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These adventurous sports involve climbing up and then leaping off or sliding down waterfalls – or rappelling down canyon walls – into deep pools or rivers below, then swimming downstream to an exit point and hiking back to do it all over again. While definitions differ, generally canyoning involves using safety equipment like ropes, harnesses, helmets, and wet suits, while cascading does not.
Rancho Baiguate (☎ 809-574-4940, www.ranchobaiguate.com) and Get Wet (☎ 809-586-1170) offer canyoning and cascading trips on Ríos Jimenoa and Baiguate. Salto Jimenoa I, is a popular staging spot.
Cascading involves climbing up then leaping down waterfalls.
Waterfalls (Saltos)
The following three falls are near Jarabacoa.
SALTO JIMENOA I: Tumbling down nearly 250 feet, Salto Jimenoa I is one of the highest waterfalls in the region – and so spectacular that it appeared in a scene in the movie Jurassic Park. Getting to it, however, can seem just as big a feat. Those who succeed – and not all that many even try – must traverse a steep dirt path and then scramble over a parcel of boulders to reach the base of the falls. But a reward awaits for all the effort: the magnificent sight of water crashing down from high above, sending spray and mist rising from a big pool of water below. (Adventure operators sometimes use a ledge high up the falls as a launching point for adventures in canyoning; proceed at your own risk.) To get there, take the Carretera Constanza about 4½ miles south of Jarabacoa, where a sign points the way down a path. If you reach the point where the road becomes suitable only for four-wheel-drive, you’ve gone too far.
TIP: If you can’t get to the falls on your own, check with Rancho Baiguate (☎ 809-574-4940, www.ranchobaiguate.com) for bike tours there. |
SALTO JIMENOA II: While not as dazzling as Jimenoa I, Salto Jimenoa II (sometimes also called Lower Salto Jimenoa) is quite a bit easier to get to, and is therefore a bigger draw for visitors. In fact, crowds can be something of a problem here, especially since 1998s Hurricane Georges damaged the landscape and left only a small patch of ground available for stretching out and gazing at the falls – or perhaps catching some sun after a swim in the deep pool at its base. About five sunbathers can be accommodated, uncomfortably, at one time. Most visitors tend to hang out on an often-crowded viewing platform, posing for pictures with the cascading water as a scenic backdrop.
Still, it’s fun to get there. First, you cross a suspended foot bridge that runs from the main road to the falls, then climb a set of small steps carved into the rocks to reach the viewing platform. To get to Salto Jimenoa II, take the road from Jarabacoa north toward La Vega for about 2½ miles until you reach the Escuela Nacional de Foresta. Turn right and follow the signs pointing the way to “Salto Jimenoa.” After a short drive you’ll come to a dead-end gravel-covered road with parking off to your right. Park there for free and then walk across the suspended bridge ahead of you. Admission is RD $60.
SALTO BAIGUATE: This nearly 200-foot-high salto is hidden among a thick mix of pine and tropical foliage and has a natural pool at the base so blue and serene you may think you’ve stumbled onto a set for a Tarzan movie.
To get there on your own, take the Carretera Constanza by the Shell gas station on the southern edge of Jarabacoa until you see the “Salto Baiguate” sign pointing down a side-road. This road will take you through a modest village before it turns into a path that ends right before the salto. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see an abandoned concrete structure and, possibly, a Politur (tourist police) officer hanging out under the big, shady tree. Park your car and walk the path for a few yards before descending a steep set of steps cut into the rocks and leading to the base of the falls. But first, stop to admire the picture-perfect setting. There’s no admission charge if you come on your own.
TIP: You can also visit by horseback through Rancho Baiguate (☎ 809-574-4940, www.ranchobaiguate.com). |
AGUAS BLANCAS: A fourth waterfall to visit is in Constanza. At a towering 492 feet, Aguas Blancas is the mother of all Dominican waterfalls, and the only real tourist attraction in Constanza. Surrounded by pine forests, it drops in three separate stages into a natural pool far below.
To get there, take Carretera Constanza and turn onto the dirt road marked by the sign “Colonia Japonesa” (the old Japanese settlement); it’s on the left-hand side of the road as you leave Constanza. It’s another rough, potholed six miles from there. Unless you’re a huge fan of waterfalls, think twice before setting out. If you don’t have a suitable four-wheel-drive vehicle, consider joining a guided group – hotels in either Jarabacoa or Constanza offer tours. If you can get there on your own, there’s no charge.
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