Iguana Mama - Mountain Biking, Hiking & Ecological Adventures

We cycled past the barefoot, sometimes naked, little Dominican children who greeted us shyly from the sides of the road. We panted past the fruit trees, flowers and the barbed-wire fences laden with the Monday washing hung to dry in the sunshine.

We pedaled past the turkeys, chickens and roosters that pecked in the yards, and we cruised by the donkeys, burros and horses that people rode with just a blanket for a saddle.

We were an odd group, a roving band of spandex and helme

t-clad mountain bikers panting in the midday sun up a steep clay road slick from rain.

A few pedal revolutions into the back country of the Dominican Republic is a mind boggling and humbling glimpse into the world beyond the hotels and restaurants of the tourist zones.

Iguana Mama, a mountain biking tour company in Cabarete, offers half-, full- and multi-day tours through the jungle, small villages and countryside of the nearby hills and mountains.

There's a challenging half-day tour for experienced riders that will take you 40 kilometers through the countryside, 30 kilometers off-road, on a loop called El Choco Loco.

There are also full-day tours that cover a laid back 1,000 meter descent designed for families and inexperienced riders. The day starts with breakfast, and a history and geography lesson from the bike tour guides who are local Dominicans.

There's a stop mid-way for fresh coconut, pineapple and melon. The day ends at the Blue Moon, an exotic hill-top Indian restaurant.

"I like to get out and be adventurous but I'm not the most experienced person," said Kelly O'Brien, a 28-year old political aid from Toronto on her first-ever mountain-biking tour. "It was good because the guides kept pace and they were right behind me the whole way so I felt comfortable."

Iguana Mama herself, former American ski instructor and entrepreneur Patricia Thorndike, started the company five years ago and replaces her equipment with top-of-the-line mountain bikes every six months. The company runs multi-day hiking and biking tours that could take you from coast to coast of this small island or tailor-make a package for individuals and groups with an emphasis on a well-rounded cultural experience.

"I've designed it as if it was for me- for people who normally wouldn't go on tours," said Thorndike.

Married to a Dominican and the mother of two young children, she is also active in the community and donates 20 percent of the company's income to local school and parks. Among other education-related projects, Thorndike is helping start a library for local children, offering up to 25 per cent off the price for people who bring Spanish books with them to Cabarete.