These Lavish Puerto Rican Hotels Are Working To Preserve El Yunque

27.04.2024 - 23:07 / forbes.com

Famed for its towering mountains and pristine beaches, the island of Puerto Rico offers a spectacular array of natural destinations to explore all within its boundaries, yet when it comes to true splendor, it’s tough to beat El Yunque National Forest. This sprawling green space measures in at just over 115 square kilometers, with a massive array of native birds, amphibians and insects calling the region home. Given the region’s diversity of wildlife and strong cultural significance within Puerto Rico’s indigenous Taíno culture, preserving the flora, fauna and landscapes found throughout El Yunque is of utmost importance—and fortunately, some of the island’s top organizations have united in hopes of accomplishing just that.

In an effort to bolster conservation efforts across the forest, two of Puerto Rico’s Wyndham properties—the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Rainforest, Beach and Golf Resort and the Wyndham Palmas Beach and Golf Resort—have entered into a partnership with the Friends of El Yunque Foundation, a Puerto Rican nonprofit that operates in tandem with the United States Forest Service to bolster tourism within the rainforest. The union offers the opportunity for guests to pledge $1 to the organization with each stay at either hotel, and upon entering this partnership, Friends of El Yunque has the potential to receive $350,000 annually, with proceeds going to expand conservation-driven tourism development as well as programs for the local youth—a projection that the Wydham Rio Mar’s staff are all too happy to hear.

"El Yunque, Puerto Rico’s natural treasure, feeds Rio Mar’s glistening coasts with bountiful water, nutrients, history, geological marvels and wildlife through the Mameyes River,” says Ashley Perez, Environmental Scientist at Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Rainforest, Beach and Golf Resort. “This is the only tropical rainforest in the National Forest System and though it is small, its biological diversity is astounding. For its many gifts, it is only natural for us to support ‘Fundación Amigos del Yunque’, an organization that personifies El Yunque’s wild spirit."

While both properties are in close proximity to El Yunque National Forest, visitors can discover a wealth of fascinating flora and fauna at both locations without leaving hotel grounds. During a stay at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar, guests are welcome to wander along the on-property nature trail to search for native species like the green mango, Puerto Rican vireo and bananaquit, while a dedicated iguana feeding station is in place to provide a close-up look at one of the island’s most renowned reptiles. Meanwhile, the sparkling shores of the Wyndham Palmas play host to a wealth of different sea turtle species throughout the year, while those