We found a magical place close to Santo Domingo, and it is full of easy hikes and amazing waterfalls. Convinced you already? Keep reading!
This area is one of my favorites on the island. Unluckily for me, we discovered it just before we left the country and we didn't manage do discover more of it. So you can see what we did and explore the rest for yourself!
How to get to Los Cacaos?
As I understand, there is some kind of public transport that can get you to the area, but as there are many different hikes and waterfalls and they are not very close to each other it is recommended to reach there by car. You don't need to have a 4x4 car, in case you were wondering. We wanted to explore the area independently so we rented a car and drove there, the drive is about 2 hours from Santo Domingo. The other option is to contact a guide from the area, they usually can organize a transport for you from Santo Domingo for extra pay, but you will probably be limited by what you agree with the person. Some guides are very flexible and make the route as you go based on your feeling and preference, so that a really good option if you don't want to rent a car.
Where to stay?
If you opted in for renting a car, then there are plenty of villas in 10-15 minutes drive from the cool places. Most of these villas are not on Booking or AirBnb, so you'll have to find their Instagram or ask a local. We chose to stay at Villa Clara - A great place that has it's own private lake and waterfall. If the villa is close to a village or at least to a restaurant, you can even agree on breakfast and dinner. We tried that once and opted to bring our own food the rest of the stay.
What to do?
Choose your waterfalls! If you hired a guide, ask which ones does he recommend. We met there with a couple of friends that hired a guide so we joined them, but you can do most of the routes by yourself. The guide took 1000 Peso (~20$) per person for the whole day and included a lunch - just so you have a comparison (price for June 2023).
With the time we had, we chose to visit 2 places:
1. Charcos del Nizao - Our group included one baby and one pregnant woman, so we opted in for the easiest hike. Also the only one that the guide said pregnant women can do (I'm sure there are more). The route is straightforward, about 20 minutes walking until you reach a huge lake. It is the easiest one so you will usually find more people there, mostly families. There is also a rock to jump from for the brave ones. You can continue walking for 10-15 more minutes to get to an even bigger lake.
2. Cascada Taina #1 - About 5 minutes drive from the other location, this route is more complicated with some rock climbing. Nothing too serious, but we left the pregnant and the babies in a restaurant ant went there without them. The way is a bit longer, about 20 minutes. On the way there are a lot of high places that you'll be walking on (including another high jump to the water for the brave), so not for people who are afraid of heights and a lot of water to go through, so be sure to bring protection for your phone. At the end of the route there is a HUGE waterfall with a small place to swim around it.
Final thoughts
We spent in Los Cacaos only 2 days, one of which was just hanging out at our accommodation. There are at least 7 more waterfalls to visit that we know about. All are fun and full of water, this is one of the places on the island that is on my list to come back to and explore more!
Did I convince you to visit? What are you waiting for then? Go! And let us know what you discovered!
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