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There are a number of good day-hikes around both Jarabacoa and Constanza. Just set off into the mountains or contact Rancho Baiguate (☎ 809-574-4940, www.ranchobaiguate.com) for guided walks.
Armando Bermúdez/Carmen Ramírez National Parks are adjacent and almost identical in size. Together, they protect more than 1,500 square miles of mountain territory and the flora and fauna and are home to the four highest peaks in the Caribbean, topped by Pico Duarte (10,128 feet or 3,087 meters) and its nearby “twin tower,” La Pelona, just 16 feet or so shorter at 3,082 meters. La Rucilla (10,000 feet or 3,049 meters) and Pico Yaque (9,053 feet or 2,760 meters) follow behind. A dozen of the country’s biggest rivers have their headwaters here as well.
Climbing Pico Duarte
Five established trekking routes lead up Pico Duarte, typically ranging in length from three days to six, and in distance from 28 miles to 67 miles roundtrip. Some of the longer treks are arduous, but most hikers in decent shape can reach the summit via the most popular three-day, 28-mile-roundtrip route. And help is available: you can hire mules to carry your gear – or yourself, if necessary. (Even if you aren’t concerned about your hiking ability, the mules provide insurance in case you are injured along the way.) A gear-carrying mule is most useful in any event, since you’ll need to pack all your camping equipment – tents, sleeping bags, food, cooking utensils, etc. – for use at the campsites en route.
TIP: The two parks contain a total of 14 campgrounds, each with a plain wooden cabin and space for sleeping out under the stars. The cabins hold at least 20 people and are first-come, first-served, with no fee for use. They have no beds, no tables, and few other amenities (some have pay phones or drinking water available). Restroom facilities are primitive at best. |
Weather along the way can be unpredictable. The routes begin in sub-tropical climate and gradually turn cooler with the rising elevations, getting downright cold at night. Prime time to make the climb is between November and Easter week, because the weather is most stable then – you’re less likely to encounter rainstorms and lightning. Warm clothes and rain gear are essential, but no technical climbing skill is required – if the weather gets too nasty, guides simply won’t take you up at that time.
Along the route you’ll be treated to plenty of bird sightings – you may spot trogons, Hispaniolan parrots, and palm chats – and possibly wild boar and the indigenous hutia. Moss-covered pines, ferns, and crystal-clear rivers – some of which you’ll cross by foot or bridge – add to the pristine and magical surroundings. Waiting at the rocky summit is a statue of Juan Pablo Duarte (father of the country, who gave his name to the mountain), a Dominican flag, and spectacular views – though clouds often obscure the panorama below. Duarte’s nearby twin peak, La Pelona (whose summit is also reached on some routes), often looms above the clouds.
You can either make all the arrangements yourself or go as part of an organized tour. All hikers, however – whether traveling independently or with a group – must be accompanied by a guide certified by the National Park Office. The purpose is twofold: to keep hikers from getting lost on the trails and to bring money into the local economy. If going on your own, you can hire guides at the national park offices nearest the trailheads. As a rough estimate, figure about RD $250 per day for a guide, RD $150 per day per mule, and an additional amount for food and gratuities. It’s customary to pay for the food for your guide as well. It costs an additional RD $100 to enter the park.
TIP: The local guides do not speak English, so bring a Spanish phrasebook – it’s essential to establish in advance whether you or your guide is going to buy the food, and who is going to bring utensils, cutting implements, and the like. Guides often do the shopping and cooking, so don’t forget a generous tip for services performed. |
DID YOU KNOW? Pico Duarte was first climbed in 1851 by the British explorer and then-consul in the Dominican Republic, Sir Robert Schomburgk, who called it Monte Tina and estimated its height at 10,300 feet (3,140 meters). Later it was renamed Pelona Grande (with neighboring La Pelona being Pelona Chica) and then renamed again Pico Trujillo during the Trujillo regime. At that time, an overzealous surveyor – no doubt trying to please the dictator – raised the peak’s estimated height to 3,175 meters (10,414 feet), which is still commonly listed on maps and many other sources. With Trujillo’s demise, and using more scientific instrumentation, the peak’s official elevation has been lowered to 3,087 meters, leaving it just a few meters higher than La Pelona. And in 2004, in a bizarre twist due to a legal technicality, Pico Duarte was officially renamed Pico Trujillo again. But everyone still calls it Pico Duarte. Stay tuned for future developments. |
If you’re joining a guided tour group, be sure to shop around, since rates can vary significantly (sometimes as much as US $300) for essentially the same service. Also try to hook up with other hikers – the per-person cost sometimes drops with larger groups. The price should include guides, equipment, mules, food, drink, and transport to and from your base. All you need to bring is your clothing and personal gear. Besides convenience, another benefit to going with a guided group is that the trip leader will in all likelihood speak English. Families can also benefit by joining guided tours geared to kids’ paces and interests; Iguana Mama offers an excellent one-week trip.
TIP: You can also take other hikes in the national parks, as long as you hire a guide to go with you. One particularly scenic trek is through the gorgeous Valle del Tetero, which also figures in some routes to Pico Duarte. |
Tour Operators
Iguana Mama (☎ 809-571-0908 or 800-849-4720, www.iguanamama.com). Rates are US $425 per person for three days, $950 for seven days (the latter is for a leisurely family trek; children under 17 are $750 each). Groups are a minimum of four people.
Metro Tours (☎ 809-544-4580, fax 809-541-9454, www.metrotours.com.do). Metro runs Pico Duarte trips over the Christmas and Easter holidays, when many Dominicans make the climb. Rates start at US $100.
