00:00 Start
00:39 Parque Nacional del Este
04:48 Chicho Cave
07:10 Chavon River
08:20 Fruit trail
13:26 Canopy bridge
13:50 Canoeing
The Dominican Republic is like a continent squished into half an island. Lowland rainforests, cloud forests, pine forests, dry forests, mangroves, savannah, coastal lagoons, salt lakes, a rift valley, karst land formations, four mountain ranges-including the highest mountain in the Caribbean.
We took part in a trip where we experienced the jungle of the National Park del Este and its surroundings.
Guided by expert guides and park rangers, with this excursion we experienced the various parts of the Park: the dense dry jungle, the fauna and flora and the special story of the people who lived in the area. We visited a magnificent cave, and we followed the trail of the Taino Indians to the River Chavon where we discovered the origin of the Taino words "Canoa", "Yuca" and many others. The trail has different pathways, ranging in difficulty. The trail takes you through the dry tropical jungle, a landscape of limestone, butterflies and birds, as well as impressive underground fresh water caverns. We learnded about the history of the Park and we explored the remains of the Taino settlements, the first inhabitants of the Dominican Republic. We also experienced the magnificent native flora and fauna, which is unique to the East Coast of Hispaniola.
At the end of the trail we visited the freshwater springs secluded inside the caves. We decented into the cave Cueva de Chicho. This large cave has at the bottom a stunning underground lake. Used as a water supply since pre-Hispanic times, a significant collection of large ceramic artifacts remain of the era. A total of 26 petroglyphs can be seen at the entrance of the cave.
Stalagmites... Stalactites.... bats and rock art.... We decented to the bottom of the cave and swam in the cold, fresh water lake inside the cave. We enjoyed the spectacle, when we illuminate the crystals sunk in the sandstone cave walls.... This is the land of Mystery and Imagination...
After a short drive we reached the River Chavon. We boarded the traditional boat and cruise stream up through the gorge of this beautiful river. The tropical jungle can be seen on the banks. The block busters Apocalypse Now and Rambo 3 were filmed here. We reached our riverside farm and we went on a fruit trail. We saw a lot of local fruits and how people live of the land here. We continueed to the sightseeing point, crossing 'hanging bridge' on the walk. For the end we participated in canoe adventure on the river Chavon.
6 июл 2024
