Adapted from the writings of James Hiebert, Luke Yoder, & Nate Shenk
Preparations [top]
Boots: Plan on walking through all sorts of mud, muck, and water at
all grades of steepness. The roads and trails weren't created as sustainable
hiking trails, and erode like crazy. Good hiking boots that will hold
up to this kind of heavy hiking are preferable, ones that are waterproof
are invaluable, and ones that grip are essential.
Sandles/flip-flops: Several of the roads require you to ford through
small rivers. If you have ridiculously soft feet and cannot walk barefoot
very well, then these will likely come in handy. They are also helpful
if you want to leave the trail to take a creek hike.
Rain gear: During the rainy season (summer) in rains every day sometime
between noon and fourish. If you plan on being out during this time,
some protective rainwear is recommended unless you enjoy being wet.
Water: The streams coming out of the mountains are fairly clean and
probably can be used for drinking, but aren't guaranteed to be bacteria-free.
Take your own water if you can, and if you have a filter, that's even
better.
An adventuresome spirit: People in Río Limpio and the DR are very friendly.
They're also not territorial like people are in the U.S. If you meet
someone on a trail or walk right up to someone's house, a friendly smile
will be all you need to be greeted with a seat and maybe even some lunch.
A. Paraiso [top]
Time: 45 min to 1 hr (could be as short as 15 min if you're lucky
enough to pick up a guagua)
While this isn't the most difficult or the most beautiful hike, the
reward found at the end of the hike makes it more than worth your while.
Paraiso is justly named. Paraiso, meaning paradise, is a beautiful area
found in Río Artibonito. Here, the river has carved its path through
large rock formations and has formed a fantastic swimming hole.
When making this hike be sure to stop in at a colmado and buy some bread
and salami or other provisions because you're going to want to stick
around Paraiso as long as possible. Enjoy the sun, the swimming, and
the relaxation of the river crashing down the rocks.
Directions:
Take the main road out of town towards Loma de Cabrera. Continue on this road for several kilometers (about 45 minutes). As you walk you will pass houses on your right and left -- continue until you come to a spot with several houses on both sides directly across from each other with an electrical wire running across the road 15 feet in the air. The road takes a sharp turn to the left right after the houses. Turn to the right and walk back between the houses. There should be a yellow and green house (assuming they don't repaint it). Walk beside it and continue back towards the woods, away from the road. You should be able to pick up a path that heads back through the pine trees and directly down to the river. Walk upstream a bit until you come to a large, deep swimming hole surrounded by bedrock.
B.
La Cascada [top]
Time: 60-90 minutes (one way)
This is just about an all out cool place to be. The base of the waterfall is tucked into the river valley out of the sun and there is always a nice, cool and wet breeze coming off the cascade. There are also a couple of little swimming holes.
Directions:
Take the main street out of town towards the mountains. It passes CREAR and then proceeds down to Río Bonito. It runs parallel to the river for a bit and then either crosses the river or turns left up the hill. Turn left. The road makes a long arc along a little ridge that will give you a couple nice views of the town and eventually goes through a pass between the mountains. Follow the road beyond a few houses and you will hear and see the cascade on your right. Now you have two options: 1) the first time you get a clear view of the cascade you can duck under the barbed wire fence. From here there's a really steep path that's a little hard to find. 2) Continue on the road until it goes down to the stream and then take a 20 minute creek hike up to the waterfall.
C.
Guayajayuco [top]
Time: 4-5 hours (one way)
This is a great hike because of the increased bio-diversity compared to the areas in and around Río Limpio. It goes through some shady forests that haven't been cut down yet and towards Guayajayuco there are some nice stands of conifers.
Directions:
Follow the main road out of Río Limpio towards Loma de Cabrera until the last house on the left before the "Feliz Viaje" sign and the huge downward hill. Take the trail on the left that runs down into the forest and follows the ridge. About on hour from Río Limpio, at the top of a hill, you will come to a T intersection from where Río Limpio is visible at approximately 120° S. The right path goes to Las Rosas and the left continues on to Guayajayuco. The trail continues up and down through some farm land and plunges down to cross the Río Bonito. In then climbs back out, rising and falling while staying along the east side of the ridge. About three hours out of Río Limpio you will come through some beautiful stands of conifers and on your right you will be able to see Guayajayuco in the valley below. Follow the path until you come to a dirt highway that goes down into town.
D. Naranjito [top]
Time: 2-3 hours (one way)
This is a decent hike although a lot of it is out in the sun through low vegetation. The approaching road into town is a large eroded dirt/clay highway that you are on for 45 minutes. There are, however, some great vistas (a contribution of the openness) and a couple of cool river crossing that are good for swimming.
Directions:
Take the same road that you do to go to la cascada. The road cuts down to the river. Follow the road for about another hour as it runs along the left side of the river valley. Then there are two places where you can ford the river. 1) After you hear some pretty heavy water current down on the right, there will be a path that crosses perpendicular. Take a right down to a merger of two rivers. 2) Continue straight on the path until you come to the second ford. Right before you do you should be able to see Naranjito on the far hill and a big orange road leading up to it. Make either river crossing and the paths join at the top of the hill. Continue until you reach the big highway. Take a left and descend to another ford then climb the highway up to Naranjito.
E.
The rice water race [top]
Time: 15-30 minutes
This makes for a nice little evening stroll--the running waters along the path creates a music of its own. There is, however, tons of mud, so don't forget your boots.
Directions:
Walk down to the cemetary and on the right side of it there is a little road going down the hill. Follow that down and up and you will come out on the right side of a rice patty. Take a left and cross the water channel and then you can continue along the right side of the channel (upstream). The path runs along the valley just below town and eventually comes out at the bottom of town where the rice water is being diverted from Río Bonito.
F.
Nalga de Maco [top]
Time: ???? hours
Nalga de Maco is the name of the largest mountain peak that you can
see from Río Limpio (the one on the left) and is located in and vaguely
defined national park. The path to the summit is difficult to find and
is often in a state of disrepair--very few people tread in this region
(it's too steep to farm). Much of the forest is old growth, although
Hurricane Georges knocked down many of the oldest trees in 1998. A guide
and several days are recommended to reach the summit.
Directions:
Take the main street out of town that passes CREAR and goes down to the Río. The road runs between the lower fields of CREAR and Río Bonito for a bit and then crosses the Río. Cross it and then continue on the read. It will cross the Río four more times, cross i little pond/marsh, and then three inlets to the Río Bonito. About an hour from Río Limpio you will cross the river two more times (the second of which has pipes sticking out of it that are the source of the town's water) and then come to a fork in the road. Take the right branch and proceed to climb and climb up the side of the ridge for approximately an hour. You will know when you reach the top as you are greeted with two excellent views and a cool breeze funneling through the pass.