Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
TOUR THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS TO THE NORTHERN COAST
Ideal for the eco-conscious traveler, this rustic mountaintop retreat is about as far from an all-inclusive
as you can get. Set high on a ridge with breathtaking views of the valley below,
Tubagua Plantation
Eco-Village
( 809-696-6932;
www.tubagua.com
; r incl breakfast from US$25; ) is the vis-
ion of longtime DR resident and community and conservation minded Canadian consul Tim Hall. By
his own description, accommodations here are 'Robinson Crusoe style' which shouldn't discourage
anyone. There are several wooden cabins with palapa roofs and basic bedding with mosquito nets -
simple but comfortable - and a shared bathroom, closed on three sides, is open on the fourth with an
empty hanging picture frame highlighting the panoramic scene. The most upscale of the bunch, with a
Balinese-style feel and its own outdoor shower, is perfect for honeymooners. Grab a coffee and a book
and you won't want to leave the open-air lounge and dining area.
Don't try driving here at night - 20km from Puerto Plata (taxi US$30) and around 40km from San-
tiago - since the road is rough and there are no lights.
Tim, an enthusiastic advocate of low-impact sustainable tourism, can arrange day, overnight and
week-long itineraries for travel anywhere in the country. From Tubagua, a half-day hike to the pools
of
Charcos los Militares
is especially recommended. In addition, for several years now Tim has been
central in helping to develop a 30km sightseeing route through the mountains, between Montellano in
the north (12km east of Puerto Plata) and La Cumbre in the south, called
Ruta Panoramica
The 'highway', rough in patches, winds up and over the
Cordillera Septentrional
, climbing to
2200ft at La Cumbre - a nearby monument marks the spot where bodies of political dissidents the
Mirabal sisters were left by Trujillo assassins. The mountain slopes in the area are pockmarked with
amber mines
(blue, the most valuable variety, is found here), essentially small shovel and pickaxe-
dug holes with plastic tarps strung up as makeshift shelters. It's a fairly desperate and unpredictable
undertaking. Carmen, the wife of a miner, will prepare lunch and coffee in their modest home, and she
and her sons will answer questions about the life of an amber miner.
A small coffee growing region is also nearby, around the pretty little town of
Pedro Garcia
, about
10km north of La Cumbre. In
Pedro Garcia
itself, you can buy coffee (RD$300 for 1lb bag) and loc-
ally produced trinkets at
Artesania La Factoria
(Calle JP Duarte 125), a shop attached to the area's
sole coffee processing plant (there were once six). After a berry borer beetle epidemic wiped out most
of the beans in 2000, the mountainsides were cleared and converted into cattle ranches. The impact
has been felt economically and environmentally, leading to the exodus of many villagers - the popula-
tion is a quarter of what it was in 1970. There's a fledgling effort to obtain a reforestation grant, devel-
op organic single origin coffee production and promote ecotourism. In the meantime, you can ask staff
at Tubagua to arrange a roasting and tasting demonstration in a small hilltop shelter with beautiful
views of the countryside.
