Guias De Alturas The Pico Duarte Guides

Guias De Alturas The Pico Duarte Guides
5
Climbing ToursHiking & Camping Tours
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sunday
Closed
About
We are a local small mountaineer-trips company based in Dominican Republic that strives on making safe and amazing outdoor experiences. We were born and raised on Pico Duarte and for that reason we have developed good techniques and experiences to hike this amazing mountain in a safe way.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles33 reviews
Excellent
30
Very good
1
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
1

2shawarmas
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Couples
Did Pico Duarte, great excursion. Strenuous hike even if you are in shape. Highly recommend the rest day in beautiful Valle del Tetero. Guides knowledgeable and capable (though not very chatty, even if you know spanish). Delicious very basic dominican power food. Joel bent over backwards to help with logistics and and prep. Great people, beautiful area for hiking, can’t recommend highly enough!
Written April 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much Matt & Elisa. We appreciate your visit very much. We are very thankful for your trust. Our best regards!!
Written April 19, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jhonatan M
Dominican Republic11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
We did the tour with Joel and loved it! Not only the good information transmitted but how enjoyable the journey has been... Making us all participate... excellent experience. And to you as a company, thank you for offering a tour of the highest mountain in the Caribbean, a commendable job. Totally recommended, not only for the environment and the route, but also for the experience.

I emphasize the quality of everything, the food, the materials that I rent.
I congratulate and thank the guides for the treatment received, their professionalism and care. Five stars for the staff.
Written May 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Mr Jhonatan for your excellent review about our services! We really appreciate it! Hope to see you again.
Written May 19, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Aileen Munoz
Bronx, NY4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022 • Solo
Such a amazing experience! The whole team was fantastic. I had a great time hiking the Pico Duarte with Guias de Alturas. Well organized. The logistics with the meals and the times of departure and estimated arrival to Compartición was so well coordinated. It allowed the hikers to rest well and relax and enjoy the astonishing views of the adjacent mountains Pelona and Rucilla. It was a one of a kind experience and I can’t wait to come back with this phenomenal team of professionals. 100% recommended.
Written May 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Aileen!!! We are glad you enjoyed the Pico Duarte experience!! :)
Written May 12, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Cristina M
New York City, NY2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2018 • Solo
I have been climbing the Pico Duarte for some years. During my journeys I have encountered all kinds of companies offering the Tour to the peak, in the Dominican Republic. I can tell you with all certainty that excursions with Guias de Alturas are the best. This is my second trip to the Pico with them. The Pico Duarte is considered an extreme climb and must be done with experienced guides. And that is what Guias de Alturas provides – the best. This company is made up of a group of professionals in mountaineering. You may notice this in the pre-peak meeting, where each of the guides offers a detailed report on their specialty ensuring both the safety and fun of the participants.

The leader guide of the group, Joel, is highly professional and always available to clarify any concerns you may have regarding the trip. I have seen him perform in difficult and conflictive situations. I can tell you that the only thing that Joel has in mind is the safety and well-being of the group. I have to tell you this, be on time. Especially for departures otherwise you will have to chase him in a "motoconcho" or any means of transportation that you choose. Joel will do everything possible to contact you to let you know that is ready to leave, but he will not delay the departure for a person who is not on time. I highly recommend that you leave yourself enough time - because the traffic in Santo Domingo is very congested.

Before the climb to the peak the guides present a series of techniques and suggestions to make the experience pleasant and safe:

Alef, details techniques that can be used for climbing/descent to the peak so your body will not feel the impact as strongly. Do not get carried away by his serious appearance. He is funny and he has a good sense of humor ... just take time to realize it.

Misael, is very special on the trip, He has a lot of experience climbing the peak. He is super fun and very helpful. He also acts as a human alarm, because he is responsible for getting up the group in the morning to leave.

Doctor Leuris, is part of the staff and provides medical help in case of emergency or anything of that nature; also in the pre-peak talk he offers a series of recommendations on how to relieve any pain or discomfort that we may have.

I can not fail to highlight the service provision of the local guides, headed by Roselio; all of them (Chelo, Manolo, Jose Miguel, Sanabio, Manuel, Jade and Adonys) are in charge of guiding the mules so that all our equipment arrives safely; Also, they do an excellent job assisting Rogelio in the kitchen. Thank you guys for your kindness and services!

