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La Jalda Waterfall Trek

★★★★★ (5 customer reviews)

From $179

This one you earn. Salto La Jalda is the tallest waterfall in the Dominican Republic — a near-400-foot drop hidden in the Miches mountains, under a two-hour drive from Punta Cana. Reach it on an 8-mile trail through cacao forest and river crossings, on foot or horseback, and cool off in the pool at the bottom.

Duration: Approx 10 Hours Time of Day: Morning
Adult: $179
Estimated total $0

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The Tallest Waterfall in the Country — and You Earn It

Want the one day from your Punta Cana trip that nobody back home can top? Here it is: a hike to Salto La Jalda, the tallest waterfall in the Dominican Republic. It's under a two-hour drive away, but it feels like another planet from the mega-resorts. Fair warning up front — this is a real trek, on foot or on horseback, and you'll feel it. That's rather the point.

The Drive and the Trailhead

La Jalda sits just outside the town of Magua, in Miches — the country's up-and-coming eco-destination. Getting there is half the fun: a newer two-lane highway carries you along the Miches–Punta Cana route through the Oriental Mountain Range, weaving between the coast and the peaks the whole way. At the trailhead you pick your mode — your own two feet or a horse — for the roughly 8-mile round trip.

The Trail

This is a wild, undeveloped path, and it asks something of you. It winds through acres of cacao forest and past small local farms, and at several points it crosses the Magua River itself. The first half follows the river beneath a shady cacao canopy before opening into a broad valley, where you'll catch your breath at the park ranger station. Then comes the hard part: a run of switchbacks climbing around 1,000 feet before the falls finally appear.

The Falls

Here the Magua River drops nearly 400 feet down a sheer rock face into a misty lagoon — a swimming hole practically daring you to jump in. La Jalda is the tallest waterfall in the Dominican Republic, and across the whole Caribbean it's second only to Cuba's Salto Fino. But where Salto Fino is really several falls stacked together, La Jalda is one single, staggering drop.

Then Lunch

You'll head back down the trail to the trailhead and pull up at a rustic countryside restaurant for a classic Dominican spread — rice, beans, meat, salad, fresh juice and dessert. Pile the plate high; you just burned a couple thousand calories getting here.

We only take small groups out to the falls and space goes fast, so book ahead if this is your kind of day.

What's Included

  • Round-trip transport
  • Professional guide
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Snacks during the hike

What to Bring

  • Comfortable clothing
  • Bathing suit
  • Towel
  • Sneakers
  • Camera
  • Sunscreen
  • Insect repellent
  • Cash

Good to know

  • You should be in good physical shape for this one — hikers especially. The round trip is about 8 miles on an uneven, rustic trail.
  • Going by horseback cuts down the walking, but you'll still want to be reasonably fit.