Taino and Puerto Plata’s Crown Jewel Attraction: 27 Charcos of Damajagua waterfalls.

[Randy Eady]

A worthwhile feature of the Amazing Race 36, Episode 9 – My Precious Cacao 

Run by local guides who live within the community, the park entrance fees serve a benefit to all of its residents and future preservation— making it an all-around win.

Located about an hour from Puerto Plata city, 27 Charcos de Damajagua is an Indelible Adventure.

Imagine a day of hiking through thick forest, crossing footbridges and passing numerous flora before eventually reaching a rocky hilltop. There you’ll begin making your way down by jumping or sliding down a series of waterfalls–helmets and safety gear on–as you slide down water-cushioned chutes or plunge into deep turquoise pools.

Most excursions take you only through seven falls, as reaching the 27th is truly a monumental accomplishment reserved for the most active and physically fit adventurers. Make it through all Charcos de Damajagua has to offer and you can face any other adventure in the DR!

In the Amazing Race in the DR the very first competition took place at 27 Charcos de la Damajagua, where players worked their way through the series of waterfalls finding and memorizing 10 Taino petroglyph symbols located in natural settings. When they returned to a spot on the ground in the park, they then had to arrange a group of the stones (with these same intricate Taino symbols on them) in the chronological order in which they were encountered during the course of their watery travels.

Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month