This company not only has "Alturas" in its name but also in the quality of service that they offer. Bottom line...YOUR BEST CHOICE!
Written January 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jocelyn
Worcester, MA9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
As I researched excursions for my trip to the Dominican Republic, I found page after page of beach trips but very few excursions focusing on the mountains. I am so glad that my research led me to Guias De Alturas - The Valle Nuevo tour. Joel was a fabulous guide and host as well as his companion Carly. He knows the area well and both Joel and Carly engaged in great conversations during our long, winding ride through mountainous dirt roads. We saw a pyramid shaped monument, waterfalls, and a variety of beautiful vistas. We spent the night at a charming eco lodge in the Valle Nuevo park, where we had a wonderful view of the starry sky. Joel and Carly both took turns cooking for us (which was a real treat - I’m still thinking about how delicious everything was!) The tour was the highlight of our trip - not just because it was beautiful but also because we left feeling as though we made two new friends. I am so happy we booked with Joel!
Written April 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nick_Mary_13
Zurich, Switzerland5 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Solo
Blessed with great weather, hike was very nice and unique DR experience!
Booked a solo 2.5 days tour for USD 360 but did it finally in 2 days (at 66)!
Support documentation and information before hike was informative and clear.
Disappointed about quality of food although was warned beforehand of a "rustic" experience. Lunch at end of hike at Park Entrance was tasty and served in a clean plate/fork and cup. After trip had some stomach issues!
In my opinion, tour for DR standard is too expensive and "solo" surcharge of USD 110 not justified. And by the way, tip for guide is not included!
My suggestion: take your time and shop around...
Written March 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Selgon
Exeter, UK48 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2019 • Couples
We had an excellent trip with Guias de Alturas - climbing Pico Duarte and staying in Tetero Valley..
All correspondence was handled by Joel who was extremely helpful, efficient and very professional. The information we received was accurate, up to date and very thorough - faultless.
The actual trip was great fun and very well organised. We were well looked-after at all stages and our guide/chef Roselio was absolutely wonderful - endlessly smiley and helpful (even though we speak no Spanish!) and an excellent chef. He really helped to make our trip memorable.
Overall we would highly recommend Guias de Alturas.
Many thanks to Joel and his team - all the best, Martin & Joy.
Written March 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We really appreciate your kindness and goodwill. You guys are fantastic and we are really happy you enjoyed the Pico Duarte experience with us. Hope to see you soon. Our best regards! Joel, Roselio and Alberto. Your beloved guides :)
Written May 6, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Zak1561
London, UK6 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Solo
TLDR - Based on the reviews I read and the price I had quite high expectations for this tour and sadly they were not met. For the price I paid the service was very poor. I would strongly recommend going with a local guide in Jarabacoa!

Pros:
- Beautiful scenery and a great hike!

Cons:
- Price was very high for service received!
- Guide was very unprofessional:
- Littering in the park
- Making lots of noise, singing at the top of his voice while walking
- Leaving me for over an hour when he walked ahead to the camp
- Constantly asking for photos, interrupting my conversations with other guests for this
- Digging up plants to take away with him
- Food was very very basic. Even for a hiking trip other groups had much better food!

In depth review below!

The hike itself was amazing! And I did enjoy my time, but this was largely down to the beauty of the place than anything else.

Below is quite a detailed review of my experience as I hope this can help you improve the service in the future.

The pickup was fine the guide was there on time and we drove to the park entrance ok. I explained to the guide that I find it hard to understand Spanish when spoken quickly and that he'd need to speak slowly for me to understand. This didn't help though and the guide still spoke quickly. I know itis quite unnatural to force yourself to speak slowly, but it is something that will probably help in future situations with non native speakers. The Dominican accent can also be challenging at times!

The first evening it was clear talking would be an issue! So we walked over to the other side of town. There the guide had phone signal so he spent the whole time on his phone. Luckily I had my Kindle so I could read, but we were there for about 2-3 hours, we had dinner there, although I didn't know that is why we were going. Even at this point it didn't seem that he was too concerned with if I was happy or not.

The hiking itself was good once we started but the guide walked pretty fast and often a little far ahead. At times this made me feel a little rushed if I wanted to stop to take photos etc.

There were a few things I found quite surprising from a professional guide. One is that he threw away trash into the park. He was eating a can of sausages and just threw the lid and the empty can into the trees. Another was that he was listening to music with his earphones and then would sing at the top of his voice, and I really mean at the top of his voice. This obviously ruined the tranquillity of being in nature! I also saw him at one time dig up a plant to do something with. All of these things are clearly against the park rules so to see him with such disregard for the rules was surprising and not what I would expect from a professional guide.

The feeling I got from walking with him was that he was mostly just wanting to get up the mountain and back down. There didn't seem to be much consideration for if I was enjoying myself or what I wanted to do. For example, once we got to Pico Duarte after about 5 mins he wanted to leave straight away. I asked for a little longer but then still after another few mins he pushed for us to leave again.

Another example of this was with photos! On the first night he asked me to take a photo of him which I obliged. I also offered to take a photo with my phone and send them to him as my camera is quite good. However after this he kept asking me to take a lot of photos of him! I think in total I have about 40 and a video of him. In particular, once we got to the top of Pico Duarte he straight away asked me to take a photo of him and then a video. I then got to have my photo taken after him. It made me feel like I was working for him!

At one point when at La Compartacion I was sitting talking with people from another group and he just walked past called my name and waved his hand to call me over as he continued walking. Even the way he did this was almost like a teacher calling a student. There was no regard for him interrupting my conversation etc. I followed him thinking this would be something to do with the next day but then he just asked me to take some more photos of him.

