Dominican Republic Adventure
Waterfalls, Motorcycles, & Horseback in the Dominican Republic
Dec 13, 2007
Everybody knows somebody who's been to a Dominican Republic all-inclusive resort, but past the pretty beaches lined with lounges is a world of adventure and a completely different – and archaic – culture. The Dominican Republic's largely undeveloped north coast is an adventurer's delight – and with the peso still close to a record low, a delight for the budget as well.
In the northern Dominican Republic, go camping along a rocky coast, waterfall-climbing, horseback riding between tiny villages of thatched huts, or motorcycle riding along the so-called main roads (there are few in the north!). Catch a glimpse of a lifestyle completely foreign to the US – but easily reached from the US.
Meet the Real Dominican Locals –
North by Guagua to Luperon
Forget the well-paid resort hucksters. Meet the happy country Dominicans, whose biggest desire is to fill you with agua buena and their best chicken, who is now running around their dirt floor.
A cool spot to start is Luperon, on the Dominican Republic’s northern shore. At the airport, take a taxi to the local ‘guagua’. The taxi is a little cheaper than taxis at home, and is all yours. The guagua (elderly van) will run you halfway across the Dominican (for, oh, 100 pesos, about $3 USD), and you’ll share with local farmers, seductive teens, wizened women, maybe a chicken or two.
Eventually you’ll reach small and visitor-friendly Luperon, near Puerto Blanca. It’s famous, but only among sailors, as a ‘hurricane hole’ where sailboats the world over shelter for hurricane season – so lots of natives speak English here, while still butchering pigs up the side roads. You can ask around – in pidgin Spanish / English – for a place to rent a room…and be prepared for it to have a dirt floor and outdoor toilet!
But Don’t Stop There –
Waterfalls, Puerto Isabella, Punta Rusia...
Ask the local Guardia (soldiers) how to get to the nearby waterfalls, where guides help you climb up and down 32 large and small waterfalls.
Rent a motorcycle (around 350 pesos or about $10 USD) and head to Puerto Isabella, where Columbus’s men stayed while he sailed back to Spain for more cash. While he was gone, his sailors were so brutal to the Dominican natives that the local tribes (formerly utter, dire enemies) united and massacred every one of them.
Or Punta Rusia – men leading burros loaded with cane, women toting giant fruitbowls on their heads, roadside stands, fresh chinola juice (a peso, or about 6 cents).
You can also venture into the interior of the island – go whitewater rafting on the Rio Yaque – the longest river in the Caribbean – or hiking / mountain climbing on Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s 2nd highest mountain.
With archaic culture, inexpensive travel, and daily flights from major cities to Santo Domingo (south) and Puerto Plata (north), the Dominican Republic is a vacationer’s paradise!
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