Mount Redonda in the Dominican Republic, or, as this place is also called, the sky swing, is an example of how a top location for tourists has been made from an ordinary and uninteresting attraction. From the article you will learn everything you need to know in order to visit this place. You can go here on your own or as part of an excursion.

Table of contents:

Mount Redonda in the Dominican Republic
This is what the top of Mount Redonda actually looks like. If you look closely, you can see two frames with a sky swing.

Mount Redonda or sky swing: general facts

Let’s start with the fact that this is not a mountain. Redonda is just a hill a little over 300m above sea level. The surrounding landscape complements the picture so well that an optical illusion is created and it seems that the height is huge.

It is important to know:

There are simply a huge number of places of this level with such views in the Dominican Republic. Especially in the central and northern parts of the country. Viewpoints with views of at least a hundred.

What else you need to know about Mount Redonda, besides the fact that it is a hill:

  • These are private properties. And it have been owned by the same Dominican family for many years. In fact, they made it a landmark
  • Looking at the map (it will be below), you can understand the popularity of Redonda:
    • The mountain is located near the popular tourist resorts of Bavaro and Punta Cana.
    • There is nothing else nearby and there are no sights.
    • If you live in Bavaro or Punta Cana, then it’s less than an hour to get here. It makes no sense to go here from other resorts in another part of the Dominican Republic. Since the road can be 4-5 hours one way.
    • And for tourists from Bavaro and Punta Cana, there are not many attractions in this area: Mount Redonda, Saona Islands, Altos de Chavon. Therefore, they come here with great pleasure.
sky swing dominican republic
From the side, the swing looks like this. And the views are not very good and the process is incomprehensible. Pay attention to the pose of the girl on the swing. She tries to throw her head as far down as possible, and her legs as high as possible. Next, I’ll show you what kind of photo you can get.

About the double of Redonda

The information is not official (I was told at the Bavaro tour agency):

At the end of 2020, there was a conflict between the family, the owners of this place and several tour agencies from Punta Cana and Bavaro. As a result, they were banned from bringing tourists here. They found, 15 km from Mount Redonda, the same hill and an observation platform, dug a swing at the top there. And now, part of the agencies leads tourists to Redonda. And the other part, who are “under sanctions”, says that the mountain is closed and now there is a new place that is cooler and they take them there.

Firstly, this is not our war with you :). Secondly, they mislead travelers. People have already written to me with information that the mountain was closed. Know that the mountain works and is open to everyone. If you need a photo just from a heavenly swing, like in Bali, then there probably is no difference where to go. Sky swings are here and there

Mount Redonda: map

As you can see from Bavaro it is 45 km. If you plan to go by yourself, mark the parking point in your navigator. There is only one way, it is impossible to get lost.

How to get there?

I must say right away that we will consider the option of getting from Bavaro. If you live further away, for example, Boca Chica, and want to go here, then only by car. There is nothing direct by public transport, you will get there with two transfers for half a day.

From Bavaro to Mount Redonda can be reached by:

  • Taxi. Round trip will cost about $50-70. Read more about Dominican taxis here.
  • On a scooter. 45 km one way is certainly a bit much. The option is not the best, but possible.
  • By public transport. This is also not a very good choice. Public transport in the Dominican Republic is just awful. In this case, you can only get on GuaGua (minibuses). They have no timetables, routes are not clear and so on.
    • But from Bavaro there is GuaGua to Miches village.
    • They depart from the Bavaro Express station, you need to clarify in advance.
    • It will cost $2-4 one way.
    • In advance, ask to be dropped off at Mount Redonda. In Spanish it is “Montana Redonda”. Say it, they’ll understand.
    • And check when the minibus goes back to plan your timing.
  • The easiest option: buy a tour. The price is about $50-80. You are picked up from the hotel. They take you to the mountain, put you in a jeep and take you to the top. Give time for photography. Some agencies still include lunch in the price. some don’t. The whole tour takes about 4-5 hours.
  • The most comfortable option: by rental car. Don’t depend on anyone. If you arrive early in the morning, then there will be no people at all and there will be no queues for the swing. A large article about car rental in the Dominican Republic, at the link.
Dominican Republic sky swing
Here is a continuation of the last photo. If you swing well, hold on tight, then you can take such a photo.

