Twenty Seven Waterfalls of Rio Damajagua

[j_d66]

Twenty Seven Waterfalls of RioDamajagua

http://www.27charcos.com/index.php


Stumbled onto this place while surfing the internet.

Find a little info here about it but it is really old info

Anyone ever been here?

It looks pretty intense but might be a fun day trip and not to far away.

Perhaps a beach chair is more to my liking but a possible adventure might be fun as well

[Ramair4]

Well worth it. I did that tour a couple years ago and would go back again in a heartbeat.

There are some photos from the tour here: http://news.insearchofchicas.org/forum/showthread.php?272431-Damajagua-Cascades-tour-and-pics&highlight=

[ezsmile]

there are lots of youtube videos of this excursion. I have never been but maybe someday.
All I really know is that it becomes dangerous when there has been lots of rain, as the river swells, and the amount of water in the falls increase, causing many of the pools to fill up and currents can suck you under.

[Rubicon]

Makes for a really fun day, although most people do 7 levels instead of the 27. I took my kids a few years ago for their pleasure and actually enjoyed it myself. The water is cold as a SOB but jump right in and you'll get used to it pretty quickly.

[eldorob]

one of two people drowned a couple years ago. Unless there have been major changes, you can't count on the guides. They were clueless when the people were drowning. They're not lifeguards.

Quite a climb to the top, but you don't have to go all the way.

[weyland]

OK if you are fit and can swim, but there have been two or three deaths of youths (maybe not following safety instructions?) Remember the DR has very lax safety standards. This place would never stay open in the First World where operators are terrified of getting their ass sued. General consensus seems to be don't rely totally on your guide's advice as they are as incompetent as most people in this country. Stay within your own comfort zone.

Just read Eldorob's post. He types faster than me but we think alike on this one.

[questner]

Been there and had a fantastic trip mostly enjoyed the walk and talking to guides. Bring water resistant camera and think how would you leave your valuables or take them to the falls. Myself I try to avoid cold water and fresh water in the Caribbean especially. Been to Rio San Juan also. Great beach. But Sos's bitches are closer to my heart.

[captain69]

The 27 falls are part of the National Park system here. There are 46 guides employed there at the moment. The guides are competent. It is possible to get there by carrito or guagua.
The tour is sold in 3 levels: Just the first 7 falls or up to the 17th falls or the complete 27. Food can also be ordered in the welcome center and be ready when you finish the tour.

[BuddyGoodness]

That is pretty cheap per person to see some cool waterfalls. Do you have to go down them, can you walk and see them instead of swimming?

[weyland]

That is pretty cheap per person to see some cool waterfalls. Do you have to go down them, can you walk and see them instead of swimming?
No. You have to get your body wet above the 7th level. They are only small waterfalls and nothing scenic to look at. The whole point is to get immersed in the landscape and "suffer" a bit.

[huskerdude]

You need to be in pretty good shape and can swim upstream. Did the tour couple years ago and they would not let me have my glasses, even though I had a floating strap, so I was blind as a mole. Also I rented their water shoes and still have scars on my heels to this day. So be sure to bring your own shoes or just wear your tennis shoes! Got a video of it afterwards and the video was spectacular. It's a hard climb going up, but a blast coming down.

[Tingtong]

I did it twice with Mel Tours ($42 for 7 levels). You need to find agency which sells all 27 levels. Might cost more as a whole day tour

PS Bring your waterproof camera

[bailar]

The waterfalls are beautiful, just make sure there hasn't been heavy rains before you go. It gets very dangerous when there is a lot of water coming through there. Dominican guides are not concerned about your safety as much as they are your pesos and getting you out of there if something happens would be a nightmare.

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.puertoplatadigital.com%2Fnoticias%2Fnacionales%2Fjunio2009%2Fmuerenahogadosparejaturitas.htm&sl=es&tl=en&history_state0=

http://colinswanderings.blogspot.com/2009/12/damajagua.html



keep in mind the economic situation of where you are going. We've become very accustomed to the fact that we live in a sanitized, bubble-wrapped world where attempts are constantly made to mitigate the smallest risk. Some might say that this has made us safe, but I think that it has also made us complacent. We have to remember that as we travel to areas hit hard by poverty that we can't count on local governments to monitor and regulate all dangerous activities. We also have to remember that in a 3rd world country our tour guides are probably desperate for the money, and that's never a safe situation. In the case of Damajagua I've notice a trend amongst people who have run into trouble; it was raining heavily for days before they went. An easy trend to spot, and so you would think that the tour operators would simply not allow people to go if the river was running at dangerously high levels, but that will not be the case if you're in a part of the world where those tour operators are relying on you going on this tour in order to feed their families that evening.

[continentalmike]

Been a couple of times - it's always a good day trip from the NC..

It really isn't that hard if you're reasonably fit (follow a normal fintess regimen) and it's a nice way to burn some calories..

I'll visit every two years or so..

Guides are nice kids and know the area