This was a highlight of our trip and one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! Seth (can’t call him papa Seth, I’m as old as his mom) was really fantastic. He kept the day fun and lighthearted while stressing safety. Being on tour with my teen I appreciated that. He was funny and helpful. The forest, water slides and lagoon were BEAUTIFUL. I liked the stop at Luquillo! it would have been a shame to miss that gorgeous beach when we were so close. The ONLY thing I would change is to give tue guide a way to project his voice on the ride out., maybe a microphone to wear? He was giving instructions and information and it was really hard to hear at the back of the van.
Bring socks you don’t mind getting ruined and following the guide’s instruction. Perfect event!
I had the most horrifying and completely unsafe experience with this tour guide. I strongly advise against booking this tour, especially if you are a solo female traveler.
As a solo traveler, the host instructed me to sit in the front seat next to the guide, who was also the driver. Within the first 5 minutes of getting into the van, he aggressively started pressuring us for tips, complaining that he was "doing volunteer work" and getting nothing from the company. He also repeatedly guilt-tripped the group by claiming, "we are buying you food," to solicit more tips, even though the meals were already fully included in the tour price. He was uncomfortably talkative, constantly oversharing inappropriate personal details about his dating life and past partners, which I had absolutely no interest in hearing.
Furthermore, he was completely unprofessional. He told the group to meet at a specific time, but he didn't even show up on time himself. Additionally, when he was pulling the van out, another tourist was walking toward a different van. This woman was doing absolutely nothing wrong, yet he started mocking her to our group, calling her a "slow grandma with a pink bikini." Later, he was supposed to AirDrop pictures to the tourists, stating, "I will be standing at the front of the restaurant, and I will AirDrop you guys." He never showed up, and we eventually drove off to head back to San Juan.
Throughout the entire tour, his driving was extremely reckless. I was terrified but didn't say anything initially. He kept looking at his phone while driving on the road. On the way back to San Juan, when another car cut us off, I simply told him to "be careful." Instead of acknowledging the danger, he exploded. He started yelling and cursing at me, calling me "the weirdest person," and literally threatened to kick me out of the moving car. I wanted to get out, but as a tourist in an unfamiliar place, I felt trapped. He then proceeded to humiliate me in front of the other tourists, repeatedly insulting me and claiming I was "ruining everyone's trip." He even threatened to write a bad review about me. When I asked, "Are you going to AirDrop my picture?" he bluntly said "no." He kept ranting that I was the most horrible tourist he had ever seen in his "25 or 15 years" as a guide (he was so erratic and confused he couldn't even keep track of how long he had been doing this work).
Most disturbingly, he touched my arm, shoulder, and legs multiple times without my permission. As an Asian single woman traveling alone, I felt incredibly threatened, physically unsafe, and verbally abused by this old white man. This person completely ruined my trip to El Yunque. The tour company needs to take immediate action regarding this driver before someone else gets hurt. I demand a sincere apology and a full refund.