Advice:

If you do not have a car and your hotel is in the Bavaro and Punta Cana area, it is more profitable for you 1-2 people to buy an excursion than to take a taxi. Here you can find all the activities and excursions from Punta Cana, there are also routes to Redonda

What to do at the top: climb and list of things to do

For those who are by car: imagine that you have reached the parking lot. It is marked on the map. What to do next?

  • We put the car.
  • At the ticket office, 50m from the parking, we buy an entrance ticket. Mandatory for everyone! There will be more about prices. I also draw your attention to the fact that, as a rule, all entrance tickets are already included in the excursion.
  • Further to the top along the road exactly 2 km and you have two options:
    • On foot
    • On a 4×4 jeep, for extra money.

It is important to know:

Ordinary cars are not allowed into the park on the mountain.
mountain redonda peak
It seems like the colors are green and the views are cool. But in fact, a simple field and an ocean on the horizon. There are a million such sightseeing views in the Dominican Republic.

By jeep you will reach in 10-15 minutes. But if you go on foot, here’s what you need to know:

  • The length of the route, as I wrote above, is exactly 2 km. It is not far.
  • But the climb for these two km will be about 270m. It’s not too much and not too little. For my wife and I, it was easy, since we conquered Pico Duarte 3 days ago. And there the climb for the day was more than 2000m.
  • We climbed Mount Redonda in 40 minutes.
  • Back down in 25-30 minutes.
  • Keep in mind that yes it is hot and there is no shade. It is better to take protective creams and a hat with you. And definitely water.
  • In total, it is not difficult to climb the mountain for any tourist with a physical fitness below the average level. But it’s under the hot sun. And if you buy a tour on the Internet, then there is always included in the price climbing the mountain in a jeep
view of the top of the redonda
And this is another overview photo from the quadcopter of the top of the mountain. In the center is a cafe. You can eat for an expensive meal.

Mount Redonda: what to do at the top

Here is the biggest disappointment, from the time spent all the way 🙂

The entire peak is a piece of land 100 by 100m. Or maybe even less. Let me list what is here:

  • Parking for the park’s jeeps 4×4, which take tourists to the top, and possibly brought you too
  • Cafe restaurant with high prices
  • Toilet
  • Two Sky swings for photos
  • Two hammocks for photos
  • And the brooms wich use to sweep. There are about 5 of them. You can take such photos.
excursion to Mount Redonda
The most important thing is to jump hard and bend your legs quickly.

This is where all the fun ends. Of the pluses, I can highlight the fact that even if two full jeeps arrived at once, 8-10 people each, then there will be no queues for the photo zone. All tourists are distributed among the sky swings, hammocks and brooms.

All entertainment on the mountain is included in the price of the entrance ticket. But you have to pay for the food in the cafe.

Good to know:

When the jeep brings you to the top, usually he leaves, and you are given 2 hours of time for everything. I don’t know what to do here for 2 hours. We were at a very calm pace, having taken a million photos, we managed in 30-40 minutes.
sky swing near punta cana
Not the best photo. But with a view of the mountains and not the ocean. At the top of Redonda there are several swings with different views.

