Cape to Milan

Alex and I have been lucky and/or stupid enough to do some incredible things during our travels, so trust me when I say that Damajagua is somewhere you need to be NOW. It is one of the most thrilling and enjoyable travel experiences we have had.

The Damajagua waterfalls flow into the Baja Bonita, which you see on your way into Puerto Plata.

To get back to the waterfalls, you take a 50-peso guagua (minibus) ride through the green countryside to Las Cascadas, the 27 Charcos.

From the roadside sign, it’s a one kilometer walk to the visitors center. The waterfalls were once a very fly-by-night, low-to-the-ground operation, but some Peace Corps volunteers helped implement some new safety features (life jackets, helmets, mandatory guides) and build a visitors center and low-key restaurant. It still feels very community-driven and independent-traveler friendly–just great some added benefits.

The bridge across the river is one such benefit. Earlier fall-jumpers had to wade across this thing (or so says our ever-present companion, the Lonely Planet guidebook).

Although it is possible to do a truncated version of the trip, we decided to attempt all 27 waterfalls because– go big or go home, right? Shorter trips take you up the waterfalls themselves, but the full gamut takes you through a gorgeous rainforest path–complete with banana trees and termite…mounds?

At the end of the trail, you get to experience your first waterfall–a baby compared to some of them. We got to swim in the natural pool, jump off a smallish rock ledge, and warm up for our long journet slipping and sliding down the river. 27 waterfalls lives up to its name; we truly slid…

…or jumped…

…down 27 waterfalls.

Some were as high as 27 feet!

And if pictures aren’t enough you convince you that this needs to be on your bucket list, how about a video?