Recently I join fellow travel writers on the inaugural sailing of Carnival Cruise’s new brand called Fathom Travel which offers cruises to the Dominican Republic and Cuba focused on social impact travel. Before heading to the DR one of my good friends recommended I check out the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua (aka 27 Charcos) near Puerto Plata. Immediately when he told me what it was – hiking, canyoning, sliding down waterfalls and cliff jumping – I was in!
After spending three intense days in Puerto Plata participating in Fathom Travel “impact activities” where I created water filtration systems, poured concrete floors, taught english and planted seeds at a nursery, 27 Waterfalls was EXACTLY what I needed. On my fourth and final day in Puerto Plata I organized my own excursion to 27 Waterfalls with my new cruise friends. At 7:45am seven of us split a 20 minute taxi from Amber Cove to the entrance of 27 Charcos which opens at 8:00am. There we paid our entrance fee of under $15 USD, were given safety gear, met our guide and began our 27 Waterfalls adventure! Enjoy exploring 27 Waterfalls in 27 Photos:
You’ll hike about 45 minutes to the top
And then there’s only one way down!
Make sure to celebrate every waterfall you conquer
And appreciate your joyful guides who lead the way
Most of the falls (or Charcos) aren’t crazy high
But navigating them guarantees good laughs
Get ready to go canyoning through narrow passages
And be prepared for a few bumpy waterslide rides
But sometimes all you gotta do…
… is jump!
Don’t forget to enjoy the beauty at every turn
And get pumped to take on new heights…
…with the tallest slide at the end…
…Or for some, the highest jump!
Enjoy conquering the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua!
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23 Comments
[…] Apart from the impact activities, you can book tours to fill the rest of your time and see the Puerto Plata area, a 20-minute drive away. Since it was difficult to get from the port to town, which I’ll discuss more of in the next section, I booked a half day sightseeing tour in Puerto Plata that cost about $40 USD. Other options included a sightseeing tour, a beach excursion, a catamaran trip, and deep sea fishing. They differ from what is available on other Carnival cruises docked here. You might want to consider booking an outside excursion since the cruise doesn’t leave at night and it will give you more flexibility. It would give you more time to take the cable car in Puerto Plata or go to the 27 Waterfalls. […]
What a terrific adventure, all for $17 and took most of the afternoon! I would do this again and recommend anyone in decent shape to take a whack at it. Your review made it happen and THANKS!
That is so awesome to hear! Glad you had a great adventure and that my blog helped out!!
Hi Justin! We head off on Fathom this weekend and it’s been fantastic reading your posts, helping us get ready (and more and more excited!) for the week ahead 🙂 Thank you! We have three impact activities lined up for next week, but are also keen to check out Los 27 Charcos. I’m curious how you got there, how you organised your tour for the waterfalls, and how long the overall excursion took (from Amber Cove and return). We really, really want to do this excursion, but are concerned we might not have the time 🙁 Cheers a bunch!! Beck 🙂
Hi Beck! So excited for you and your trip. 27 Waterfalls is an awesome activity to do in addition to impact activities. We organized a group to go from Amber Cove, split a taxi and arrived when it opened at 8am. I highly recommend getting there early so you can be one of the first groups to enter the waterfalls. We did a hike and all 27 waterfalls and it took us about 3 hours, give or take. I think if you budget max 4 hours for it you’ll be good. We actually did this on the last day at port and successfully made it back to the ship to sail back to Miami.
Hi Justin. How did you get a taxi to 27 charcos? Are there taxis around the port? Also are the guides and safety gear included with the entrance fee?
Thank you, Jodi
Hi Jodi! Are you arriving to Puerto Plata at Amber Cove? If yes, it is extremely easy to find a taxi at the port. There’s only one company that offers taxi services at the gate. I recommend putting together a small group of people to split the cost. The guides and safety gear are included with your entrance fee. Hope you have an awesome time explore 27 Charcos and let me know how it goes!
