Guayabal-Constanza Route

Dogs Off-leash

Features Commonly Backpacked · Hot Spring · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers

This is a beautiful and challenging route that climbs from Guayabal to Constanza, passing through the mountains.

All water from creeks must be filtered and treated; be aware of agriculture fields and cattle upstream. You might be sharing a good portion of the route on a multi-use road, so be alert for ATV and off-road vehicle traffic.

Most of the first half of the route is done along and crossing a river, so gaiters are highly recommended.

This run starts in the little town of Guayabal, a municipality of the Azua province and ends in the town of Constanza, a municipality of the La Vega province in the Dominican Republic.

The trailhead is located on the north side of town and follows the Guayabal River in a northeast direction using the 4x4 road to Constanza. About 1.0 mile up this road, there is a smaller entrance to the left that leads to a singletrack trail along the river. There are multiple crossings with only a couple of wooden bridges on the first 5.0 miles, but after that, there is no option other than to get your feet wet. This river is not really big, but in some sections it goes though narrow rock gorges that, during rainy season, can create strong currents.

There are some sections of the trail that prove difficult to find because of the vegetation and multiple entrances to farming lots, so keep your map at hand, and make sure you check your progress every once in a while.

Approximately at mile 10.8, the trail swerves off the river and takes a sharp turn left. Make sure to refill your water in here as the following climb can prove to be really hard and the next spring is about 8.0 miles away. This is the steepest part of the route, but it is here where the full extent of the valley can be appreciated. The trail here goes straight north, and follows the west side of the ridge, climbing all the time though pasture and open land.

You'll notice the drastic change in vegetation as you climb to 1,800m above sea level. Pine tree forests, and thicker and greener vegetation, will be more common on both sides of the trail that slowly opens up to a single lane 4x4 road that t-bones back into the same road where the route started. Now, you make a right side turn eastbound, and with less than a mile left, you just follow the road all the way down to the town of Constanza.