Polo Magnético

The Polo Magnético (Magnetic Pole) is one of Barahona's most curious phenomena: on a signposted stretch of the Cabral–Polo road, near Las Auyamas and the town of Polo, a car left in neutral appears to roll uphill on its own. In fact it is an optical illusion known as a "gravity hill": leaning trees, the curve of the land and a misleading horizon make the brain read the slope the wrong way, since the road actually goes downhill. At more than 700 metres above sea level, the spot offers views of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, coffee farms and a quiet rural atmosphere. It is reached from Barahona on the road toward Cabral and then Polo; ask locals for the exact spot.