Damajagua Waterfalls - Iguana Mama, Marysol, Other?

[Ronaldo807]

We will be on Norwegian Escape next year with a stop in Puerto Plata. The waterfalls caught my eye, but a lot of the posts on here are understandably outdated due to covid. From what I can see, both Iguana Mama and Marysol Tours are recommended. Are there any other local tour companies that you would suggest? Has anyone used both and preferred one over the other? 

 

It looks like Norwegian also offers the tour at a competitive price. Does the cruise line option limit you in some way compared to one of the local tour companies?

[n4w]

https://countryworldadventures.com/ was posted in another thread

[Wakepatrol]

We did iguana mama in June and the excursion was fantastic. We booked independently 

[parrothead0918]

Booked through Iguana Mama.  Fantastic experience.  A top ten excursion for sure.

[StuckiTribe]

I wanted to book with Iguana Mama, but their days are limited and we arrive on the Getaway on a Thursday, and it looks like they aren't open on Thursdays (which is surprising if ships are in port those days) Any other recommendations? The waterfalls look like a fun adventure! 

[FreightlinerFan]

I definitely recommend  Iguana Mama!

[grantbob]

We just toured with Iguana Mama on 9/17/22 and can absolutely recommend them. First class experience.

 

It was a custom tailored amazing experience. For whatever reason, the other folks that had booked that day canceled and it was just my wife and myself, and they took wonderful care of us. They provided a VERY nice, new van, a dedicated driver who was great (unlike some we have had on other excursions that caused a few doubts about their skills), and a overall tour guide Carlos who was wonderful. Carlos spoke very good English, was friendly and helpful and showed real interest in us, adapted to provide custom special touches and went with us down the falls along with the guide provided by the facility. The lunch afterword was delicious and Carlos had brought a bottle of rum for the group to make Cuba Libres. Since it was just the two of us he gave us the bottle. 🙂

 

Would not hesitate to book them again!

 

One note: the hike up to the start of the falls is pretty strenuous for most people. If you are worried about the walk from the pier to where Iguana Mama picks you up, you probably should not do the falls.

[mharrisems]

On 9/23/2022 at 9:45 AM, grantbob said:

We just toured with Iguana Mama on 9/17/22 and can absolutely recommend them. First class experience.

 

It was a custom tailored amazing experience. For whatever reason, the other folks that had booked that day canceled and it was just my wife and myself, and they took wonderful care of us. They provided a VERY nice, new van, a dedicated driver who was great (unlike some we have had on other excursions that caused a few doubts about their skills), and a overall tour guide Carlos who was wonderful. Carlos spoke very good English, was friendly and helpful and showed real interest in us, adapted to provide custom special touches and went with us down the falls along with the guide provided by the facility. The lunch afterword was delicious and Carlos had brought a bottle of rum for the group to make Cuba Libres. Since it was just the two of us he gave us the bottle. 🙂

 

Would not hesitate to book them again!

 

One note: the hike up to the start of the falls is pretty strenuous for most people. If you are worried about the walk from the pier to where Iguana Mama picks you up, you probably should not do the falls.

 

We are in a mixed group of fitness level. If 3 of us go on the falls would 3 people be able to hang out at the base camp and enjoy themselves without doing the falls? 

[grantbob]

I think so. There is a small gift shop, restrooms and the restaurant is there with plenty of seating. I'm not sure how the restaurant works as we had a buffet type meal included with our tour, but the food was really good and I would bet your friends could order.

[Dcorbinx3]

We are cruising on NCL and will be in port from 9 am to 4pm.  I really want to do the falls but it disappeared from our excursion list from the ship so I am thinking about booking with Iguana Mama.  I have never booked excursions with private companies before!  My husband is super worried about something going wrong and us not making it back to the ship in time.  Has anyone ever experienced this before?  How long do the fall tours usually take? Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[grantbob]

I understand the apprehension, but Iguana Mama was extremely professional and will make sure you get back on time. We do private excursions in many different ports and have never had any issues.

 

The falls are about 30 minutes (maybe a little less) away so there should be plenty of time. Since you will be in a smaller group than the cruise excursion there is last time waiting around. Also, there are different options (depending on rainfall) for how many falls you do. Iguana Mama is flexible and can adjust for time if necessary. For us, only 7 were availble, but since it was just my wife and I and we had plenty of time we did several of them more than once. Still had plenty of time to not be rushed at the meal afterwards there on site and had time for shopping when we got back to the port.

 

They leave one hour after ship docks so you would need to walk to the pickup location (15-20 minute walk from the ship) by 10am.  I think it took 4-4.5 hours from leving to them bringing us back to port.

 

 

[IRMO12HD]

I booked this excursion through Trip Advisor / Viator with D.R.S.S. Tours; Rosario was fantastic and did an excellent job of narrating during the ride, keeping tabs on the time, and taking the time to go through downtown on our way back since we wouldn't have time to explore on our own.  It is listed as "Puerto Plata Taino Bay 7 Damajagua Waterfalls and Lunch Excursion."