Mountain Air and Village Service

Arrive in Santo Domingo and meet your Rustic Pathways Program Leaders. Depart for a picturesque three-hour drive to the mountain town of Jarabacoa and learn about the projects you’ll join and the local community after dinner and some time to relax.

Learn about the environmental initiatives established by the community and the harmonious economic and ecological relationships it’s pursued in the area. Start service by heading farther into the mountains to help build aqueducts for communities without running water.

Spend each day continuing to work on infrastructure projects. Take some time to play a pickup game of baseball with local kids. Discuss your experience after dinner, and focus the conversation on responsible tourism and water access.

• Customization Example: Add an extra day or two of service to the trip.

Take a two-hour bus ride to the coastal towns of Sosúa and Cabarete, where you’ll spend the rest of the day relaxing on the north coast beaches. Swim in the turquoise water of the Caribbean, soak up the sun, and enjoy a lunch of fresh fish.

• Customization Example: Add a day on the north coast to your trip.

Snorkel to start your day before saying goodbye to the coast and heading back to Jarabacoa. Settle back into your old home and refuel before departing on an hour-long hike to Salto Baiguate, a 35-meter waterfall and one of the most beautiful in the region. Return to the base for one last night and reflect on your week around a bonfire.

Spend an afternoon in the UNESCO World Heritage colonial city of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Walk along the cobblestone streets, shop for souvenirs, visit museums, and end your day with a special dinner and dancing.

• Customization Example: Connect with Life in the Bateyes to add up to a week to your program. Contribute to ongoing home construction projects in the bateyes, marginalized communities of sugarcane workers.

Reflect on your time in the Dominican with your new friends before flying home.