La Rejoya Canyon
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| | Raps:0-5, max ↨131ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:High Clearance Rock type:Limestone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 29 Jan 2022
"Perfect flow. A strange old man followed us up to the upclimb. He couldnt upclimb it. He let us go, told us not to swim. We told him guided groups sw |
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| Best season: | Any
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19.6782, -70.6451
19.6912, -70.6338
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Introduction[edit]
La Rejoya Canyon seems to be well known among the five or so active canyoneers in the Dominican Republic. While it's very pretty, it's not really a canyoneering route. It's a series of five cascades, four of which can be rappelled, and all of which can easily be bypassed by good trails.
Local guides occasionally bring tourists here to rappel. It never slots up, and you upclimb nearly the entire route to get to the start, so by the time you get your rope out, you've already seen and swam in the entire route.
As of 2022, there are some issues with locals saying swimming is not allowed (locals throw their trash and sewage in the Río Camu where they live. Instead of stopping littering and illegal sewage discharge, they take their drinking water from the La Rejoya waterfalls and claim swimming in the falls is not allowed unless you pay a fee).
Canyoneers looking for routes in the Dominican Republic will inevitably hear about La Rejoya, so this page provides all the information needed.
Approach[edit]
Park at the GPS spot. Ask a local if parking is OK. They will almost always say yes and direct you to the trail, not asking for any money.
From the parking area, walk up to the small group of houses surrounded by plenty of trash and animal feces. Locals seem to always be inside watching TV or listening to music here.
The road ends and becomes a trail. Follow the trail along the Río Camu for 10-15 minutes. The trail will turn left (south) when it intersects with La Rejoya stream. Follow this trail, and soon you can cross La Rejoya stream via some dry rocks.
Follow La Rejoya upstream using the trail on the right. Before long, you'll have to again cross La Rejoya to the opposite side. If somehow you reach a locked gate on the west bank, turn around, retreat maybe 100 meters, and take the very obvious crossing.
Now you're on the main trail. You'll soon see tubing. Follow the tubing upstream for at least 30 minutes, with multiple ankle-deep stream crossings. The GPS track should help somewhat. There are no steep parts or bushwhacking.
When you get to the base of the first big waterfall you see (the fifth waterfall on the descent), go back downstream 1-2 minutes, and climb up the trail on the east bank (right side looking downcanyon). There is a trail here, again very obvious. Follow it up, and you'll soon encounter a sketchy upclimb on slippery rocks that many will want to have a handline for. First person up can rig a handline on some roots. A fall here would result in injury, hence the R- rating for this canyon.
After the upclimb, continue following the trail along the cliffs above the stream. Don't take the steep descent back to the stream; stay on a trail that more gradually descends.
You'll the arrive at another waterfall (the fourth waterfall on the descent). Suit up here, and upclimb the easy upper part of this falls.
Keep going upstream. Upclimb the third waterfall, which is smaller, then bypass the second waterfall on a good trail on the right. You can then continue to the top of the first waterfall, called Cascada La Rejoya, via another decent trail on the right (west) side. You've arrive at the start of the route.
Descent[edit]
All anchors are natural anchors. As of January 2022, there are no existing anchors, so you'll need to bring your own webbing and rapides. There are plenty of trees to anchor off of. You'll want at least a shorty wetsuit.
Rappel 1 is around 40 meters down the magnificent Cascada La Rejoya.
Rappel 2 is Around 20 meters down the second falls.
The third falls, which you've already upclimbed, are a simple downclimb. The pool is shallow, and probably not suitable for jumping.
The fourth falls can be rappeled, or likely jumped. The rappel is around 16 meters. There's a nice tree to anchor off of on the left downcanyon side.
After the third rappel is a pumping structure with 'No Swimming' signs. Then the fifth falls, with a rappel around 30 meters. The canyoneering route then ends.
Exit[edit]
Walk back to your car the way you came.
Red tape[edit]
More and more tourists are starting to come to these falls. Numbers are still low, maybe 1-2 dozen people a day max, but locals are deciding how to best capitalize on their resource. It seems inevitable that they will soon charge money.
There is a tiny local village downstream of the falls, where the parking spot is. This village is absolutely filled with trash, and locals discharge their sewage into the river, called Río Camu. Because of this ignorance, locals cannot drink from the Río Camu. Instead, they take their drinking water from the waterfalls of La Rejoya, via a pumping station and a long pipeline.
Locals say swimming is not allowed in the La Rejoya waterfalls, as it will contaminate their drinking water. They also say that only after 'un impuesto' (a tax/fee) is paid made you swim.
Locals try to follow every person up to the falls, even though there's no sign indicating they must guide you. If you pay a local (bribe?) they will let you swim, and not tell anyone. There are a few canyoning tours that visit the falls once or twice a month and obviously swim. It's unknown if they are bribing, or if there is some rule allowing guided groups. Regardless, there are are cattle and homes upstream that surely put some contamination into the water!
If going, it's probably best to hike fast and not pay locals. Who knows what the rules are, if there even are any - this is the Dominican Republic, after all.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
https://www.lukaseddy.com/canyons-of-the-dominican-republic
Background[edit]
Locals have known of these waterfalls, and certainly hiked up to them, for centuries. The middle section has a pump house. It's unknown who decided to rappel the falls first.