There are few activities available in this remote area. Conquest Tours offers a Jungle Tour @160 peso per couple. We were told that only people from our hotel would be on on our jeep to save time picking people up; also that the tour would leave on time with or without us. If you wish to hear only positive comment, then go to the last paragraph now.
We got off to a shaky start. The tour was scheduled to leave at 8am and we were told to be there at 7:50am. We arose very early, and were at the departure point on-time. People began to arrive and then at 8am the tour vehicle arrived. We were ready to go by 8:10. However, the tour did not start, and when we asked why we were told that a group of four paid guests, were missing and we were waiting for them. Someone called their room, but received no answer. We waited, and waited… The group of 10 who had arrived on time began to lose patience. At about 8:50 two men joined our tour. However, they were not part of the missing four, but were scheduled for another tour that had been cancelled. To add insult to injury, it started to rain, so we had to attach the removable roof, and we finally were on our way at 9am. Next, instead of starting the tour, we picked up another couple at remote hotel That was not even on the way to our destination, so another promise was broken.
The rain stopped and the tour guide was able to break the ice and people began to warm up and forget the rough start to the day. We first visited a cigar factory owned and operated by a French Canadian. We then visited a fresh water lagoon and some people from our group went for a dip.
Lunch was served in a clearing near the lagoon. We met up with some other groups there and everyone ate together. The food was OK and we didn't suffer any ill effects later. The bathroom facilities here were good. We were able to buy locally grown vanilla here. Next we visited a "typical Dominican house" and learned about how they live. The family was there and I took some photos of them and their pig. He looks dead in the photo, but was really just resting. The house was very small and the kitchen was outside. It was actually a barbeque pit with a roof, located in the backyard. The bathroom was an outhouse with a broken toilet bowl (no seat) placed over an crude opening in the floor. On the way to Boogie Boarding, we stopped at a road side market with very good prices for local rum. . My husband enjoyed Boogie Boarding while took photos and shopped for a sandstone sculpture of a woman typical for this area, as she has a blank face.