This Nature Reserve lies a little farther south than the previous ones. According to scientists, around 200 species of plants grow here — 97 of them endemic — and 64 species of birds live in the park.
The Valle Nuevo Nature Reserve is beautiful, and in places mysterious. At an altitude of 2,000 metres, unusual landscapes appear… The photo did not turn out — the light had gone, evening was coming, and the weather was turning towards rain. So, for you, just a description…
A small pine grove. Bunches of white cotton wool hanging from the branches. As though someone had gutted a gigantic bale… The “cotton wool” turned out to be white moss… Large red flowers had settled comfortably on this cotton-moss…
Such coexistence of plants. Epiphytes — not parasites, they simply live together. In this case, one epiphyte riding on another epiphyte — and all of it on a pine tree… Amazing…
Valle Nuevo Park is famous for its Pyramid — La Pirámide. Many people think it marks the Geographical Centre of the country. No confirmation of this can be found…
The Dominican scholar Constancio Cassa wrote that the monument was erected in honour of the 100th anniversary of San José de Ocoa… But the town was founded in the middle of the 18th century…
NOTE: Constancio Cassa (Constancio Cassa Bernaldo de Quirós) was a remarkable Dominican naturalist and historian. A corresponding member of the Dominican Academy of Sciences. Among his works is the book “Valle Nuevo, su historia y naturaleza” — Valle Nuevo, Its History and Nature.
One way or another, the ceremonial opening of the Pyramid monument took place in January 1959. It was timed to coincide with the opening of the new highway between San José de Ocoa and Constanza. In those years, the highway was named after General Héctor Trujillo…
NOTE: Héctor Trujillo (Héctor Trujillo). The youngest brother of the dictator Trujillo. He served in the army. Thanks to Trujillo’s patronage, he rose quickly through the ranks. Alongside his military career, he was occupied with personal enrichment and the acquisition of land. From 1952 to 1960, he was the country’s “puppet” president. During those eight years, Rafael Trujillo ruled in his place. In November 1961, Héctor Trujillo emigrated from the country, after the assassination of the dictator Trujillo. He died in Miami at the age of 94.
The Pyramid is comparatively small — about three times the height of a person. It is made of concrete.
It looks a little like a festive cake cut into pieces… The four sections of the Pyramid are pushed apart by the width of a narrow, cross-shaped passage inside the structure… And all around it, daisies bloom in the fields…
The mountain plateau where the Pyramid stands is not called La Nevera for nothing — in Spanish, “the refrigerator”. In summer it is always very cool here. And in winter, simply cold. A record low temperature was registered in January 2024 — minus 10 degrees Celsius…
Tourists climbing to the Pyramid in winter always wear warm jackets and hats… This high-altitude plateau is considered one of the coldest places in the Caribbean… The measured altitude there was 2,346 metres above sea level.
There are different ways of approaching the Pyramid. You can travel along the San José de Ocoa–Constanza highway. Or come from Jarabacoa. These roads are in good condition. But the section leading to Valle Nuevo requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle. There is no asphalt here. There are potholes and uneven sections…
There are also particularly hardcore approaches to the Pyramid — along the mountain slopes. This is already more like a car rally. Reaching the Pyramid by such routes is not very easy. You will need courage and a reliable four-wheel-drive vehicle with high ground clearance.
You will have to overcome many kilometres of difficult mountain road. At times it is steep. Almost constantly running along the very edge of ravines. Narrow. In places washed away by rainwater…
And at an altitude of around 2,000 metres, there is a short section of road running along an extremely narrow mountain ridge. No more than four metres wide. With serious drops on both sides. And everywhere, the road has no protective barriers along its edges…
ADVICE: Travelling through the mountains is safer with a local guide. There is a real chance of becoming confused at road junctions. And in some places, where the road turns into sliding mud after the rains, you may have to shovel earth or sand beneath the wheels… At that moment, any help will certainly be useful…
A touching detail… The mountain roads are, of course, repaired. After all, the rains wash away their gravel surfaces quite badly. And yet the roads remain in fairly good condition…
But the good-natured Dominicans do not limit themselves to repairs alone. In some places, high in the mountains, right beside the edge of the road, tiny chapels stand above the abyss, containing icons of the Protecting Mother of God…
And also high in the mountains — where one would never expect it — on the close approaches to the Pyramid stands the Monument to Colonel Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó. The monument was erected at the place where the Colonel was shot…
NOTE: Francisco Caamaño Deñó (Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó). A national hero of the country. A fighter for Independence. A hereditary military officer.
When a military coup took place in the Dominican Republic in 1963, followed by the US invasion, Francisco Caamaño Deñó led the Resistance movement — the “April Revolution of 1965”.
Exile. Military attaché in London in 1966. Later, in Cuba, he formed a guerrilla unit. In 1973, together with the guerrillas, he landed on the Dominican beach of Caracoles with the aim of overthrowing President Joaquín Balaguer, a supporter of the United States…
By order of Joaquín Balaguer, he was executed. Shot in the mountains. Together with a group of guerrillas. He was 40 years old…
It is also possible to reach the Pyramid on foot, but this will take several days. There are a couple of simple operating mountain lodges at the top…
But any version of this journey — with its abundance of natural beauty and, at times, risky extreme adventure — will give you a great many unforgettable impressions.