Viewpoint · Miches
Montaña Redonda: the swings on the hill above Miches
The swing on the summit, looking north over the coastal plain to the Atlantic.
- The activity
- A round, isolated hill of about 300 metres standing above a flat coastal plain, developed as a viewpoint with cliff-edge swings, hammocks, an observation tower, two ziplines, a restaurant and photo props.
- Location
- At El Cedro, about 20 minutes east of Miches in El Seibo province, sitting between Laguna Limón and Laguna Redonda. Roughly 80 kilometres from Bávaro, so one to two hours from Punta Cana.
- Duration
- Open daily, roughly 8am to 6pm.
- Best time to arrive
- Early morning or late afternoon. The haze is thinnest at either end of the day, and the swings are less busy.
- Admission cost
- Entrance is small, in the region of a couple of dollars, with the truck to the summit about RD$100 and the swings and props charged per use. Payment is cash in pesos. Organised tours from Punta Cana run higher: a five-hour sunset trip with pick-up is priced around $130 per adult, with surcharges from Uvero Alto and Cap Cana.
- The view
- A 360-degree panorama over Laguna Redonda to one side and Laguna Limón to the other, the Miches coast, Samaná Bay and the hills inland.
- Getting to the top
- The final stretch is a steep unpaved track. A truck runs visitors to the summit for around RD$100, roughly two dollars. A normal rental car will not make it; a good 4x4 will.
What to expect
The hill is unusual because everything around it is flat, so the summit gives an uninterrupted view in every direction: Laguna Redonda on one side, Laguna Limón on the other, the Atlantic beyond and the Cordillera Oriental behind. The site is deliberately built for photographs, with tandem swings hanging out over the edge, hammocks, an observation tower and props including the broomsticks that produce the flying pictures.
It is a short visit rather than an activity: most people spend an hour or two at the top, and there is a restaurant if you want to sit with the view. The swings and props are charged per use, and the cliff edges are unfenced, so families with small children need to keep back from the drop.
The honest takeaway
Well reviewed for the view and the photographs. The points to plan around are the pricing at the gate and how busy the swings become.
What visitors praise
- The panorama is genuinely exceptional. Few viewpoints in the country give a clean 360-degree view like this.
- Very cheap to enter. A couple of dollars at the gate and about RD$100 for the truck, which is unusual for a headline attraction.
- The swings work. They are the reason most people come and they photograph as well as they look.
- Easy to combine. Playa Esmeralda, Laguna Redonda and the Miches coast are all close by.
What visitors find difficult
- Prices are negotiated, not posted. The entrance, the truck and each photo prop are charged separately and tourists are quoted more than locals.
- Queues for the swings. Mid-morning onwards there is a line at every photo spot.
- The access road. Steep, unpaved and not passable in an ordinary car.
- Short. An hour at the top, with a long drive either side, so it works best combined with something else.
Drawn from the recurring themes in public visitor reviews of the activity and the tours that reach it. We do not reproduce individual reviews or aggregate scores; for current ratings, check Viator or another booking platform directly.
Getting there
The hill is signposted from the Bávaro to Miches road and is impossible to miss, being the only high ground for miles. From Punta Cana allow one to two hours each way. The last stretch requires a 4x4, so most independent visitors park at the bottom and take the truck.
Half-day and full-day tours from Punta Cana, Bávaro and Uvero Alto include the transfer, the 4x4 and the entrance fees, which removes the negotiation at the gate.
How to make the most of the day
- 1Arrive at opening or near sunset. Midday means queues at the swings and harsh light for photographs.
- 2Carry cash in pesos. There is no card payment at the summit, for the entrance or the food.
- 3Agree the truck price before you get in. It should be around RD$100 per person, and rates are quoted differently depending on who you ask.
- 4Bring a light layer. It is exposed and windy at the top even on a hot day.
- 5Combine it with Playa Esmeralda. The beach below is one of the best on this coast and few day trippers bother.
- 6Come for sunset if you take a tour. The organised trips are timed for it, leaving Punta Cana around 3pm.
A little more background
The hill sits between two of the country's largest coastal lagoons, Laguna Limón and Laguna Redonda. It has been open to visitors since 1999 and is run by three generations of the Pión Martínez family, who own it. The swings that made it famous came later, and it is now one of the most photographed places in the Dominican Republic.
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