Arriving at POP in the early afternoon and want to start on the climb to Pico Duarte as soon as possible. What is the best way to get in that direction? Bus to Santiago? farther than that? we will probably take the La Cienage or Mata Grande routes. thanks for any info.
- Thread starter mre2b9
- Start date
how to best get from POP to entrance to Pico Duarte?
Best way to get there it's going to Santiago on a bus, then by bus again to Jarabacoa, once there you can opt for a miryad of choices to get to your go Start, I did it along with buddies several times walking from Los Montones and it was a very ardous and memorable trip!
The Pico Duarte trail has been littered somewhat nowadays friends have told me, but still it's a beautiful trek, how many times can you just walk up such a majestic altitude without the perils and lack of views many other high points offer?
Have fun and please bring back all your food packaging, the actual leftovers please bury it at least, lets try and leave it how you came to see it and not worst as time passes.
The Pico Duarte trail has been littered somewhat nowadays friends have told me, but still it's a beautiful trek, how many times can you just walk up such a majestic altitude without the perils and lack of views many other high points offer?
Have fun and please bring back all your food packaging, the actual leftovers please bury it at least, lets try and leave it how you came to see it and not worst as time passes.
Do you have the permits?
Do you have your mules lined up? Money changed? You'll need about RD$5-6,000 per person as a minimum, you know. Access is limited. You cannot just walk up there.
I suggest a day to get organized. Call Oscar Ca?izares at Camping Tours( 583 3121, or fax 581 4524) or go to www.campingtours.net
this might save you some large headaches..
HB
And ABSOLUTELY, WHAT PICHARDO SAID-KEEP IT CLEAN, MAKE IT CLEANER
Do you have your mules lined up? Money changed? You'll need about RD$5-6,000 per person as a minimum, you know. Access is limited. You cannot just walk up there.
I suggest a day to get organized. Call Oscar Ca?izares at Camping Tours( 583 3121, or fax 581 4524) or go to www.campingtours.net
this might save you some large headaches..
HB
And ABSOLUTELY, WHAT PICHARDO SAID-KEEP IT CLEAN, MAKE IT CLEANER
permits? We don't need no stinkin permits.
I'll try to do a more full report later but so that others aren't misled by other posts: we very easily hiked Pico Duarte with no permits, no mules reserved, no day to get organized, and < RD$3000 total for 2 people.
From Cabarete we took a guagua to Sosua Caribe Tours terminal (actually just outside Sosua in Charamico). RD$20 each person.
Then we took a Caribe bus to La Vega (via Santiago, Los Jardines) (about RD$90 each). these buses seem to run very frequently.
From La vega you can cross the street to the CAribe Tours station and see if a bus to Jarabocoa is leaving soon. If so, take it, if not take a taxi to the guagua station (RD$70?) and take a guagua to Jarabocoa. either way the bus ride it is RD$50 each.
From Jarabacoa take a guagua (tending to be black pickups now instead of vans) to La Cienaga (via Manabao) (again, RD$50 each).
When we left Cabarete at 10am, we arrived in La Cienaga at about 2pm -- we got very lucky with the connections: none requiring more than a 30 minute wait -- most being less than 10.
In La Cienaga there will be many guides happy to take you up to Pico Duarte on a moment's notice. At first they will all insist that you must hire their whole family and their whole stable of mules for your trip and that it is too late to start today, you must stay at their house for an early start tomorrow. None of this is true -- we easily found a guide that had a smattering of English and would take just one mule and would be happy to leave that afternoon. (On the way down we met a german woman who hired just a guide, with no mule.)
The whole cost for the hike itself was RD$1800 total for the guide and mule and his food (we brought our own food, although he cooked one decent dinner for us unexpectedly, which resulted in extra RD$ for the guide as a tip) and RD$100 each for the entry fee to the park. Total for two persons: RD$2000. We probably could have gotten it for less by asking around to the many other guides, but as it was getting late we wanted to get started and traded the small savings from more bargaining for an immediate departure.
For the return we encountered our longest wait trying to get out of La Cienaga. We left Comparticiones (the highest cabin on the mountain where guides like to stay) at first light (or possibly an hour or two thereafter) and arrived in La Ceinaga at noon. Our guide said that the guagua arrives in La Cienaga and turns around between noon and 1pm; we waited until ~2:30 -- the guide kept saying the guagua wasn't here. We think it was possible that he might have missed it for one reason or another.
