The Valle Nuevo Reserve is 164 square miles and lies on an alpine plateau at an elevation of about 2,600 meters. Located in the center of the Dominican Republic, and in the center of the Cordillera Central, the reserve is the source of two of the four biggest and more important rivers in the country: The Yuna and the Nizao rivers.

Temperatures range from 23 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average annual temperature of 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Though the reserve is mainly pine country there are still 249 plant specimens here including the huge Dominican magnolias and tree fernsand. For bird watchers there are 64 bird species, which include the rufous-collared sparrow, golden swallow and blue-hooded euphonia.

In 1983 a third of the reserve burned down in one of the biggest forest fires in the country's history. It is still recovering from the devastation.