Rancho Baiguate (☎ 809-574-4940, fax 809-574-6890, www.ranchobaiguate.com). Rates range from US $270 to $755 for three- to five-day treks, depending on the length and number of people in the group.
Trails
These are the five established routes, though you can also “mix and match” a bit, since several of the routes cross or join each other at various points. Some campgrounds are shared by climbers following different routes.
La Ciénega – three days, 28 miles (46 km) roundtrip. This route is sometimes dubbed “Pico Duarte 101” – the least difficult, best developed, and by far the most trammeled of the five trails. (It would be a mistake, though, to think of this trail as a “gut” course – it’s still a challenge.) The route approaches the peak from the east, starting about two miles from the ramshackle pueblo of La Ciénega, which is about 15 miles southwest of Jarabacoa. All the major tour operators depart from here. If you’re not with an organized group, you’ll need to go to the National Park office in La Ciénega at least a day in advance to register and hire your guide so that he can make arrangements for your hike – lining up needed permits, food, mules, and the like. Don’t leave this task for the day you want to depart. You can return to Jarabacoa to spend the night in your hotel if you want, or roll out your sleeping bag and stay at the informal campground in La Ciénega, where there are no formal lodgings.
TIP: When you go to the national park office, bring a photocopy of the name page from your passport to serve as ID. |
On the first day, hikers are typically on the trail for five to six hours and log about 11 miles with a 6,500-foot elevation gain, following a river up into the mountains. After spending the night at the high-altitude La Compartición campground (which tends to get very crowded, so get there as early as possible), most hikers shove off at 4:30 in the morning. The object is to reach the summit of Pico Duarte to catch the sunrise – a three-mile, two-hour climb. The hike down then begins, returning to La Ciénega by the following afternoon.
CAUTION: If going on your own, don’t miss the last guagua from La Ciénega back to Jarabacoa, which leaves at 4 pm. |
Mata Grande – five days, 56 miles (90 km) roundtrip. This strenuous trek, which approaches Pico Duarte from the north and has an elevation gain of about 7,350 feet, is the second-most popular after the La Ciénega route. Along the way you’ll climb La Pelona, the Caribbean’s second-highest peak, as well as Pico Duarte. The national park station and trailhead are in the pueblo of Mata Grande, about 13 miles southeast of the town of San José de las Matas, which most hikers use as a base. (The road from San José de las Matas isn’t paved, but conchos make the run.) On the first day, trekkers typically hike about 12½ grueling miles – including a steep uphill stretch toward the end – before spending the night camping at Río La Guacara. The second day is relatively easy – a 7½-mile hike along the Bao River through a beautiful high-mountain valley before reaching the Valle de Bao campsite. The third day begins early, a trudge of eight miles first to the top of La Pelona and then onto the summit of Pico Duarte. You can either return via the same route, or continue down to La Ciénega for all-new scenery and make your way back to your base from there.
Los Corralitos – six days, 53½ miles (86 km) roundtrip. On this often difficult, sparsely used, but dramatically situated trail, you’ll use Constanza as a base. Los Corralitos, site of the park station and trailhead, is five miles west. Guides and mules are available there. The first day takes you along rivers and over hills some 12 miles to a set of cabins at Los Rodríguez campground. The second day brings the toughest climb, 11 miles to the 5,000-foot-high Tetero Valley, where you can spend the night in a cabin at the scenic Valle del Tetero campground. On the third day, you’ll hike to Pico Duarte via the La Ciénega trail, before beginning the trip back down. Total vertical ascent is more than 5,000 feet.
WHAT TO BRING IF HIKING SOLO
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Sabaneta – six days, 60 miles (96 km) roundtrip. On this arduous trek, you’ll climb both Pico Duarte and La Pelona. Elevation gain over the course of the three-day hike up is more than 8,000 feet, but with all the ups and downs, the total climb is more like 12,000 feet.
The city of San Juan de la Maguana makes a good base for this trek. From there, you’ll travel by guagua or concho to the Ramírez national park station at Sabaneta, where you can hire your guide and mules and camp out the night before you set off. The first day is a tough 7½ miles, with a 3,300-foot elevation gain that leads to a mountain cabin at Alto de la Rosa. The second day is longer – almost 14 miles – but with a climb of “only” 2,000 feet to another cabin at Macutico. The third day covers another 8½ miles and leads to the top of both La Pelona and Pico Duarte before beginning the three-day descent.
Las Lagunas – six days, 67 miles (108 km) roundtrip. This route is longest in terms of distance and a test of endurance. Use San Juan de la Maguana as your base for this trek, too, before proceeding by concho to Las Lagunas, where you’ll find the park station, guides, mules, and trailhead. The first day’s hike leads to El Tetero, where you can camp for the night. The following day, a 10-mile hike climbs to a 7,000-foot summit and then drops some 2,000 feet into the beautiful Valle del Tetero (Tetero Valley), where you can spend the night in a cabin. The third day, you join with the La Ciénega trail, which leads to Pico Duarte. The final three days are descent.
WATCH OUT FOR CIGUAPAS! According to local mythology, Ciguapas – lightning-fast Taino women with blue skin, waist-length black hair and hoofed feet that face backwards – fled to the Cordillera Central some five centuries ago to escape the conquistadors, and have remained there ever since. They are reputed to seduce young men after dark and lure them to their deaths in the forests. The moral? When you’re staying overnight in the mountains, keep to your cabin or tent. |
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