Journey from Santo Domingo to the Larimar Mines in the Barahona region, visiting a thermal spring 

Road quality: 
- secondary road to the thermal spring – a rough road, a 4x4 required; 
- the way up to the Larimar Mines – a rough road, sometimes 4x4 is required. 

Points:
Termal Water – a thermal spring (brook);
Agua Termal – thermal basin (swimming is available);
Guarocuya Hotel – a hotel in Baraon, on the first line; reasonably priced and decent enough;
Hotel so stoyankoy – the only decent hotel in Àñóà, with own parking. Other hotels in the town are of the “7 bucks a night” class; the service is of corresponding quality;
Motel – a motel in Àñóà (Cabana), optional, a bit worse than the hotel, but if there are no vacancies in the hotel – an appropriate place to stay overnight;
Larimar Mine; 
Syezd k Agua Termal – turn from the highway (by the bridge) to the thermal spring.

Description:
If you want to reach the Mines of Larimar, the semi-precious stone produced only in the Dominican Republic (in fact, in only one region of the Dominican Republic), then you have to get up early in the morning. The Larimar is one of the sorts of the pectolite, either pastel blue or dark blue. If you depart early you may manage to cover the route within one day. If you are not in a hurry, on the track, you may even find several hotels to sleep or just have a rest there.
It takes you about three hours to drive from Santo Domingo to Barahona on the smooth asphalted route.  You will be amazed with various landscapes from tropical forests to desert savanna with numerous cacti.
The thermal spring may be visited on your way back, but in the morning you’d better visit the mines where the Dominicans quarry the stone with pickaxe, buckets and coarse physical strength without using any mechanisms. The average depth of the mines is 15–20 meters. There, you see the quarrying procedure and may buy safe-faced Larimar. 
When returning you should not miss the turn to the thermal spring. The turn from the route is near the bridge (see the photo). The road here runs by banana plantations and fields of tomatoes and other vegetables. Further towards the spring, the fields change to dry bush, in which one can easily go astray. Be careful and follow the track strictly; otherwise it would be difficult to drive out of the narrow path designed for motorcycles, when you had no space to turn the car. The road is stony and narrow there; some areas may demand the 4x4 activated.
In 150 meters to the spring you have to stop the car and proceed on foot. At first, you will see a warm brook; further on the track, there is a pound with an artificial dam. 
Having swum in the thermal basin you may return to the route and continue your way to Santo Domingo.


For more detailed description of the track, please address to the web blog at: 
http://dominicana-life.livejournal.com/20861.html