There were also a few times where he would walk on ahead very far. For example when we were coming down from the peak back to la comparticion he just walked all the way back to the la comparticion and I didn't see him for over half of the descent.

All of this just gave me the feeling that he was more interested in getting his photos, getting up and down and not so much with my enjoyment of the hike.

The other guide was fine, he was quite attentive and brought food and drinks when in the camp. I appreciated his cooking etc. I would say the food was very basic. Mostly rice, spaghetti, eggs and potato in various combinations. I personally don't really consider spaghetti on top of rice as much of a meal, this was actually on the first night in the small town. I fully accept that on camping / hiking tours food will be basic. But there could at least be some vegetables! In comparison the other group had some nice stews with vegetables with rice etc.

I paid more for this hike than doing the Inca trail in Peru and there the guide was amazing and the food was incredible!

If I were to say what I think could be improved:
- Guides to act professionally and follow park rules
- Guides to understand it is more of a service and show more concern and care for the group. Taking time to explain to them what the plan is. Asking them nicely how they are getting on. Walking behind, so you don't feel rushed!
- Guides to provide information about the area, plants and animals. This is always one of my most enjoyable parts of other similar tours / hikes I've done in the past.
- Improvement of food! At least have some vegetables!
- Carry toilet paper! I asked for some and was given a handful of napkins!
- Use modern sleeping bags. This didn't bother me much but again not what I'd expect when paying a premium price.
Written June 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

laurenireland5
La Romana, Dominican Republic24 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2018 • Friends
Guias de Alturas provided us with an incredible experience hiking Pico Duarte! The guides were incredibly knowledgable, reliable, and friendly.

A friend of mine and I reserved a 3.5 day, 3 night trip to Pico Duarte through Guias de Alturas in March of 2018. From the start, we really appreciated Joel's helpfulness and open communication. He checked in with us several times in the days before the trip, offering tips and answering all of our questions.

We met the group in Santo Domingo on a Thursday afternoon. From there we stayed the first night at the base camp, La Ciénga, about 5 hours away from the capital. There we checked into the park, got an overview for the days to come, and were served dinner. That night, in true Dominican fashion, we spent some time at a nearby colmado dancing and getting to know the group. Everyone was incredibly welcoming! We slept on the floor of a cabin in sleeping bags that we rented from the company.

Day two started early with breakfast before a 4:30am start. The group made a natural break into three groups depending on speed, each with at least one guide and several local guides leading pack mules close behind. Taking breaks and regrouping every hour or two, our group arrived at the next camp, La Compartición, at 1:00pm. We had packed snacks and sandwiches for the hike up and water was available at various rest stops along the way as well as at the camp itself.

At La Compartición we rested and bathed in a natural water source then spent the evening hanging out with the other hikers and guides, reading, dancing, and keeping warm. Again, we were sleeping on the floor of a cabin; some hikers packed mats for comfort. It was cold! Maybe 40s-50 degrees at night. We layered up and bundled in but still felt some of the chill.

Day three was the shortest with an 8:30am departure from camp, 11:00am summit, and 1:00pm return to La Compartición for a hot lunch of sancocho. This night passed similarly to the first, with another delicious dinner and great company!

On the last day the small group (10 people or so) we had formed at the front of the whole group (maybe 30 people in all) completed the descent in just under six hours - fast! We rinsed off in the river at La Ciénga and celebrated in a nearby colmado before being served a final group lunch and heading back to Santo Domingo in the guagua.

As far as the trek itself, we're in shape but not avid hikers and we found it challenging but manageable, especially with frequent breaks worked in along the way both up and down the mountain. The trail was overall a steady incline, except for going into La Compartición, and varied in steepness.

We highly recommend Guias de Alturas for anyone considering a Pico Duarte trip!
Written April 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Lauren for this amazing review! I´m happy you did Pico Duarte with us!
Written October 17, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

AnulkaP
Warsaw, Poland77 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2016 • Couples
First of all we want to thank Joel - the owner of the company for the extremely professional service you provided to us.
We are both so impressed and so that is why we are very grateful for the experience we had during the 2,5days tour to Pico Duarte.
It was a real pleasure for us to meet you.
We had fantastic team - two guides (Manuel and Roselio) and three georgous mules.
The food was really nice and tasty. The best which you can get during the climbing. Fantastic spaghetti. Good chicken, good and warm soup!

The Pico Duarte was a fantastic experience. Very hard one but it was a good lesson for us before the next climbing. We didn't expect such a rain, fog and a lot of mud. Very tough 2,5 days. A lot of ups and downs. Unforgettable moments. Awesome views.
Very professional service, nice guides, lovely mules. Wonderful trip which we enjoyed :) We are so proud that we got to the top and get the badges as the certificates.

Absolutely recommended!
Written January 8, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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