Eventually we decided to just start walking towards Manabao and pick up a ride one way or another. Pretty soon we ran into motorcycles who took us to Manabao for RD$75 each. There we jumped into a waiting guagua which took us to Jarabocoa (RD$50each) where a Caribe bus left in 15 minutes for La Vega (~RD$50 each) where we crossed the street and picked up another Caribe bus to Sosua (RD $90 each). Then a taxi to Cabarete in time for dinner on the beach by 9pm.
Maybe there are some times of the year where there is a lower supply of guides or other complications may present themselves, but we found it to be very easily done (from Cabarete beach to Pico Duarte and back) for only RD$1500/person, a bit of espanol and a sense of adventure.
Hillbilly said:
I'll try to do a more full report later but so that others aren't misled by other posts: we very easily hiked Pico Duarte with no permits, no mules reserved, no day to get organized, and < RD$3000 total for 2 people.
From Cabarete we took a guagua to Sosua Caribe Tours terminal (actually just outside Sosua in Charamico). RD$20 each person.
Then we took a Caribe bus to La Vega (via Santiago, Los Jardines) (about RD$90 each). these buses seem to run very frequently.
From La vega you can cross the street to the CAribe Tours station and see if a bus to Jarabocoa is leaving soon. If so, take it, if not take a taxi to the guagua station (RD$70?) and take a guagua to Jarabocoa. either way the bus ride it is RD$50 each.
From Jarabacoa take a guagua (tending to be black pickups now instead of vans) to La Cienaga (via Manabao) (again, RD$50 each).
When we left Cabarete at 10am, we arrived in La Cienaga at about 2pm -- we got very lucky with the connections: none requiring more than a 30 minute wait -- most being less than 10.
In La Cienaga there will be many guides happy to take you up to Pico Duarte on a moment's notice. At first they will all insist that you must hire their whole family and their whole stable of mules for your trip and that it is too late to start today, you must stay at their house for an early start tomorrow. None of this is true -- we easily found a guide that had a smattering of English and would take just one mule and would be happy to leave that afternoon. (On the way down we met a german woman who hired just a guide, with no mule.)
The whole cost for the hike itself was RD$1800 total for the guide and mule and his food (we brought our own food, although he cooked one decent dinner for us unexpectedly, which resulted in extra RD$ for the guide as a tip) and RD$100 each for the entry fee to the park. Total for two persons: RD$2000. We probably could have gotten it for less by asking around to the many other guides, but as it was getting late we wanted to get started and traded the small savings from more bargaining for an immediate departure.
For the return we encountered our longest wait trying to get out of La Cienaga. We left Comparticiones (the highest cabin on the mountain where guides like to stay) at first light (or possibly an hour or two thereafter) and arrived in La Ceinaga at noon. Our guide said that the guagua arrives in La Cienaga and turns around between noon and 1pm; we waited until ~2:30 -- the guide kept saying the guagua wasn't here. We think it was possible that he might have missed it for one reason or another.
Eventually we decided to just start walking towards Manabao and pick up a ride one way or another. Pretty soon we ran into motorcycles who took us to Manabao for RD$75 each. There we jumped into a waiting guagua which took us to Jarabocoa (RD$50each) where a Caribe bus left in 15 minutes for La Vega (~RD$50 each) where we crossed the street and picked up another Caribe bus to Sosua (RD $90 each). Then a taxi to Cabarete in time for dinner on the beach by 9pm.
Maybe there are some times of the year where there is a lower supply of guides or other complications may present themselves, but we found it to be very easily done (from Cabarete beach to Pico Duarte and back) for only RD$1500/person, a bit of espanol and a sense of adventure.
D@mn, that blows a hole in what my compadre
always tells me. Way to go guys.
I take it you really hiked up there. At 308 I don't think i could do it, but when I reach 208, I might give it a try....
That was a very, very informative note, and you are to be congratulated.
My friend who runs Camping Tours, also makes it sound like a big deal to get there.
Tell us about the cold and what clothers you took and how long it took to go up and down..AND what you ate?
HB
always tells me. Way to go guys.
I take it you really hiked up there. At 308 I don't think i could do it, but when I reach 208, I might give it a try....
That was a very, very informative note, and you are to be congratulated.
My friend who runs Camping Tours, also makes it sound like a big deal to get there.
Tell us about the cold and what clothers you took and how long it took to go up and down..AND what you ate?
HB