Rio Chavon boat trip, Apocalyspe Now & others

[Joyce]

I am interested to know if anyone has taken an excursion which included a boat ride up the Rio Chavon River? If so, I would appreciate some detail of the ride up the river, and which tour company you used,please. Also, I understand two movies were filmed or partially filmed on this river, Apocalypse Now and Rambo 2, is this correct? Thanks, Joyce

 

[Henry]

When you visit Altos de Chavon, you can take a 10 minute footwalk down to the river and charter a boat, which will take you to the seafront and show you some sights of casa de campo and after that it takes you up all the river to the barrier, which is approx. a mile inland from the boating place! This trip cost about RD$ 500.- or USD 30.- per boat! There are also steamboat copies, which do just the river! (They will be found ant the mouth of the river! (For the movie I have no idea, the river seems a bit short to have hosted all the scenery!

Henry

 

[Jim Hinsch]

I waterskied it. I hired a yola working the beach at Casa de Campo at US$50/hr. Click on the link below for a photo.

Going up the river you'll see grazing goats and cows, lots of palm trees, grass, the towering rock cliffs of Altos de Chavon, fisherman in small fishing boats or canoes, occassional locals that live along the river and their homes. It is quite striking and was the most scenic skiing I've ever done. The water appears like a black mirror set against a tropical jungle.

 

[rabble rouser]

to the best of my knowledge apocalypse now was filmed in the Phillipines, rambo 2 in Acapulco, Mexico.

 

[Joyce]

Thanks for all the responses. Someone had posted the info in a trip report about Apocalypse Now, and on a trip info sheet for Excurions on another persons website, it list Apoc. Now and Rambo 2 as being related to the Rio Chavon in DR. There is mention elsewhere of another movie ( James Bond) being made at or near Samana or Las Terrenas. It isn't real important, but it does make the boat ride up the Rio Chavon seem more enticing .......hehe. Maybe that is the purpose of the misinformation, if that's the case. Thanks Again, Joyce

 

[Tom]

I don't know about the location, but all the Helos were "rented" from the Phillipino Military as the US Govt didn't want anything to do with the movie.

It would have made sense to film those river scenes in the Phillipines as opposed to transporting all those UH-1's to the DR

Tom

 

[Bobs]

I believe that sections of the 1993 edition of Jurassic Park (helicopter landing) were filmed in the Dominican Republic. Other parts in Costa Rica and Hawaii Spielberg did a lot of his research on amberdeposits for the storyline in the DR.

 

[Natasha]

Hi Bob,

The landing of the helicopter was filmed in Kauai. I think only the scene of the amber mine at the mouth of the river was filmed in the DR. Supposedly, Mr. Spielberg never even went to the DR to direct the scene :-(

Regards,
Natasha

 

[Henry green]

Funny, I heard the same thing...

That "Apocolypse Now" has been going around for quite a while. I wonder where it originated? I remember hearing it at least 5 or 6 years ago. It was indeed filmed in the Phillipenes.