Armando Bermúdez National Park

Armando Bermúdez covers a large block of the Cordillera Central and was the country's first national park, declared in 1956, protecting Hispaniolan pine forest, cloud forest and the headwaters of most of the rivers that supply the island's north and centre. The main route up Pico Duarte, at 3,098 metres the highest point in the Caribbean, starts from La Ciénaga on its edge and takes two to three days with mules and a licensed guide.

What you actually see

• The pine forest - Hispaniolan pine covering the ridges through the park.
• The Pico Duarte route - the main trail to the highest summit in the Caribbean.
• The river headwaters - the sources of most rivers supplying the centre and north.
• The mule trains - the animals used to carry loads on the summit trek.

When to go

November to April is drier and the standard trekking season. Hurricane season runs June to November. Nights near the summit fall below freezing.

Honest expectations

The summit trek requires a licensed guide and mules and cannot be done alone. Nights are genuinely cold and shelters are basic huts. Fire has damaged large areas of pine forest in recent decades.

Nearby

Jarabacoa is below, and Salto de Baiguate is near the town.