27 Waterfalls of Damajagua by Bus: Puerto Plata or Santiago

The 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua in five facts

1. They are in the municipality of Imbert, Puerto Plata province, along the Damajagua river.
2. The area has been protected since 2004 and run under community co-management since 2005.
3. Visits go with local guides, helmet and safety gear on, and most excursions cover seven falls.
4. Imbert lies on the Puerto Plata to Navarrete road, the way to Santiago.
5. We handle the bus from Puerto Plata to Santiago and back from 19 USD per person. We do not sell the park entrance.

What the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua are

They are a chain of falls and pools on the Damajagua river. The official page of the Ministry of Tourism, checked on 22 October 2026, describes a hike through thick forest and over footbridges to the top, then the way down by jumping or sliding through the waterfalls into deep pools, with a helmet and safety gear. According to the same page, most excursions only go through seven falls, and reaching the 27th is for the fittest visitors. The park is run by local guides who live in the community, and the entrance fees benefit its residents. El Día reported on 21 November 2014 that this natural monument was declared protected in 2004, has been under community co-management since 2005 and covers six kilometres of the river. Diario Libre added on 31 August 2016 that the Damajagua Council is chaired by the Environment Ministry's director in Puerto Plata.

Where they are: Imbert, between Puerto Plata and Santiago

The falls are in the municipality of Imbert, in Puerto Plata province, according to Diario Libre. Imbert lies on the Puerto Plata to Navarrete road, the one used by the routes from Puerto Plata to Santiago, according to El Nuevo Diario (5 April 2019). The map on the official tourism website places the park about 2.5 km in a straight line south of central Imbert, by our measure on OpenStreetMap, and the page puts it approximately one hour from Puerto Plata city. In short, the falls sit next to the bus corridor, but not at a terminal.

The Puerto Plata to Santiago bus: the Caribe Tours timetable

This bus is run by Caribe Tours and goes terminal to terminal: from its Puerto Plata terminal to its Santiago terminal, and back. According to its public timetable API, checked on 3 October 2026, there are 13 daily departures from Puerto Plata to Santiago, every hour from 06:00 to 19:00 except 15:00, each taking 1 hour 15 minutes. The other way there are 14 departures from Santiago to Puerto Plata, every hour from 09:00 to 22:00, taking 1 hour 30 minutes. It is about 65 km by our data. Every departure is on the route page Puerto Plata to Santiago by bus.

Imbert and the last stretch to the falls: on you

In its public API, Caribe Tours lists Imbert among its stops, with no address published, and shows trips of about 45 minutes from Santiago to Imbert, but none from Puerto Plata to Imbert (checked on 22 October 2026). What we handle is the full run between the Puerto Plata and Santiago terminals, and we do not take for granted that you can get off in Imbert. If that is your plan, message us on WhatsApp before you travel and we tell you what we can confirm. From Imbert or from Puerto Plata, the stretch to the park entrance is on you, with whatever local transport you arrange there. The guided visit is paid separately at the park, or as part of an excursion you arrange on your own. We do not sell or handle it, and we do not publish the entrance fee because we have no dated official source for it.

A day at the falls from Puerto Plata or from Santiago

From Puerto Plata you do not need our bus for the excursion: the falls are approximately one hour away, according to the official tourism website. What we handle is getting you to Puerto Plata, from Santiago or from Santo Domingo, as in Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata by bus. From Santiago the maths is tighter. The first departure to Puerto Plata is at 09:00 and arrives at 10:30, according to the Caribe Tours API of 3 October 2026. For the way back, the last departure from Puerto Plata to Santiago is at 19:00 and arrives at 20:15, but it is better not to count on the last bus of the day: the 18:00 arrives at 19:15. If you cannot get off in Imbert, going from Santiago to Puerto Plata and back towards the park adds up to almost 5 hours on the road in one day with those figures, so a night in Puerto Plata makes the visit far more relaxed. If you land in Santiago, the bus connection is in Santiago airport to Puerto Plata and Sosua.

Safety basics at the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua

This is what the official source says: you go down with a helmet and safety gear, with local guides, and most excursions stop after seven falls, because reaching the 27th takes very good fitness. We have not found a current official rule on minimum age or on whether you need to swim, so ask at the park or your excursion before paying. If a jump does not feel right, tell the guide before you start. The bus does not cover the last stretch, so leave early and keep a buffer to get back to the terminal.

Sources and how we checked

The park description, the guides, the helmet and safety gear, the seven falls and the hour from Puerto Plata come from the official Ministry of Tourism page on godominicanrepublic.com, checked on 22 October 2026. The protected area and co-management come from El Día (21 November 2014). The municipality and the Damajagua Council come from Diario Libre (31 August 2016). The Imbert road comes from El Nuevo Diario (5 April 2019). The Puerto Plata to Santiago times come from the Caribe Tours public API, checked on 3 October 2026, and the Imbert stop from the same API on 22 October. The bus distance and the 2.5 km from Imbert are our estimates. We are an independent intermediary with no agreement with the operators, we are not the website of any transport company and we do not sell the park entrance.