Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in the air. As soon as you leave San Juan's urban zone and head into the mountains, you'll
see green everywhere.
Mangrove swamps and coconut groves dominate the north coast, while the El Yunque
rainforest, at the east end of the island, supports mahogany trees and more than 50 varieties
of wild orchid. Giant ferns thrive in the rainforest as well as in the foothills of karst coun-
try, while cacti, mesquite forest and bunchgrass reign on the dry southwest tip of the island,
resembling the look of the African savanna. The dry forests near Guánica grow a variety of
cacti, thorny scrub brush and plants equipped for harsh, dry conditions.
The hills of the Cordillera Central are densely forested and flowering trees punctuate
the landscape. Look for the butterfly tree, with its light-pink flower resembling an orchid,
the bright orange exclamation of the African tulip and the deep red of the royal Poinciana,
which are cultivated near the Christmas season.
Exotic shade trees have long been valued in this sunny climate, and most of the island's
municipal plazas spread beneath canopies of magnificent ceibas or kapoks (silk-cotton
tree), the flamboyán (poinciana), with its flame-red blossoms, and the African tulip tree.
Check out the website www.elyunque.com . As well as excellent information on the island's national forest, this site lists many
other activities on the island and is regularly updated with topical environmental news.
Islanders often adorn their homes with a profusion of flowers, such as orchids, bougain-
villea and poinsettias, and tend lovingly to fruit trees that bear papaya, uva caleta (sea
grape), carambola (star fruit), panapen (breadfruit) and plátano (plantain). Of course , sug-
arcane dominates the plantations of the coastal lowlands, while farmers raise coffee on the
steep slopes of the Cordillera Central.
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