Maderas — Local services in Altagracia (Municipio)

The hike is worth every step, and there are plenty! We started at Finca Magdalena, we had to pay each 3 USD and had to sign a paper because we did not wanted a guide. So it is possible to go on your own!!! The best preparation is to download a offline map on your mobile and use GPS to follow your route. The path is pretty much straight up the vulcano. So you won't get lost. But knowing how high you already are helps, because the only viewing platform is on 700m of altitude. Beside of that there is no landmark to know where you are (GPS helps a lot). With a short break we needed 3 hours to get to the top, where you have an amazing view over the crater lake and down to the big lake. Everything on the maderas is covered in jungle. So there is a lot of wildlife arround you. From arround 800m altitude the path gets muddy, slippery and steep. Now, when it rains during the night, it's even trickier. But still managable. Bring enough water, food and good shoes. The downhill part of the hike is as well challenging. We needed 2h 30min with a short break too. In total the hike took us 5h 45min with lunch on top and two...

Very difficult, very fun if you are up for it. There are starting points in Balgue and Santa Cruz, and they both combine into one trail. The second half is brutal, haha; climbing on slick rocks a lot. No ledges to fall off; the main worry is just to twist an ankle or slip and hit your shin. But we saw monkies, and the lake at the top was cool! There are not a ton of views along the way since the forest is thick, so you need to go for the journey, not the destination. Honestly, the best view of the hike in my opinion is at the half way point, where you can see Volcano Concepcion. If you like climbing a rocky trail with your hands at times (I recommend no walking stick to use your hands) and you are physically up for it, it is a cool adventure! We had the COOLEST bilingual guides (super fun and knowledgable): Their business is called Coco Loco, and their Whatsapp is:...

The Volcán Maderas is a 1300 meter high volcano with a climb that starts at 100 meters high. You must take a guide because the trail is very complex and not marked at all. It cost us $10 per person in a group of 9 people. It is highly recommended to do the trip with closed shoes, there were some who did with sandals, but it is not recommended. The route is very slippery terrain with very narrow areas, the trip is a very difficult trip, 6 km each way and took 5 hours of walking each way. At the end you get to a lookout above the small water reservoir, you can continue to go down with a more difficult walk for another half hour and get right to a pool of water, but the ground is very muddy and you can't enter the water! There is one beautiful observation point about an hour and a half from the beginning which I think is enough...