Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Although none of the foliage is particularly dense and getting lost isn't easy, be safe
and bring water, sunscreen and bug repellent; the sun can be brutal and there's little shade.
Protective clothing helps with insects, thorns and the poisonous
chicharron
shrub with its
reddish spiny leaves. Trails open and close seasonally to protect the wildlife and minimize
human impact, so it's hard to plan specifics about your hike until you get there. Like other
Puerto Rican forest ranger posts, staffing at the ranger station is erratic. Parking is free.
Getting There & Away
From Hwy. 2, turn south onto Rte 116 and follow signs to take a left on Rte 334. The
beaches along the south part of the forest are accessed via Rte 333. No público service vis-
its the forest.
La Parguera
La Parguera is a lazy, lovable seaside town, a somewhat disorderly magnet for vacationing
Puerto Ricans and US expats who spend most of the morning in bed, most of the day on the
water, and most of the weekend popping open cans of Medalla. During the day, the streets
empty as fishermen and divers navigate the maze of mangrove canals to the open water to
catch snapper and shark or dive the 40ft Wall.
During the long summer months between Easter and September, La Parguera parties
hard despite its diminutive population. The bars, all disheveled and covered in beer ban-
ners, blast salsa and reggaetón, and the streets fill with students and travelers. Little mobs
of friends traverse the crooked, disorderly sidewalks arm in arm with a wobble in their step.
At the busy waterfront, boats shuttle tourists to the glowing waters of the town's big
draw - Bahía de Fosforescente - simultaneously diminishing its glow with the pollution
from their motors.
The ramshackle mix of new and old buildings has a chaotic charm, from the houses on
stilts over the water to vacation condo developments that have arisen on upland fields.
Even though many of the streets don't have signs, it doesn't take long to get oriented;
Rte 304 brings you into town and takes a sharp bend at the water to become the main drag.
It's lined with shops, trinket galleries, bars and cafeterias.
Sights
Bahía de Fosforescente
NATURE RESERVE
