El Mamey Canyon
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| | Raps:3, max ↨82ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:High Clearance Rock type:Limestone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 28 Jan 2022
"First descent. Flow low, but should flow all year. Pool deep and clean. Dont be put off by the mud and trash upstream, this one is spring-fed and cle |
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| Best season: | Any
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19.6805, -70.6363
19.6781, -70.6329
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Introduction[edit]
El Mamey Canyon is a small series of waterfalls in the forest. It's not really an extremely committing or long canyon, but more of two huge waterfalls to rappel down to a gorgeous pool to jump and swim in. It's worth doing if you have a few hours in the area, but not worth detouring way out of your way for. This page serves to provide the beta and to reveal what's here to anyone interested in exploration of other canyons in the area.
Approach[edit]
You'll need a high-clearance vehicle, but not 4WD, to get down the dirt road. Park at the curve, and kindly ask permission to park there from one of the local women.
Walk down the muddy dirt road towards the stream. There are chickens, trash, and toddlers running around everywhere. When the trail becomes muddy at the bottom of the hill, go through the cattle gate in the barbed-wire fence on your right (north). Follow the fields for a few minutes and descend to the stream.
The stream is initially just a muddy depression. Follow the trails next to it for a few minutes. It will suddenly open up with blue flowing water at the top of the first waterfall.
Descent[edit]
You should fix your ropes and plan on ascending back up this short canyon. If you bring a 15m, a 25m, and a 10m, you'll have enough.
The first waterfall is a 15-meter sloping rappel off a tree on the left. There are no bolts or anchor, so bring your own material. This waterfall appears bypassable on the right (?).
There is a waist deep pool at the base.
The next waterfall is large and has two options:
You can rappel around 30m on the left side, or 25 meters off the right side (this drop is only about 15 meters, but is a total of 25 meters from the anchor). Both require anchoring off of a tree. No anchor is present, so bring your own material.
If going off the right side, rappel the 25-meter drop over the travertine formation. This formation is fragile, so keep your rope on the edge, somewhat in the plants.
After this rappel, it's immediately another rappel, about 10 meters, down to a pool. There is a boulder here to tie an anchor to.
The pool below is deep. You can rappel down a few meters and then jump from the balcony, about 8 meters. Or rappel the whole drop.
This pool is gorgeous, deep and refreshing. After the pool, the stream soon disappears into the boulders. The route's suddenly over. Ascend back up your ropes.
Exit[edit]
Walk back to you vehicle the way you came.
Red tape[edit]
No red tape. Always ask local permission. Locals say here that many people come to play in different parts of the stream on hot days. No one, it seems, goes to the waterfalls on this route, and many locals in this valley have likely never seen them (?).
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
https://www.lukaseddy.com/canyons-of-the-dominican-republic
Background[edit]
First descent was by Suhei and Lukas Eddy in January 2022.