Historians chronicle Roberto Cofresi (born in Puerto Rico) as the last successful Pirate of the Caribbean and an unlikely hero on this chain of West Indies islands immersed in political turmoil ever since Columbus first stumbled upon them.

Characterized as a roguish yet benign and generous thief, Cofresi was a pirate of the people! Their Robin Hood of the high seas, stealing from the rich and sharing his booty with the downtrodden islanders as his legend grew.

Dominicans romanticize him as an immortal magician who could make his ship disappear when surrounded and could invoke supernatural powers to survive lethal wounds like a blade to the heart. They claim he rose from the dead each time he was  killed.  Blimey!  

And now it seems … as is wont to happen with ghosts … he's back. Or is he?

Could the sightings really be the eternal spirit of Cofresi defending his pieces of eight?  OR, is it a swarthy new buccaneer with Letters of Marque defending the territory from a foreign Admiral come to lay claim to all he sees?

Through trusted sources we’ve learned that WE “Iguana Mama Adventure Tours” have been branded “The Pirates of Amber Cove” by none other than Carnival Cruise Lines, the official privateer of the north coast!

While we find that amusing and pretty ironic, we would argue it’s the other way around!  Still, in the spirit of legend, as an independent tour operator in this region for the past 20 years (and the first licensed adventure tour operator on the island), we embrace this "Pirate" designation bestowed upon us by the new Columbus of the north and consider it a treasure worth fighting for!

Try as they might, firing cannon ball after cannon ball at us, Carnival cannot sink our commitment to providing excellent adventures to ANYONE arriving on OUR shores, nor can they send our free spirit to Davy Jones’ Locker which honestly ....... makes them a bit  mishuguna!
 
The truth is, we couldn’t be more flattered! So, as we bow from the waist, tip our corsair hats, wink an eye, heave-ho several bottles of well earned rum and revel that we’re still climbing Jacob’s ladder we give them a hearty "Ay Matey" and a "Yo Ho Ho"! 

As far as we’re concerned, the booty behind that iron gate may belong to them but the bounty outside of it belongs to us all.

In the name of free will, free enterprise, freedom of choice and freedom in general, we vow to be galley slaves for no Captain Bligh and to keep our Independent flag hoisted high!

Savvy?

The problem’s all inside your head
she said to me
The answer's easy if you
Take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle
To be free
There must be fifty ways
To leave your All Inclusive

She said it's really not my habit
To intrude, and I hope the meaning
Won't be lost or misconstrued
But I’ll repeat the specifics
At the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways
To leave your All Inclusive
Fifty ways to leave your All Inclusive

[CHORUS:]
Just take a trip with us,  Gus
We’ll pick you up in a van, Stan
No need to panic, Yanik
Just get yourself free
Rappel that stockade, Jade
Leap into the cascade, Wade
Slide down the sluice, Luce
And get yourself free

She said it grieves me so
To see you in such pain when
There are things that we can do
To make you smile again
I said I appreciate that
And would you please explain
About the fifty ways

She said why don't you check
 Iguana Mama out online tonight,
And by tomorrow morning
You'll  begin to see the light,
And when she disappeared from sight
I realized she was right
There must be fifty ways
To leave your All Inclusive
Fifty ways to leave your All Inclusive

[CHORUS]
Just take a trip with us,  Gus
We’ll pick you up in a van, Stan
No need to panic, Yanik
Just get yourself free
Rappel that stockade, Jade
Leap into the cascade, Wade
Slide down the sluice, Luce
And get yourself free

Maria Laborde is a thrill-seeking Spanish translator & freelance travel writer, sprinkling Latin spice all over the world and we'd like to share what she wrote about her day with Iguana Mama.

"When it comes to adventure travel, I’m super weird. I’m always scared out of my mind, shaking, until I DO IT! Thus, “I don’t know how I get myself into these things” is something you will constantly hear through the action-packed 27 Waterfalls video below.

So please, bear with me as I hike, hesitate, and then finally slip through natural water slides; shoot through carved canyons; and jump off many cliffs throughout a Dominican rainforest and the Charcos Damajagua in Puerto Plata!

This half-day Amber Cove port adventure with Iguana Mama was, hands-down, one of my top 5 most incredible excursions I have ever taken–anywhere in the world.

Click on this link to read more!

27 Waterfalls, Puerto Plata: My Charcos Damajagua Adventure

I wanted to share this story about a newly wed couple's honeymoon experience with Iguana Mama but first, some background.

Melanie and Joel first met when they were 5 years old playing on the same soccer team, and the again while attending the same high school in Bradenton Florida.  Young teens whose friendship bond grew strong and by their junior year they were going steady.  That was 2010 and they were just 16.  

Post high school, Joel went on to the University of South Florida in Tampa and Melanie chose Florida State University in Tallahassee. They were living four hours apart yet managed to make the long distance relationship work for 3 years until both graduated with Bachelor degrees.  

After graduation they decided to move to Orlando which seemed like the best compromise for Melanie’s continuing studies and Joel’s career start.

On June 9th, 2015 while visiting their hometown, Joel sent Melanie on a scavenger hunt with friends.  Each time Melanie solved a clue she was met by a friend with another clue all of which eventually spelled out “Marry Me?” and led Melanie to Siesta Beach where Joel was waiting.

On that beach, surrounded by friends and family, Melanie said “Yes!” and one year later, on May 14th, 2016,  (five and a half years after they met again in high school) Melanie and Joel exchanged vows.

They celebrated their union at a dream reception and the following morning, left for their honeymoon on board the Carnival Valor heading to Amber Cove, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic!

Having heard about the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua from a colleague and after watching the video, Melanie was sold.  They booked with Iguana Mama and we met them along with a group of other passengers at the port on May 18th.

That day we were testing the possibility of going to the top of the 27 waterfalls with cruise ship passengers and I offered everyone the option of going mid-way as booked or going to the top.  As newlyweds often do… Melanie and Joel chose to go all the way!

Melanie later wrote “Being from Florida, where our tallest hills are on golf courses (okay I’m exaggerating a little but not much), I underestimated the challenge it would be to race up to the top. However, it was definitely worth the hard work. We had a blast and were in awe of the beauty the entire way down.”

At the last waterfall of the day, Joel decided to jump twice and then waded off to the side to wait for everyone else to finish their jumps and that's where it happened ! 

Joel felt his precious wedding ring slip from his finger!  Not while hiking or jumping or sliding down waterfalls and cascading streams but, standing there in the last pool simply waiting to get out. 

Panicked, he and the guides tried desperately to find the ring but the water was too disturbed from all the jumpers that day.  It was a sad ending for what had been a perfect day up until that point.

Our guides offered to return the next morning with scuba gear to look for the ring. On the way back to the base and port I tried to assure them the guides would give it their best shot but honestly, neither I nor they really believed it would be found. Still… we were determined to try!  

Imagine the cheers and happiness the next morning when Arido (the guide who'd promised to go back) popped up out the water with wedding ring in hand!  I couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear while emailing the newlyweds that Joel's “PRECIOUS” had been recovered and

of course their reply was pure elation!!

While a lot of quotes like “never give up” and “hope springs eternal” readily come to mind, I think the most stirring message for me that day was

“ If it’s meant to be, it will be! "

Like so many expats, we immigrated as a young family to the Caribbean from England several years ago drawn by the island’s spectacular blue skies, lush vegetation, warm ocean tides, its friendly faces and because - the Dominican Republic allowed us to turn our backs on the escalating rules and regulations, the loss of more and more personal freedoms and the general feeling that things were not going to get better any time soon in our “homeland”. 

So, when we discovered that Iguana Mama Adventure Tours, the Dominican Republic’s first licensed independent tour company was for sale we’re not sure if we bought it because it had a great reputation with a bright future or, if that key word “independent” charmed us.  Autonomy!  We would be free to make and re-make our own bed (so-to-speak) each day!  And to be perfectly honest, the “we’re free” honeymoon lasted a good long while!  We were learning the ropes, enjoying the ride and enthusiastically making small changes we believed would enhance our business while resisting the courtship of large Tour Operators and Tour Wholesalers promising volume, volume, volume through All Inclusive Resort contracts.

As tempting as their promises were, and there were many, they never included any minimum booking guarantees nor guarantees they could or would deliver the numbers they promised yet, to sign on with them they wanted us to slash our prices significantly below what we would consider wholesale!

If we signed with them, we would be paying exorbitant commissions for them to market our tours to what is ostensibly an already captive resort audience (and in high season, not much more sporting than shooting ducks in a pond).

They were asking us to take all the risks and to give up our independence without much more than a promise.  Of course, our primary concern was that the quality and reputation we’d worked so hard to build might diminish to cover our costs and their demands. To boot, they wanted exclusivity which meant we would have to turn away non-resort bookings.  Volume vs Independence!?

After considering the pros and cons, our answer each time was a polite no thanks, we prefer to work independently and set about making a few more business enhancements.  We boosted our on-line presence with a new website.  Learned how to use more savvy internet marketing tools, tarted up our storefront, added a few more exciting adventure tours and hunkered in for the long term.  Financially we weren’t flush but we were doing okay.  Yes, some months were definitely a struggle but no more than any other tourism related business.  We all know slow season is inevitable every year and we prepare for it during high season.  We're proud independent survivors!  And then… the announcement.

Carnival Cruise Lines were building a port in Puerto Plata!  Giant floating cities would soon be arriving carrying thousands of people to the area every week including SLOW SEASON! 

Great leaping lizards!
How could we possibly afford to ignore this new development?

 The entire north coast tourism industry (including us) were collectively singing Hallelujah and we knew we had a winning product on our roster! We were excited!  We’d worked really hard to earn a great reputation on TripAdvisor as one of the area’s leading adventure tour providers and our 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua excursion (one of our best selling tours) was perfect for their needs!  We all waited with eager anticipation during port construction and then one day, Carnival came calling!

Talk about mixed emotions!  This could be our ticket to Xanadu. Easy Street!  We could stop worrying about slow season, we could travel more, stress less, pay those University tuitions without blinking an eye or,

we could politely tell them no thanks, we prefer to work independently and that's what we did … we turned them down!

But don't worry! We still run our 27 Waterfalls tour several times a week and thankfully, our gut feeling to stay independent is paying off.  We’re doing fine filling buses up just outside Amber Cove with cruise ship guests but, we’re doing it on our own terms.  You see what we didn’t know when we declined membership to the "exclusive shore excursion club" was that seasoned cruisers already know they get a more reasonably priced, more authentic experience with an independent tour company ... and they find us!

All that being said, CHEERS to you Carnival Cruise Lines!  We truly appreciate the revitalization you brought to the area and we’re very grateful that as an independent adventure tour operator (with 1st class products to offer your guests) we can all benefit!

Being in the adventure tour biz, I track travel news pretty closely and, even though we have not booked any tours as a result of this new north coast tourism effort, I’d like to weigh in on the current travel trend  … voluntourism. i.e. Traveling to a developing country and volunteering part of your vacation time to programs designed to help improve the lives of locals. Sounds ideal so… why the controversy?  

If you follow social media you’ve probably seen more than a few blogs and posts that claim voluntourism is nothing but a savvy marketing ploy to boost sagging industry sales and that it actually hurts the locals more than it helps.  I’ve read articles that focus on valid concerns like environmental impact, limited or zero trickle-down economic significance and shady corporate ethics and practices.  All topics that warrant scrutiny and corrective measures where needed. Agreed! Constructive criticism is a valuable resource.

Unfortunately, there have also been a few nasty attacks on the motives of voluntourists.  Negative tweets, posts, memes and parody videos that shame and label people who book these trips as having a “white savior complex” and calling them “privileged ego trippers looking for shallow feel good moments”.


What?

Isn't it ironic that on one hand, we’re inundated (especially on social media) with daily messages to practice kindness and that serving others is the key to enlightenment, happiness and good karma.  Feels right!  We're all one! It’s humane! How can I help? And then (using voluntourism as an example) I’ve read opposition comments as cutting as “If you really want to help, stay home and send cash”. 

I can understand some of the underlying concerns a few of the opponents have but not the abrasive negativity toward people who’s hearts are in what should only be considered “the right place”.

Working in the travel industry for the past 10 years I’ve had the privilege of welcoming hundreds of visitors to the Dominican Republic and its given me a bit of insight into tourism on the north coast. Considering world economies, it’s pretty safe to say many vacationers arriving here are not in a financial position to globe trot on a benevolent whim.  More often than not they are hard working folks that save up to go somewhere they’ve never been before and if they choose to combine that with a humanitarian cause, I think it’s marvelous and the kind of thinking the world needs more of.

I also believe the critics of this venture are wrong when they assert that participating voluntourists will simply leave and never look back.  I know of many local families and organizations that continue to be positively affected by island visitors long after they’ve returned home.  Orphanages, schools, child welfare organizations, animal rescues, medical clinics, missions … the list is long and the gifts and aid keep pouring in. 

Are there a few volutourists with self serving objectives?  I’m sure there are but, I’m also willing to bet that at least 70% are genuinely nice people who sincerely believe they’re doing a good thing,  would do more if they could, and often do!  Another 25% are studying and gathering experiences to some day help humanity through future endeavors and that only 5% (or less) are selfie taking Barbies and Kens.

So, even if you're a staunch believer that voluntourism is nothing but a “corporate sales plan” let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.  Let’s be supportive and take positive steps toward fixing the peccadillos in an otherwise good idea!

People are not going to stop traveling and if there is an opportunity to combine our natural wanderlust with respectful, compassionate kindness and caring for our fellow man and the environment, it seems like a win win situation to me.

Most of us like to live fairly uneventful lives avoiding those hair raising situations that send adrenal hormones and neurotransmitters coursing through the body, increasing the heart rate and blood flow to the muscles, giving super human powers to mere mortals because lets face it, things DON’T always work out well (unless you’re the hero in a Hollywood production).   

Walking alone down a dark street, you hear footsteps gaining on you.  You’re the first responder at an accident and someone’s life is in your hands.  You come face-to-face with the soul mate you’ve been searching for all your life.   Your hands start to sweat, your heart beats like John Bonham’s solo in “When the Levee Breaks” and everyone and everything around you disappears except the focus of your adrenaline rush and you… you’ve got to make a split second decision.  Go for it or, run for the hills.

An adrenaline rush is our body's self-preservation mechanism and the majority would prefer to have as few of those extreme experiences as possible.  Oh, we like the mild jolts that make our lives more interesting.  Horseback riding for the first time, jumping from a 40’ cliff into a pool of deep water, the first kiss.  But for a few of the intrepid, danger is the reason they get up every morning. They’re addicted to that adrenaline high and the sanest of the crazies get their fix through extreme sports.
 
But, if we can all work up a little adrenaline given the right situation, what sets them apart?  What propels them to seek out danger and why aren’t they afraid of the outcome?  Its got be more than competitiveness and moxy that gives someone the steely resolve to walk between two mountain tops on a 1 inch thick rope without a safety net or balancing bar.

Its got to be faith! Pure, unshakeable faith… in themselves and tomorrow.
 
So, to all of you ultimate extreme Waterfall Creeking, Base Jumping, Highlining, Volcano Boarding, Wingwalking, Wingsuit Flying, Cliff Jumping, BMX/Motocross/Car Racing, Sky Surfing, Speed Flying, Big Wave Surfing,  Freestyle Skating/Skiing/Cycling/Moto//Kite Surfing crazies out there that provide our vicarious thrills … THANKS FOR THE RUSH and we’re keeping the faith with you!

Literally.  When it comes to a trooper that you can always rely on to go the distance,  our friend the donkey (aka jackass, ass, burro, Jack, Jenny or mule…though a mule isn’t a true donkey) deserves a medal!

Donkeys are steady, reliable, live longer on less food, are generally less finicky than a horse and of course, who can resist those ears!

And talk about versatile! There was a time when the lowly long-ear’s only lot in life was to be a beast of burden, banished to the fields.  Today, donkeys are sought out as riding animals, livestock companions, novelty cart-pullers and as guard animals for goats and sheep against the threat of coyote attack. They are also used to protect cows while calving. You could say we’re in a donkey ren-ass-ance!  BTW, the coyote is the only natural threat to donkeys so needless to say, they are not normally fond of any canine, domestic or otherwise.

Donkeys range anywhere from 80 lb. (miniature) - 1,100 lb. (American Mammoth Donkey) but most adult donkeys weigh 500-700 lbs.  Not terribly exciting until you find out they can easily carry 30% of their body weight in live load and 20% in dead weight over challenging terrains for extended periods of time.  Case in point, we always recommend that our adventure seeking guests hire a donkey for the last stretch of several of our more extreme hiking and canyoning expeditions.  We’ve found that even the “fittest” guest will hug the donkey in gratitude because they don’t have to return to base on their own two weary legs.

So what about the idiom “Stubborn as a mule”.  Hmmmm.  The truth is, we can all learn a lesson from donkey mentality.  They aren’t stubborn at all, they’re smart.  A donkey looks around at the situation and if they don’t like what they see, they simply will not put out the extra effort if they don’t have to.  In other words, when you're working  with a donkey, you have to think like a donkey: smarter, not harder.

The long and the short of it is, donkeys have been hauling our asses and cargo around for over 5,000 years and I for one just want to give them a “Big Up” and an even bigger Thank You!

I think we’ve all experienced those moments that take our breath away and my guess is, at least half of those moments were brought to us by none other than our award winning “mama earth”.

Nature, by its own nature, is simultaneously simple and dizzyingly complex.  It’s the craziest standing ovation, musical, mystery, drama box-office hit in the cosmos and, we’ve all got a front row seat if we just take the time to look at the stage.

Watching the sun dip behind an ocean horizon,  shooting stars, aurora borealis, the mind blowing path of a hurricane or tornado, stumbling upon a mammoth tree in the forest, the birth of anything, hummingbirds in your backyard and taking your first (or twentieth) 30’ jump into a canyon river pool.  

I’m talking about the moments that make you stop. Stop walking, stop talking, stop everything you’re doing and stop thinking to simply absorb the moment with awe.

A couple of weeks ago we were able to take part in an event not everyone has the opportunity to see in person.  The release of two owls back into the wild!  And it was awe…some!  

The Ashy Faced Owl is a species indigenous only to the isle of Hispaniola (where we live) with a few possible sightings on Tortuga.  These beautiful creatures are listed as “vulnerable” on the endangered species list and we thought this was an important environmental occasion.  Just one Ashy Faced Owl can kill up to 1,000 rodents in one year so, helping their population thrive is critical to maintaining a poison free eco balance.

These two owls were  taken from the nest as babies by impoverished locals hoping to cash in on the current “pet owl” fad. Crammed into a rusted cage that was patched together with wire snippets, they were thin, haggard and visibly sad.













Luckily they were brought to a friend of ours who happens to be a falconer.  She ransomed the owlets from their captors to ensure their survival and raised them to fledgling status ensuring they could fly well and hunt. Finally, it was time to release them back where they belong.

From moving a 10’ x 10’ intact mews on the back of a small pickup truck with 5 guys riding shotgun up our rickety roads, to driving them safely crated to their release site 10 weeks later … we were part of the entire process! 

And where were they released? A spectacular castle with 50 meadow acres, a river, tropical forest and towering palms in the hills of Los Brazos.  An owl haven surrounded by organic farms with a very healthy mouse bounty!

It’s difficult to describe the feeling that came over all of us when the first owl emerged from the carrier and realized he was free.  The second owl winging his way to freedom was no less emotionally charged.  What I can tell you is that the rescue and release of these two owls is something we’ll never forget. Ever.  

We’ve been in touch with the owners of the castle who tell us they hear the owlets every dusk and dawn and have caught the occasional glimpse of them in a giant Cieba tree near their home.  A fairy tale ending to an adventure that took our breath away.

You know that one line in Toto’s famous song “I bless the rains down in Africa”, well, here on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, we’ve been singing our own version of that for the past several months.

It was a bit touch and go for a while.  The most severe drought anyone in the D.R. can remember for the past 20 years started sometime in May 2015 and didn’t begin easing off until mid December 2015. This drought caused serious agricultural losses and prompted national water rationing measures.  To our horror, we watched lush vegetation and many rivers dry up, canyon pools shrink by half and spectacular waterfalls diminish to a not much more than a trickle!  We’ll admit we were worried!

The cause was none other than our sometimes friend and sometimes arch nemesis El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).  A cyclical climate phenomenon that affects weather patterns around the world. While it was forecast to continue until early spring 2016, we’re happy to report… IT’S OVER (for this cycle anyway)!

The rains have returned to the island! Some days in tropical torrents, other days a steady drizzle but most days a blessed 20 minute downpour on hot sunny afternoons!  The flora and fauna has sighed a deep breath of relief, the rivers are flowing, the waterfalls are crashing again and canyon pool waters have risen to normal levels!  Phew!!

Suffice it to say, everyone at Iguana Mama has now taken advanced “raindance” courses from our local shaman and we hope never to come that close to having to offer desert dune tours again!  Come on down… the water’s fine!

​28 Day Caribbean Cruise Ship Costa Deliziosa docking at Amber Cove for the first time! Looking forward to our first shore excursion for cruise ship passengers off the Costa Deliziosa.  Our Damajgua Waterfalls  trip again proving a top ten things to do favorite for adventure seeking cruise vacation aficionados!

When it rains it pours and yesterday we saw the first instance of a Carnival ship, the Valor, unable to dock at Amber Cove due to weather conditions. Waves and debris washing into the ocean close to the ship lead to the captain deciding to abort docking attempts and sail away. We were very sorry for all the clients on board who had booked to do our 27 Waterfalls shore excursion. We received several calls and emails form passengers who were understandably very disappointed and frustrated not to be able to disembark to do the tour. An obvious worry for them was our policy on refunds if a ship is unable to dock, being such an unusual event I guess many people do not even consider the possibility so here is what we do.
Our regular terms and conditions state that tours cancelled by clients are non refundable, however for cruise ship passengers we understand that the ship not being able to dock is completely beyond their control so we refund in full less a US$10.00 per person fee to help cover costs. Everyone who contacted us from the Valor seemed more than happy with that arrangement and refunds were made the same day.

We obviously hope this does not happen again but wanted to reassure our clients that they would not be left too out of pocket if it did. 

We are pleased to report a new date for our Mama Knows Best week long multi- adventure tour. The dates are Jan 23-30 2016 and we are now taking bookings, please contact us for more information or book online here. This vacation takes all the hassle out of planning an adventure vacation and includes airport transfers from Puerto Plata (other airports by request ) 7 nights stay at the Velero Beach Resort in Cabarete and six awesome Iguana Mama adventure tours. The trip is a fantastic way to escape the winter blues and enjoy some unforgettable adventures...What are you waiting for?

Yesterday November 2nd we welcomed two groups of passengers off the Carnival Victory. Their disembarkation was slightly delayed by the visit of the president of the Dominican Republic Danilo Medina who was there to officially open Amber Cove for business. Our groups enjoyed trips on the only cable car in the Caribbean up 2700 feet to the summit of Mt. Isabel de Torres and also to the 27 Falls of Damajagua which is proving to be the most popular shore excursion being offered by Iguana Mama. Carnival have said that they will bring more than 100 ships with 350,000 passengers to the brand new terminal over the next 12 months, promising a tourism boom in the Puerto Plata area. As an independent tour company offering adventure tours to people looking for things to do not offered by Carnival we are very excited about the future!

We have been overwhelmed by the interest that our 27 Falls of Damajagua tour is generating from cruise ship passengers visiting Amber Cove. So much so that we have created a new video to encourage even more people looking for an amazing tour or shore excursion to book a trip to nature's own perfect water park. Definitely one of the top things to do in Puerto Plata!

Thanks to eyeflyfilms.com for the cool drone footage too!

Yesterday we were delighted to take our first group of Carnival passengers on their independent shore excursion to the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua. People looking for things to do in the Puerto Plata area on the north shore of the Dominican Republic have found us to be a reliable and friendly company. Adventure seekers traveling to Amber Cove need look no further than Iguana Mama for an unforgettable adventure to the amazing 27 charcos at Damajagua, just a 20 minute drive from the cruise ship terminal at Maimon so guaranteed to get you back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Please feel free to contact us for more information or click on the link to be taken to our shore excursion web page. We look forward to welcoming you to the adventure of a lifetime! 

​27 Waterfalls for Amber Cove 

Hello Chris Hughes - We love your blog! https://vimeo.com/129715844
http://WhosChrisHughes.com 

Our new web page for cruise ship passengers traveling to Amber Cove, near Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic is now live and accepting bookings for clients from Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, AIDA and others. For the ultimate Amber Cove Shore Excursion we are offering our best selling 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua trip. Perfect for adventure seekers and located just 20 minutes away from Amber Cove. Please click here to be taken to the booking page. As well as a cheaper than regular price we are also offering a limited time 20% introductory discount, please use discount code AMBER2015. We will be going up to the 12th waterfall in small groups of 12-14 people so book soon to reserve your spot on this amazing tour!

Unfortunately Tropical Storm Erika has already proved deadly but as the region is suffering the worst drought for decades we are hoping for some big rains and praying for a crisis free passage over Hispaniola. The storm should be passing over the north coast at approx. 8.00pm local time, hopefully the rivers and reservoirs will get a welcome boost. 

As we prepare to welcome Carnival Cruise Lines to their brand new port of call at Amber Cove this October we thought we'd share with cruise ship passengers some of the incredible, unmissable adventure tours  Puerto Plata and the north coast of the Dominican Republic have to offer. Here's our top 10 favorite Iguana Mama Adventure tours.

Number 1. 27 Water Falls of Damajagua

'God's own Water Park' is right. Hike, jump and slide these incredible waterfalls. Recent safety improvements make this THE  'must do' trip for adventure seekers.

2. White Water Rafting in Jarabacoa

Rafting on a Caribbean island? Oh Yes! Our trips run near Jarabacoa, nestled in the 'Dominican Alps'. Unforgettable stuff.

Number 3. Learn to surf!

Something you've always wanted to try, right? Well now you can at our surf school located just a 15 minute drive from Amber Cove. Lessons include transport, one hour of tuition, board hire, lycra and reef shoes. 

Number 4. Farm Tour and Lazy Float

This is one of our favorites for families and those looking for a very chilled experience. Learn, float, eat and enjoy.

5.  Magic Mushroom Canyoning Trip

For the adrenaline junkies out there. An extreme, totally off the beaten path experience. Enjoy rappels, jumps and hiking in an unspoiled paradise.

Number 6. Family Kayak Experience

Serious about hiking? Then this one's for you. Hike 3 hours up to 2700 feet to enjoy the cool breeze and spectacular views of Puerto Plata below. 

Number 8. Mountain Biking

All off road, this moderate ride is a great way to see the countryside and ends with a refreshing swim in the beautiful, cooling Jamao River. 

Number 9. El Choco Park Hike

An easy hike for all ages. See how the locals live off the land, taste the coffee and fruits right off the trees. Then enjoy an unforgettable dip in the crystal clear waters of one of the parks' many caves.

10. Just want to chill? Sosua Beach Day

OK we get it, adventures and too much exercise aren't for everyone! Voted one of the best beaches in the world many times over. Loungers, lunch and drinks included. Enjoy! 

Yesterday I travelled up to Jarabacoa in the central mountain range as we are making a film of our tour offerings for Carnival Cruise Lines who start bringing their passengers into the brand new Amber Cove terminal at Maimon Bay this October. It reminded me of what a must see area this is for visitors to the Dominican Republic and always makes me wonder why I don't visit more often. We are partners with Rancho Jarabacoa, a super professional outfit who provide white water rafting, tubing, canyoning and hiking trips for our clients who want to enjoy a day of adventure in the mountains. The drive from Amber Cove to the ranch is only around 90 minutes and the scenery is simply stunning. This area is not known as the "Alps of the Caribbean" for nothing. Come and see for yourself, I guarantee you won't regret it!

Rancho Jarabacoa "Adventure Specialists"

If you're new to the Dominican Republic or have only heard of the white sand beaches of Punta Cana then we'd like to let you into a little secret. While the South East's beaches are undeniably beautiful the north coast of the island not only boats some of the most idyllic, unspoiled beaches on the island but also offers an incredible variety of adventures for those looking for more than lazy beach time. Check out the shot above of Playa Caleton, only a short drive east of the kite and surf beaches of Cabarete (photo by Wesley Wang). 
For those looking for more action we enjoy an unrivaled haven for adventure seekers, our northern mountain range not only protects us from hurricanes but offers great mountain biking and the best waterfall cascading and canyoneering trips in the Caribbean. Check out one of the jumps of Ciguapa Falls below:

Whether you've been surfing, beach combing or jumping off waterfalls, Cabarete's beach night life is unparalleled on the island. Street food or fine dining, techno or Salsa it's all here waiting for you! 

Tempted? Well we wouldn't blame you! POP and STI airports are within 3 hours of NYC. Contact us today and start planning your unforgettable trip!

Welcome to Iguana Mama's brand new website! We are very excited to be able to present our adventure tours in a new and up to date way. Blogging is new  to Iguana Mama and we hope to keep all of our clients, both new and old, updated with our business and tours. We would love your feedback so please have a look around the site and let us know what you think by dropping us a note in the comments section. Thanks and enjoy the site!