El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the US national forest system — 29,000 acres of waterfalls, coquí frogs and mist an hour from San Juan — and pairing it with a reef is trivially easy. Snorkel from Culebra's Flamenco Beach, regularly voted among the world's best, or kayak the bioluminescent bay at Fajardo after dark. Reserve El Yunque and bio-bay slots online days ahead. December to April is the dry, hurricane-free season.
Featured in Ten lush rainforest-and-reef escapes for nature lovers · Tropical