Mount Redonda: opening hours, ticket prices, for a jeep, for a restaurant

The most important part of the article:

  • Working hours: from 8 am to 18 pm daily.
  • Parking your car costs 100 pesos or $2
  • Entrance tickets to the mountain: $5 per person
  • Official website of the attraction: http://montanaredondaparadise.com/
  • If you want to go up and down in a jeep, then here is the information:
    • we were the only tourists at the time
    • we were offered for $ 20 the whole jeep, which will take and return back
    • I admit that if there are more people, then the price is lower. Well, if a company of 4-6 people is traveling to you, then $ 20 is already a penny for everyone. And if anything – these are actually pickups, and not jeeps, they also put people in the back. In general, 10 people comfortably fit in one pickup truck.
  • The restaurant at the top is very expensive. The menu is modest with little variety. You can order: French fries with chicken or rice with chicken. The portion is standard, not huge. The price with all taxes is $10 per plate. A bottle of beer costs $4.
hammock and sky swing
If you choose the right angle, then the photos from the hammock also turn out to be very good.

Mount Redonda Travel Budget

  • As part of the tour, if lunch is not included, then for two people it turns out:
    • 50-80$ tour per person
    • 15$ lunch at the top of Redonda from each
    • Total for two: $100-130.
  • Self-economy package, like ours. We climbed on foot and drank only beer in the restaurant.
    • Gasoline to get from Bavaro and back: 90km, 7l., about $7
    • Parking 2$
    • Entrance ticket 5$ from each
    • Beer for wife 4$ and for me coffee
    • Total for two: 7+2+5+5+4+4 = $27

It is important to know:

I did not include car rental here, since our car was rented for three weeks and paid for a long time ago. But be aware that the average car rental prices with all insurances are $35-40 per day. Therefore, even if you rent a car only on Mount Redonda, it still comes out cheaper. But I’m not campaigning for the rental. Tours are great too. You don’t need to think about anything, you don’t need to drive, you can drink beer. Other people have already taken care of everything.

About where to buy the excursion “Mount Redonda – sky swing”, as well as about other cool excursions in the Dominican Republic, read in a separate article. And the link to the cool excursion program was higher in the article.

mountain redonda view from the mountain
View from the top of Mount Redonda, over the valley, over Limon Lagoon (a large lake in front) and the Atlantic Ocean itself.

Mount Redonda Travel Tips

I can’t give you much advice here, but here are the main ones.

  • If you are relaxing in hotels in Bavaro or Punta Cana and do not particularly plan to travel around the country, then you will definitely like an excursion to Mount Redonda. This is not only one of the best attractions in this part of the Dominican Republic, but also one of the few. It will also help diversify your vacation from the beach and the ocean 🙂
  • But if you plan to travel to other regions of the Dominican Republic. And if you plan to visit such sights as: El Limon Waterfall, Saona Island, Fronton and Coson Beach, 27 waterfalls, waterfalls of the city of Jarabacoa, then it makes no sense to go here. All of the above is much cooler and more interesting.
  • Of course, spending half a day on the road to get here, for example from Puerto Plato, I also do not recommend.
observation deck in Samana
Just for comparison. We drove to the store in Las Terrenas, this is the view from the usual road. And there are thousands of such places in the Dominican Republic.

In conclusion: I hope you have learned what kind of attraction this Mount Redonda is. And just for themselves decided to go here or not. They also learned how to get to the sky swing on their own.

Any movement is always better than a sofa, the most difficult thing is to get up from it!

Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Dominican Republic

  • Flights at the best prices with discounts
  • Car rental: DiscoverCars – a largest international resource
  • Hotels and apartments:
    • Hotellook – compares hotel prices among dozens of booking platforms and offer you the best price.
    • Booking – large online booking platform.
    • Agoda – even more accommodation options in Dominican Republic.
  • Vacation packages:
    • Expedia – best deals from Europe.
    • CheapOair – cheap packages from all US cities.
  • Tours, excursions and extreme activities:
    • GetYourGuide – more than 800+ tours and water activities.
    • Viator – 3500+ tours and excursions in Dominican.
  • Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
  • Internet and Calls:
    • Airalo – eSIM with internet package.
    • Drimsim – universal SIM card (or eSIM) in any country in the world.
  • Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel