El Mogote - La Vega

A mountain very underestimated, but of great beauty and technical difficulty to achieve its peak! Be in love with sua views and hollow paths’ This weekend I fulfilled one of my dreams that I had so much postponed: to climb to the Mogote, the flagship motto of Jarabacoa, a geological pride that rises over the 1,560 meters above sea level and is reached to see from any point in the city. It is also the greatest ecotourism challenge among its trekking or hiking offers. Once in the center of the municipality, only about 865 meters would be left to reach the top, odyssey that is completed in a well-hit route with strong inclinations that at times are slippery, and you think you would roll back or fall into their immense ravines. At times it plays almost climbing due to the height so marked on the path that make this trail more technical. By crowning the top you feel unparalleled peace and happiness, for in my case besides that I always marvel greatly for the beauty of nature, complete a dream that I had not been able to achieve for years. The top of El Mogote is much wider than you can expect and is perfect for camping. From the top, in diaphanous days you get spectacular views of the city of Jarabacoa and the Cordillera Central. If you want to climb the mogote, you have to train a lot up stairs and strengthen the whole body, because believe me there are times when your strong arms will be your best ally! How do you get there? Take the Jarabacoa-Manabao road and turn left into the signpost leading to the Cistercian Monastery. The climb begins on the left side of the entrance to the Monastery, six kilometres south of the city. Any time of the year is suitable for climbing El Mogote, but prefer the months of low rain or make sure there are the best conditions, especially if you plan to camp on the top.

Beautiful view from above, I invite you to go up and enjoy it, go prepared, take water and something to eat, depending on your physical condition the promotion is between 1 to 2 hours walking, pure campsite.

It's three super intense miles... Don't trust the short distance, because the road is tilted and difficult... Try it!

This is my favorite hike in the Jarabacoa area. It starts in the forest and as you get higher you get several different views of jarabacoa. When you get closer to the false peak, the path wraps around the back side of the mountain where you get a view of the country (no cities in site). Once you reach the summit you can walk around the entire perimeter and see both sides of the mountain view (one side looks out over the city while the other side looks out towards the mountains). Whenever I do the hike I frequently take a light lunch or snack as well as my hammock. There are few places to hang a hammock on some small trees or at the base of the look out tower. Even though this is a beautiful hike, this hike takes a few hours to complete. It is a total of 2 miles to get to the peak and has a 23% grade (2800ft/853meters in elevation gain). Most people will take 2-3 hr to reach the summit and another 2hr or 2.5hr down. Over all I love this hike but not everyone I know enjoys hike like I do.

The mogote in syrup is a magnificent place for hiking