Justin,
We travel with friends, family and small groups to Puerto Plata several times each year. We build homes through a non-profit (PAL Humanitarian Services, Inc.) and donate time and supplies to the local public hospital and schools. We invite those travelling with us to take several different excursions. 27 Charcos and going to the top of Mt. Isabella on the tram are the most popular. If time is limited, there is a 12 waterfall Charcos tour that is also a great adventure. You are required to wear some type of water shoe and a good sole is necessary for walking. Most of the time we wear an old pair of gym shoes or Tiva type water sandals. Thank you for sharing your experience regarding this amazing natural wonder.
Hi Pearl. Thank you so much for sharing about your experience with PAL. Having done work in Puerto Plata through Fathom Travel, I know how much your time and efforts are valued. Great to hear that you guys check out 27 Charcos. If I’m back I’ll have to take that hike to the top of Mt. Isabella. Feel free to share my post with anyone who might want to learn more about the waterfalls.
How easy was it to get a cab back to port?
Hi Natalie, I recommend using the same cab that you take to get there. They will wait for you. Hope this helps. 27 Waterfalls is AWESOME!
Hi Justin, thanks for your information. I am going on a Fathom cruise to the D.R. next week. I have been looking into the 27 waterfalls. I was thinking about paying for excursion, but I wanted to do this in the afternoon so I can do some other activities in the morning. and I wanted to spend a full day river rafting, if I can talk my wife into it. I understand the park closes at 3:00 pm. Do you have to be out of the park by 3:00 pm or can you show up anytime before three? Do you have to make arrangements ahead of time for the guide or can you just show up. How much was the Taxi? Thanks for your help. Alan
Hi Alan! How exciting that you’re going on this trip. I am not sure what time the last group goes out to explore the falls. You could email them info@27charcos.com and ask. However, I would HIGHLY recommend going first thing in the morning. We were the first group out and beat all the crowds. We basically had all the waterfalls to ourselves for the most part and as we headed out, we saw a lot more people. We did not make arrangements before. We picked the day we wanted to go, a group of us split a taxi from Amber Cove and we paid for everything when we got there. You can go to the taxi stand at Amber Cove to look at specific pricing and try to negotiate down a little. Best thing is to recruit other passengers to go. Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.
Thanks. Your advice is great. How much was the taxi? I plan to go the first morning after we arrive so I won’t have my bearing straight yet and I do not want to get lost or make a serious mistake in planning my adventure. Was there taxis waiting for passengers after the falls or do I need to make arrangments? Any tips or great experiences to share about the Adonia and this island adventure? Alan
Yes, I too would like to know how much the taxi cost? Either one way or for round trip? Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Mike, I don’t have the exact amount for what the taxi ride cost. We hired a taxi and split it among a group of us with over 6 people. I’m trying to find out and will let you know if I do! My suggestion is to find other people that want to go and split a taxi. It’s hard negotiating the rates with taxis from the Amber Cover port.
[…] As an adventure traveler who loves exploring the outdoors, in addition to my impact activities I wanted to do something unique to the DR. That’s exactly the experience I got exploring 27 Waterfalls just 20 minutes from Amber Cove. My three hours of hiking through the jungle, jumping off cliffs and sliding down waterfalls was an adrenaline filled way to enjoy the beauty of the DR. For an in-depth look at this experience, click here […]
Hi Justin, can i use u pictures for my travel agency in Dominican Republic?
Hi Sergio. I’m honored you want to use my photography. Please email me at justin@atwjustin.com to further discuss. Thanks!
Do you have info on the hike? Was it 45 min to the top for all 27 waterfalls? What was the distance / elevation gain?
For more specific information check out 27charcos.com!
Loving this post! When I was 13 years old my family and I actually explored the 27 waterfalls! Still to this day my favorite waterfall excursion! Your photos have literally taken me down memory lane. 🙂
I love that this brought back those family memories. What a great trip down memory lane in the DR.