The Roof of the Caribbean :
The Pico Duarte

MR_CuYaYa at the Summit

The Cordillera Central is the largest of the Dominican Republic's mountainous chains. It has the highest summits in the country and the highest peak in the Caribbean, the Pico Duarte 3087 meters (10,094 ft.) above sea level, it extends from the plains between San Cristóbal and Baní to the northwest of Haiti, where it's known as Massif du Nord. The highest summits of the Cordillera Central are found in the Pico Duarte and Valle Nuevo massifs.

The Pico Duarte was allegedly climbed for the first time in 1851 by the British consul to the country, Sir Robert H. Schomburgk. He named the mountain Monte Tina and estimated it's height at 3,140 m. In 1912, father Miguel Fuertes dismissed Schomburgk's calculations after climbing La Rusilla and considering this was the tallest summit of the island. A year later, the Swedish botanist Erik L. Ekman considered that the Englishman's data was closer to the truth, and called the sister summits as Pelona Grande and Pelona Chica (Big and Small Pelona). During the Trujillo dicatatorship, the tallest of these was called Pico Trujillo, only later to be named with it's actual name of Pico Duarte.

Most of the hikers climb Pico Duarte between Christmas and the end of February, taking advantage of all the holidays and the dry season. It is said that during the rest of the year the weather is not favorable: frequent storms, rains and lightning. Meteorological data prove otherwise. Hikes can be carried out practically througout the year.

To reach the Pico Duarte you can take any of five routes : La Ciénaga, Mata Grande, Constanza, Las Lagunas or Sabaneta; even so, the most used ones are the first and the second with 23 y 45 kilometers, respectively.

A great myth about the Pico Duarte has been its height. As recently as two or three years ago it was said to be 3175 meters. But recently, using an altimeter, it was determined that it's only 3087 meters. It's only two meters higher than La Pelona, it's twin sister! This mistake should have been noticed long ago since, personal observations having concurred also, it is evident that La Pelona is just as tall or taller than the Pico Duarte because from the summit of the latter you can not see the horizon behind the former.

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