Our first stop of the two was the Emerald Pool. To get there, pay your admission fee (a ticket admits you to several natural sites) & hike along a muddy, rocky, uneven trail (highly recommend tennis shoes for this walk). After scampering along the trail for about 30 minutes, the path opens up and the Emerald Pool suddenly appears below you. The sight is breathtaking & magnificent & “oh wow” (which is what I said about 80 million times). By the time we made our way down the uneven stairs, the group that was there was ascending & we had the place to ourselves (go early – like 8 or 9 am early – to beat the crowds).
Trafalgar Falls was the last site we visited. I was skeptical: things this touristy & easily accessible were rarely worth it.
My heart sank a little as we walked a well worn, well maintained path toward the roar of the falls. I like the feeling of adventure & this wasn’t cutting it so far. As we approached the wood observation deck, I could see it packed with tourists.
We pushed our way through, brushing past the inpatients that grow wild in Dominican jungles, to get a better view. And what a view it was. The thin ribbon Father Fall tucked back to our left (falling 125′), the wide, forceful Mother Fall to our right (falling 75′).
‘Wow,’ I thought. ‘Must book a trip to Hawaii soon because this is really cool.’
Off to the side we noticed a less worn/possibly illegal path continuing on down to the base of the falls. This path takes some skill to navigate; the route involves climbing over boulders, crossing streams, & scaling up muddy hills. My foot strained to grip each slippery rock through the sole of my inadequate shoe. Dripping with sweat, I hesitated & wanted to turn back a few times, but my more adventurous husband encouraged us to keep going. I’m so glad we did. We ended up very close to the base of the Mother Fall (but never felt like we were in danger & weren’t actually in the water).
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