Los Tres Ojos National Park

Making yourself a TripAdvisor account will always be one of the best decisions when it comes to wanting to travel to a new country. You will find honest opinions about the place, which are not at all influenced by the government or the place itself. It was on that website where I found that Los Tres Ojos was one of the top ten things to do during my stay in the Dominican Republic, especially in Santo Domingo. Within the TripAdvisor ranking, this is the second top-rated activity to do in the country.

It's amazing that it's a place known by the majority of the people who live here, but it's not a place that's as commonly visited by tourists, who much prefer going to one of the many beautiful beaches that this country has to offer. One Sunday in the middle of summer, I saw very few visitors considering that it's a time of year where there should be copious amounts of them. Also, the majority of the people there were Dominicans, rather than foreign tourists.

(Official entrance to Los Tres Ojos. )

This is one of the nature areas that has suffered a little bit of everything, but, in the end, it is still standing with its natural beauty in tact. This year, the national park will celebrate 100 years since its discovery, but it was just 34 short years ago that the Dominican Government officially declared the Parque Nacional de Los Tres Ojos as a protected area of nature. But, why is it called that, you ask? Well, the park itself is located within some caves and each eye makes reference to each of its three undeground lakes: the Lago de Azufre, the Lago de Las Damas, and La Nevera. Hurricane Georges greatly impacted the Dominican Republic in 1998, and although over 20 years have passed, the park is still recovering from this event that managed to devastate its natural vegetation.

Later, it was discovered that, when crossing the underground lake, La Nevera, it overlooked another outdoor lake. This lake is known as the Cuarto Lago, although some people usually call it the "Lago de Los Zaramagullones". In total, Los Tres Ojos have an approximate surface area of 1. 000. 000 metres squared. The underground river is the one that belongs to the group of lakes known as "La Brujuela".

During my stay in the Dominican Republic, I have realised that it's a beautiful country, but it doesn't take much care of its tourist attractions, giving them little maintenance, with some of them even looking quite dirty. It was an absolute pleasure to see that Los Tres Ojos have been completely preserved, both in terms of flora and fauna. I didn't come across a single ounce of pollution in the place, making it even more emblematic.

How much does it cost to visit the park?

Entry to the park isn't free, but it is dirt cheap, costing $100 Dominican pesos per person (which roughly converts to $2. 02 based on the current exchange rate). Although, you must also consider that an additional tariff of $25 Dominican pesos (50 cents) must be paid in order to visit the Cuarto Lago because you must take a boat pulled along by ropes to get there.

Recommendations about what clothing to wear

In theory, it's prohibited for all visitors to go into any one of the lakes and swim, so it's not worth bringing, and ultimately carrying around, a swimsuit and towel. Although they say that if you arrive extremely early (before the tourists do so), they will let you go into the Lago de las Damas. It is said that you could swim in the lake in the past, which surprises me greatly, given that there are areas of the lake where the water is 5 metres deep and the levels are quite irregular. I have even heard hat people used to throw themselves into the lake from the rocks for fun, which I personally think is even more dangerous. You must know that some people have lost their lives in these waters just shortly after entering them.

(Descending the stairs to go inside the caves. )

The recommendation that I was given about what clothes to wear here was correct, so I am going to share it with you. I recommend wearing very light clothing, as, although the Dominican heat dies down a bit inside the caves, it is much more humid. Going down the numerous stairs and navigating your way between the stones can make you sweat more than you would by running a half marathon. It's almost a given that you will be sweating all over by the time you leave.

Due to the humidity and these stone stairs, I would also recommend wearing some sturdy trainers. Don't even think for a second about putting on sandals or flip flips, as the soles of these are very thin and it can be very uncomfortable walking on the stones in these after a short while. There is also a lot of humidity inside the caves, so you could slip if you are not wearing appropriate footwear.

(I have uploaded this photo so you have an idea about what is considered to be suitable clothing to wear. Shorts and a lightweight t-shirt is ideal in ensuring that you have a great time! )

General recommendations

We also decided to take a water bottle with us, which really helped us whilst inside the caves because you do sweat a fair bit. The cafeteria, obviously, is outside of the caves and, on that occasion, was closed, so if you want water and didn't take any with you, you will have to wait until you leave.

We decided to go to Los Tres Ojos more or less around midday. However, we were told that the best way to truly appreciate the blue colour of the lakes is by going during the first hour in the morning, which is when it manages to light up the caves the most. It was a challenge taking photos whilst we were there for how dark it usually is, and I don't think you can appreciate the sheer beauty of this place when taking photos on a mobile phone. You can enter the park from 8:30am and it remains open for entry until one hour prior to its closing time at 5:30pm.

Take cash with you, as the men working in the wooden boat on La Nevera lake don't have a payment terminal that you can use a debit or credit card with.

Now, let's start the tour!

The entrance

(The paths that you will walk along inside the caves. You can see that it is not so dark, despite the fact that it never entirely receives sunlight. )

After paying for your admission at the entrance, they will ask you if you want to hire a guide or not for your visit. I honestly don't think that it's necessary because, with just reading this post alone, you will have an idea of the history behind Los Tres Ojos. Besides, the acoustics are quite good, so, if there is a guide giving a tour to other people, you can get a little bit closer to hear what they are saying.

Anyway, the entrance to the caves is located around 10 metres from the main entrance. You have to walk down some stairs to get to the lakes, but there aren't that many, and there are handrails to make sure you are completely safe. Whilst you are walking down the stairs, you will feel less of the Dominican heat because it is a lot cooler. However, this doesn't mean that you won't sweat considerably, as, despite the lower temperatures, there is a lot more humidity at the lakes and in the caves.

