North Coast - Dominican Republic - page 279

Officially licensed motoconcho drivers wear numbered, colored vests and tend to be
only slightly more cautious in traffic than their unlicensed brethren. The in-town fare is
RD$25 and RD$60 to Playa Dorada.
You'll find taxi fares priced almost exclusively for tourists - the in-town fare is around
RD$150 to RD$200. Taxis don't generally cruise the streets looking for customers, so try
Taxi Puerto Plata ( 809-558-7682) with several taxi stands, including along the Parque Cen-
tral and across from the Caribe Tours office.
The main trunk roads in Puerto Plata are serviced by guaguas following lettered routes,
which cost RD$20. Lines C and F will be of most interest to you: they run from as far
west as Cofresí, through town and past Playa Dorada to the east. Line C runs direct; line F
makes lots of twists and turns as it barrels through town.

TWENTY-SEVEN WATERFALLS

Travelers routinely describe the tour of the waterfalls at Damajagua as 'the coolest thing I did in the
DR.' We agree. Guides lead you up, swimming and climbing through the waterfalls. To get down you
jump - as much as 8m - into the sparkling pools below. These days, with the construction of a suspen-
sion bridge and a safer pathway up (no longer in view of the river), it's a less 'wild' experience for
better or worse.
It's mandatory to go with a guide, but there's no minimum group size, so you can go solo if you
wish. You can go up to the seventh, 12th or 27th waterfall, though most 'jeep safari' package tours
only go to the 7th. You should be in good shape and over the age of 12. Foreigners pay RD$600 to the
highest waterfall and less to reach the lower ones (US$1 of every entrance fee goes to a community
development fund). Tour companies in Puerto Plata, Sosúa and Cabarete organize trips here for
between US$80 and US$100.The falls are open from 8:30am to 4pm, but go early before the crowds
arrive. A visitors center (

809-635-1722; www.27charcos.com) and restaurant are near the en-

trance.
To get to the falls, go south from Imbert on the highway for 3.3km (and cross two bridges) until you
see a sign on your left with pictures of a waterfall. From there it's about 1km down to the visitors cen-
ter. Alternatively, take a Javilla Tours guagua from Puerto Plata and ask to get off at the entrance. The
big Texaco station at Imbert serves as a crossroad for the entire area. There is a frequent guagua ser-
vice to Santiago (RD$80, one hour) and Puerto Plata (RD$40, 30 minutes).