Hiking to the Waterfall "Charco Bonito"

 
This hike winds through Los Quemados and along the river to an incredibly original bridge.  Depending on the route you take, this trip can be longer or shorter. The longer path includes passing through a little mountain town in the surrounding hills where chocolate production is the main source of income. Both trails include meandering paths through the luscious jungles and over mountain streams. If your timing is right, don’t forget to look for the local passion fruit for a fresh snack!  Just when your legs are ready for a break, you’ll find yourself at a pool fed by a beautiful waterfall for photos and a dip. 

You may say that all waterfalls are beautiful and you are pretty much correct; however, not all falls are great water slides as well! If you are with a daring guide and feeling adventurous yourself, you can boulder up the cliffs along the serious of multiple falls. At the top you will find a much longer cascade: slide down, jump off the next two and finish with a slide down the first or a dive off the cliff next to it.

Costs
$29.00USD* - Our local guide will lead you along the trail, explain the surroundings and show you the best places to slide down or jump in the waterfall. 
$60.00USD* - If you choose our all-inclusive plan (Excursion #5), you get a night stay, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a guided tour.
  *18% required national tax not included

Testimonial
The magic of the forest lies in its infinite promise of discovery. One’s senses are electrified by this mysterious enclosed world.  It was only 2 hours I spent in the Central Mountain forests near Bonao, Dominican Republic, but I emerged exhausted due to a complete sensory overload. We set off in search of Charco Bonito, a waterfall in the thickly forested valleys beyond Los Quemados.  Before anything else, we had to negotiate the crossing of the wide, fast flowing Rio Yuna. Although the water only reached up to my kneecaps, its deceptive currents made me sway like a staggering drunk, much to the mirth of some kids on the bank.  So with dignity slightly impaired, we began to step steeply into the forest.
 

As climates go, few are as hospitable year round as this one. Every crop, fruit and root worth growing simply thrives here. As a result the mountain absorbs you with the sweet fragrance of life; fruits maturing and flowers blossoming. Birds and insects grow heady feasting on fallen pods of cacao. While walking we are able to gather succulent guava or chinola fruit almost bursting the branches with their goodness.  Although the sun is directly above the canopy, the dewy leaves keep us constantly refreshed as we brush against them.

For a good 20 minutes we can hear the churning of Charco Bonito in the distance, yet its location is so well concealed one could easily miss it.  Through ever thickening vegetation we are drawn frantically  like starving children towards the water source. And when we arrive no one is disappointed. Charco Bonito turns out to lie in a wonderful clandestine glade, an enchanting respite from the thickness of the forest.