Lago de Azufre

(This is the first lake that you are going to see after descending the little staircase. )

As you walk down the little staircase, you can see the first of the three underground lakes. These lakes were previously joined together, forming part of an underground river, which was ultimately divided after a cataclysm that caused the collapse of the cave, giving rise to this new structure.

The Lago de Azufre has the same transparent blue colour as the rest of the lakes, but you can sometimes see whitish parts on the water's surface. This is caused by calcium carbonate from the rocks. I don't really know why the lake bears this name because it doesn't smell of sulphur; when I put my hand in the water, it was fresh and had a metallic smell, which I think is caused, again, by the minerals in the rocks.

(Here, you can see the clarity of the water in the Lago de Azufre)

Lots of people would think that it isn't particularly deep, but the water has a depth of 3 metres.

Lago de las Damas

(You can see the clarity of the water in the Lago de las Damas much better in this photo. )

Walking along the path inside the cave, you will be able to find the Lago de las Damas if you turn to the left before reaching the Lago de la Nevera. This is the smallest of all the lakes, but its water also measures 3 metres deep. Previously, women came to wash themselves in the lake (before it was banned, obviously), so that was where its name came from.

(I found this cat whilst walking down the stairs to go and see the Lago de las Damas. But how on earth did it end up there? )

La Nevera

This was my second favourite lake and, in fact, it is the second-largest within Los Tres Ojos National Park. They call it "La Nevera" ["fridge", in English] because, in theory, it's much colder that the rest of the cave (although I personally didn't feel it), and, as you get closer to it, it gets darker (this definitely was true). To get to the Cuarto Lago from here, you are going to have to cross La Nevera in a wooden boat that is usually pushed along by two men that use a system of ropes to move it along. But don't worry, it's completely safe to travel on it, however, it does scare some people, with reason, and it takes them a little while to commit to getting on.

The Cuarto Lago

(I love this photo. I took it because the contrast of how little a man who measures 1. 8 metres tall is with the sheer size of the cave was really incredible. We are really insignificant in comparison to nature. )

If you have decided to pay the $25 Dominican pesos to ride this boat across the lake, you will be able to see and explore the Cuarto Lago (or, the "Lago de los Zaramagulones", as it is also known). This was my favourite lake and it is, without a doubt, the largest of the four. Although, in theory, this lake doesn't form part of Los Tres Ojos because it is not inside the caves (it's actually outside), but the only way of accessing it is by entering them.

This lake is the deepest of the four, reaching depths of up to six metres. Its diameter is much, much larger than the other three lakes inside the caves. I think that, even if we pooled these three together, we would still not fill this fourth lake in its entirety.

(This is the closest that you will be able to get to the Cuarto Lago. )

Now, why do they also call this lake the "Lago de los Zaramagullones"? A zaramagullón is a Dominican bird, one that is very, very similar to a duck. This species makes a stop here as part of its migration. It's impossible to access and enter this lake on foot because there is a kind of wooden wharf blocking you from even touching the water. However, if you take a little bit of bread with you to throw for them, you might see the fish eating and fighting amongst themselves for it, as well as seeing how worked up they get about it. It is said that you can also see tortoises here, but I personally didn't come across any whilst I was there.

(The fish. )

(It started to rain just as I was about to take this photo, which gives it an even more special touch, if you ask me. In fact, it was my favourite photo of all the ones that we took because the fact that we weren't inside the dark cave helped to get some better lighting for capturing the true colour of the water. )

(Another little gift for you with this photo. )

This lake was also my favourite because the colour of the water is not sky blue like all of the others. Its colouring is more turquoise, which I personally like a lot more.

(This is the sign that you will have to follow if you want to visit the Cuarto Lago from above. )

You can also look at this lake from above - in other words, without having to travel through the caves in a wooden boat. If, for any reason, this is the case, you must climb the stairs (just by the entrance) and walk along the paths in the park (which sit above the caves). You are going to see lots of signs in both English and Spanish that say "the Cuarto Lago", so, if you follow them, you will be able to see it from above.

(View of the Cuarto Lago from above. )

The Taino path and culture

This place is not completely isolated from sunlight, just certain areas of it. In fact, if you look upwards, you are going to see that the sky is typically covered by trees, bracken and branches, which surround the area. Between the rocks, you will be able to find some spider's webs and, hanging from the trees, some harmless bats that co-exist in constant harmony with the park's tourists. I have a horrific fear of spiders, but seeing the webs was not a problem for me, so I was able to enjoy my time here worry-free.

(One of the things that struck the most curiosity in me was the structure of the rocks, so it's for this reason that I took a photo next to a particularly strange one. )

The little light that enters this area allows for the development of plants in the hollows of limestone, epiphytes and lianas. This place is very closely related to the Taino culture and religious elements. In theory, you can also see pre-Hispanic petroglyphs, but, after searching high and low, I couldn't find them. Around these, there are archaeological deposits that can be found on the surface.

(These are some of the monuments that you will find in the upper part of the park. )

(Plants and trees inside the caves. )

(This tree seemed extremely peculiar... if you pay close attention, you will see that is is full of thick thorns. What is it protecting itself from? )

Handicrafts shop

On the way to the exit, you will find a Dominican handicrafts shop, where you will be able to buy local jewellery, although I think that you would be able to get it cheaper somewhere else. A good gift would be to buy jewellery made with larimar, which is a semi-precious stone that only exists in the Dominican Republic. Although it is available in a range of diverse colours, the most popular ones are blue-green and dark blue. This shade of blue is very similar to the colour of the lakes at Los Tres Ojos, so I would highly recommend buying something like this.

I bought my mother some blue larimar earrings, as well as two-face ring - one side with larimar stone, and the other with onyx.

(I recommend that you don't end your visit to Los Tres Ojos in the caves, but that you continue walking around the park, so that you can admire the Dominican flora and fauna a little bit more before leaving.)