the wet rainforest of El Yunque show the range of the island's ecosystems. Visitors reach these locations via local roads that are often unpaved and poorly marked. Many natural pools and waterfalls require short hikes over uneven terrain. The best conditions occur during the dry season from December through April, when river flows run lower. Some locations like Reserva Natural Las Cabezas de San Juan require advance booking for guided tours, while others remain freely accessible year-round.
Porta Coeli
21.9 km
Hacienda Buena Vista
27.2 km
El Tuque
21.3 km
Maricao State Forest
20.2 km
Estadio Francisco Montaner
26.5 km
Museo Hacienda Buena Vista
27.2 km
Parque del Retiro (Ponce)
27.2 km
San Isidro Labrador y Santa María de la Cabeza Church
15.5 km
Boquerón State Forest
26.1 km
San Vicente de Paul Catholic Cemetery
26.6 km
Guánica Light
3 km
Cardona Island Light
25.9 km
San Germán de Auxerre Church
22 km
Monte Guilarte
22.8 km
McCabe Memorial Church
27.5 km
Logia Masónica Hijos de la Luz
8.3 km
Hacienda Santa Rita
4.8 km
Monumento a los heroes de El Polvorín (tomb)
26.6 km
Casa Franceschi Antongiorgi
8.4 km
Teatro Ideal
8.2 km
Filardi House
8.4 km
Chalet Amill
8.6 km
Agostini House
8.4 km
La Soplaera Waterfall
20.9 km
Salto Curet Waterfall
23.6 km
Mangó Waterfall
24.3 km
Guilligan's Island
2.7 km
La Bahia Fosforescente
12.4 kmReviews
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