Maricao Jungle, Puerto Rico

Are you looking to visit a unique, yet untouched destination in Puerto Rico?

Maricao Jungle is a rarely explored jungle in the west portion of the island, especially when compared with the more the touristy El Yunque near San Juan.

However as you’ll see, The Maricao Jungle is full of incredible waterfalls, nature, colonial towns and much more.

Maricao Jungle Puerto Rico

In this guide we’ll step into the Maricao Jungle, uncover the best things to do, where to stay, how to get there as well as the best time of year to visit.

Why travel to the Maricao Jungle?

This region in our eyes is one of Puerto Rico’s best kept secrets.

It’s still managing to fly under the radar of most backpacking and travel sites, however The Maricao Jungle is one of the best places to experience the true Puerto Rico.

There is an abundance of natural beauty here, such as the stunning Salto Curet Waterfalls (an awesome alternative to the El Yunque Waterfalls), the vast cloud forest as well as some imposing vantage points that give the best views out over the region.

You can also find some colonial towns and heritage here, such as the town of Maricao which we’ll later explore.

How to get to The Maricao Jungle

Despite giving it a “complete wilderness” vibe, The Maricao Jungle is actually pretty easy to get to, especially considering the small size of Puerto Rico!

It’s located very close to the West coast, with Mayagüez a 1 hour drive away, and also a couple of hours from the regional airport of Aguadilla.

Aguadilla has lots of flights daily flights coming in from San Juan, and also some international flights as well.

It’s easiest to rent a car from one of these cities (or even San Juan) and drive here. This is what we did, and it made getting to the various destinations and gems very easy.

There are also buses here, however these seem to be infrequent. In Mayagüez you can find the bus schedules for getting into and through the region (these mostly go on towards the southern city of Ponce).

Things to do in Maricao Jungle

Here we’ll look at all of the cool things you can do and see in this region, as well as some off the beaten path day trips to take as well.

Maricao

This town is very low-key and sleepy, however is full of beautiful churches, hiking paths and old colonial features.

It’s also the best place to stay in my opinion to explore the Maricao Jungle. One of the best things to see here is La Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, which is a colonial catholic church.

You can easily get here by bus or by driving. It takes around an hour to arrive from the city of Mayagüez, and also an hour and a half if coming from Ponce in the South.

Salto Curet Waterfalls

This small yet impressive waterfall is located inside the jungle, and is quite remote. Depending on when you visit, you may get a lush emerald green pool fill at the bottom, which depends on the rain levels (this is during the dry season from December until early April).

To get here, you’ll need to first drive or hike to the park entrance, and then walk down the hill. From here, you’ll cross a couple of rivers whilst following the jungle path, and then arrive at the waterfalls.

Torre de la Piedra

Known as The Tower of Stone, this gem is a one of the best vantage points out over the Maricao Jungle. Perched on top of a mountain, it has remnants from an old stone castle. You can climb up to see up and over the cloud forest.

When hiking here (as well as through the rest of the jungle), be sure to bring a solid pair of hiking boots with you. We recommend these for men and these for women.

Where to Stay in The Maricao Jungle

There’s really two main options for exploring this beautiful region.

The first and best is staying in the region of Maricao, where you will be in the heart of the jungle and close to all the action.

There are lots of small towns nearby, and we recommend staying in Paradise Guesthouse, which is in the nearby town of San Sebastián.

The second best option is to stay in the nearby city of Mayagüez, which is only an hour drive from the Maricao Jungle.

Despite the small distance, you’ll also get the benefits of living in a more developed area with more food and accommodation options. In Mayagüez, we recommend staying in Peña’s Palalace.

Lastly, there are opportunities to camp in around the region. We personally did not do this so we can’t recommend camping sites, however once you arrive to either Maricao or Mayagüez you’ll be able to find these out with ease from the locals.

Maricao Jungle Backpacking Tips

Now we’ll share our best tips to get the most out of your visit to the region.

Best time to visit the Maricao Jungle

The weather in the Maricao Jungle does experience some extreme variations depending on the season, but can be described best as oppressive due to the humidity.

The dry season runs from December until April, and has a lot more of a stable weather pattern. Rainfall is a lot less, with only a 10-15% chance of precipitation each day throughout this period.

Temperatures are more moderate during the dry season, with highs of between 77-79°F and lows of 64°F. Humidity is also less of a problem during the dry season, making longer hikes less taxing on the body.

The generic wet season runs from May until November, where rains are more frequent and heavy. The months of May, September and October are known for being more extreme, with inaccessible roads being a frequent issue. Be sure to carry a solid Poncho if heading during these months

Temperatures during the rainy season are hotter than the rest of the year, with highs of up to 84°F, and lows of 70°F.

Overall the best time to visit the Maricao Jungle is within the dry season, simply for accessibility and being able to get around. Sometimes the heavy rains can cause mudslides and other problems on the road.

Also, the Salto Curet waterfalls are more likely to be more blue than brown during this time, as less sediment is washed into the feeding river of the falls.

Maricao Jungle Puerto Rico

We hope you enjoyed this guide to backpacking the Maricao Jungle.

A much less visited region within Puerto Rico, this area is great for those looking for a more off the beaten path experience.

With colonial towns, spectacular nature and lots of cool gems to see dotted around, it’s quite easy to get hooked into this area longer than you had planned!

In this guide we’ve explored everything you need to know about the Maricao Jungle, including how to get here, the best time to visit, the destinations as well as our recommendations to get the most out of a trip here.

We hope you enjoyed reading this guide! If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Be sure to read our guide on backpacking Puerto Rico for places to visit.

👉🏽 P.S. If you’ve found this guide helpful, buy us a coffee here to say thanks! Or, support us by downloading our South America Travel Bible to get our best content.

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