4 -5 days Jarabacoa - what to do?

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hahm74

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May 7, 2007
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My family of 6 (2 adults, 4 kids - ages 2 - 9) plan on spending 4 to 5 days in Jarabacoa this summer. I'm looking for some input on what to do/not do. I'd like to do at least one waterfall hike. I don't want to do any horseback riding as we'll be staying at Villa Pajon after Jarabacoa and can do horseback riding there. We'll have our own vehicle and are more interested in finding things on our own than taking a guided tour. (Not that we're totally opposed to guided tours, but in general, we've found that with a rental car and good directions, you can find almost everything on your own and can save a whole lot of money, and don't have to be in a large group.)
Things we're thinking of so far:
1. Waterfall hikes - Salto de Jimonoa Dos
Salto de Baiguate
(I'm thinking Salta Jimenoa Uno would be too difficult for the kids??)
Are there other waterfalls we should be visiting instead of these two? If we can only do one, which would you recommend?
2. Cigar factory tour in Santiago or Tamboril. Can you take kids to a cigar factory?? Do you need to set this up in advance or can you just show up??
3. Hiking in Cientifico Ebano Verde. This looks like a pretty far drive from Jarabacoa - how long would it take to make it there? It sounds like a neat place to just hike around and explore, is that true?

Not interested in rafting because of the kids, but any other suggestions as to what to do?
Thanks for the advice!
 
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pyratt

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If it was me and I had two youngsters, I'd call Rancho Baiguate and run "the list" of what they offer. When I was there, the grounds were well kept...beautiful actually, plenty of space to RUN & PLAY...the day I was there, it was a party of 2 (on a yeepeta for 9) to the falls....while they wanted 4 minimum to go, the owner allowed me to pay for THREE and we basically had a hired driver...while we rafted with them, we also found the guides were "family" types and accomdated the younger guests....you can find them online, and email them for ideas...
 
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MaineGirl

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Centro Leon in Santiago has a "fabrica" of cigars where you can see them being rolled, and then buy them :) Museum is very nice but your younger ones may get antsy.
 
bachata

bachata

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Visit "El santo cerro" in this place is the "saint hole" where in march 14, 1495 Christopher Columbus set a cross made of wood in a promise to stop killing the indigenous.
There you will find the whole story and one of prettiest DR views.

JJ
 
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hahm74

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El Santo Cerro sounds nice. It looks like we could stop by there on our way too/from Santiago. Is that correct? Also, how long of a drive is it from Jarabacoa to Santiago?
Also, we'll be flying in to Santo Domingo. If we wanted to spend just an hour in the city (we're not really city people) what would be the one/two things to see. (Keep in mind, we're traveling with kids who will not be that interested in museums and the like.) How long of a drive is it from Santo Domingo to Jarabacoa?
 
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bigbird

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hahm74 said:
El Santo Cerro sounds nice. It looks like we could stop by there on our way too/from Santiago. Is that correct? Also, how long of a drive is it from Jarabacoa to Santiago?
Also, we'll be flying in to Santo Domingo. If we wanted to spend just an hour in the city (we're not really city people) what would be the one/two things to see. (Keep in mind, we're traveling with kids who will not be that interested in museums and the like.) How long of a drive is it from Santo Domingo to Jarabacoa?
Click to expand...
What time does your flight arrive? Reason I ask is because you don't want to spend time in the city and run the risk of having to drive at night to Jarabacoa. You can't get much done in one hour in Santo Domingo. It might take an hour to navigate the traffic and find a parking spot.

SDQ to Jarabacoa is about a 2-2.5 hour drive all depending on city traffic.
 
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Aspire

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just relax, enjoy

With children that young, I would suggest to relax and enjoy Jarabacoca and limit the trips up and down the mountain. The rivers in Jarabacoa are fantastic. At Rancho Baguiate you can walk around their grounds, they have a pool, and just enjoy different parts of the river. They offer horseback rides to the waterfalls, which are great fun with the family. You can spend your days walking and exploring rivers, taking in a nice lunch (try visiting the town center and the restaurants there), and go back to the pool/rivers for the afternoon. Maybe one day could be spent taking a trip to Santiago, the museum is ok, but kids would enjoy the monument and there are restaurants near you could have lunch. Take a bus from Jarabacoa to La Vega than to Santiago...

Overall, advice would be to just take it easy there, hike and explore the local area, and avoid too many "excursions"...
 
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hahm74

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Thanks for all the advice so far. Hearing about Santo Domingo traffic, I think we may skip the city completely and just head up to Jarabacoa. Our flight will arrive around noon or 1, so we would have some time before it gets dark, but driving around looking for a parking spot doesn't sound like a great way to start a vacation.
We'll be staying at Rancho Dos Rios, so our plan is to spend time in the mornings exploring a bit - visiting a waterfall, etc. but then to spend afternoons letting the little ones nap and the older kids swim in the pool or run around on the grounds. I do think we'll take a day and go to Ebano Verde. And another day to go to Santiago and check out the cigar factory. How long of a drive is it from Jarabacoa to Santiago?
 
bob saunders

bob saunders

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hahm74 said:
Thanks for all the advice so far. Hearing about Santo Domingo traffic, I think we may skip the city completely and just head up to Jarabacoa. Our flight will arrive around noon or 1, so we would have some time before it gets dark, but driving around looking for a parking spot doesn't sound like a great way to start a vacation.
We'll be staying at Rancho Dos Rios, so our plan is to spend time in the mornings exploring a bit - visiting a waterfall, etc. but then to spend afternoons letting the little ones nap and the older kids swim in the pool or run around on the grounds. I do think we'll take a day and go to Ebano Verde. And another day to go to Santiago and check out the cigar factory. How long of a drive is it from Jarabacoa to Santiago?
Click to expand...

About 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic.
 
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rubia1

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May 10, 2010
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I am also planning to visit Jarabacoa and Santiago, I'll be there two days. How difficult of a drive is it to reach Jarabacoa and also from Jarabacoa to Santiago?
Also, is there anything to do at night and where?
 
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