Located in Arroyazo, an area northeast of Constanza and on the way down from Jarabacoa, this scientific reserve boasts altitudes ranging from a low 245 meters (800 feet) to a high 1,565 meters (5,135 feet), home to over 600 species of flora and fauna, including over 100 bird species, giant tree frogs, lizards, and over 80 species of orchids. They thrive in one of the most humid areas of the country where several rivers are sourced. The reserve is named after an endemic tree found only in this broadleaf cloud forest area: the ébano verde (Magnolia pallenscens), producing valuable wood. Scientists often come to this protected area to conduct studies, while visitors interested in hiking excursions can do so by arrangement. The Fernando Dominguez visitor center, run by the Fundación Ébano Verde, has a museum where you can review all the different kinds of wildlife species living in the reserve, before you get started hiking its grounds.
Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción
This modern Roman Catholic Church took 15 years to build, and was completed in 1992. The cathedral is one of the few in the world where the statue of Christ is portrayed as already having resurrected and not dying on the cross.
Ébano Verde Scientific Reserve
The scientific reserve boasts altitudes ranging from a low 245 meters (800 feet) to a high 1,565 meters (5,135 feet), home to over 600 species of flora and fauna, including over 100 bird species, giant tree frogs, lizards, and over 80 species of orchids.
This pristine bathing spot is a local favorite on weekends, when families flock here to cool off in the fresh water streams of the Rio Camú. Beware of the cool temperature before jumping in!
Researchers believe this archaeological site once served as an important sanctuary of the indigenous Tainos. Hike your way slowly around its gargantuan rocks, carved with petroglyphs of Taino faces.
Near Santo Cerro, discover the archeological ruins of the original town Christopher Columbus founded in 1494, classified as a national park. Archaeologists continue to study the excavated foundations of the old city once prosperous between 1505 and 1510.
This pyramid-shaped monument sits at an altitude of around 2,300 meters (7,500 feet). Spanish artisans carved the two cone-shaped structures as a symbol of their gratitude for the completion of the San José de Ocoa-Constanza road in 1958.
If you’re looking for the most spectacular view over Constanza, make your way up to this 15-meter (48-foot) high monument near town. This hand sculpted statue of Christ the Redeemer was designed by Dominican sculptor Ramon Osorio in 2011.
Agua Blancas waterfall, one of the highest altitude cascades in the Caribbean, tumbles 83 meters (272 feet), splattering into a large and cold jade pool hugged by a terrain blanketed in tall pine and green ebony trees. Footbridges and a wooden platform allow you observe the falls from a near distance, and you can step down closer to its lower pools.
Santo Cerro is one of the holiest sites in the country, home to the church Santuario Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes and site of an annual pilgrimage on September 24, when Dominicans from around the country flock here to pay tribute to the nation’s patron saint.
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