Gúanica Dry Forest Has Something for Everybody, Except Humans
Deep in the heart of the bowels of the east, southeastern portion of Puerto Rico lies an unusual place. Not just unusual on the island, but across the world. Puerto Rico is home to one of the exceptionally few "dry forests" and it's a site to behold, assuming you have the hydration to behold it… which statistically, you don't.
Located at the end of a winding series of poorly market roads up Highway 334 off Highway 2 about 45-minutes east of Ponce, the Gúanica dry forest isn't just dull and conspicuously over-developed, it's arid as well.
The expansive, imposing wildlife preserve is home to a number of species of plant and animal endemic to the forest. By "a number" I mean a couple, and by "plants and animals" I mean plants… but boy is this place arid.
Left - Here you can see a member of our staff doing the very best possible to make light of a well-lit situation. See the rampant frollicery and try to, at least in small part, share in the revelry.
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If you're so insanely inclined, you can set out on a number of hikes or even see the caves that have begun forming in the last lackluster bunches of thousands of years. If you like caves, do yourself a favor and go see the real ones.
Have I already mentioned how hot it gets? Well, it does get hot, and there's not a whole lot of shade, and nary a drop of water to be found unless you're an iguana, which if you haven't noticed, we're not.
Have I mentioned that this place sucks? Well maybe that's because it doesn't.
There are all kinds of unique or at least rare plants to be seen around every corner (once you get out of your car and head down a trail or two) and if you like chasing small lizards only to discover that larger lizards are also running away from you, this place is pretty uncommon.
Above - Here you can see me and my brother getting our jog on, despite heating our stroke on, and de-ing our hydrate off.
A dry forest is the result, in this case, of a many-millions' year old coral reef being pushed up and out of the ocean in a region which is routinely muggy yet enjoys less than 10% of Puerto Rico's annual rainfall.
If you're in the area and happen to be a nature lover, or bored to near death this place is a "probably do better off not missing" attraction.
Above - There are ruins all around this "dry" forest which date back to the times of Spanish rule (well over 100-years ago) despite what the tourist handbook says -- which is limited to Flora and Fauna (two people I've never met). The park ranger will tell you this if you take a moment to talk to him.
Deep in the heart of the bowels of the east, southeastern portion of Puerto Rico lies an unusual place. Not just unusual on the island, but across the world. Puerto Rico is home to one of the exceptionally few "dry forests" and it's a site to behold, assuming you have the hydration to behold it… which statistically, you don't.
Left - Here you can see a member of our staff doing the very best possible to make light of a well-lit situation. See the rampant frollicery and try to, at least in small part, share in the revelry. 
