For
the price of a short hop to the Caribbean, you find adventures for which many people
spend big bucks and travel halfway around the world
by Tim Hall
The Puerto Plata Report
Our
six-seater twin-engine aircraft was cruising at 2500 feet, an altitude
that gave us a perfect bird's eye view as we flew along the north coast
of the Dominican Republic between Puerto Plata and Samaná. The man sitting
beside me was at awe with intensity of the the blues of the water and
the greens of the land, a rich multicolored quilt with its full-length
rip of endless beach running from from top to bottom.
That
day, we got to see the north coast from the air, we also went whale watching
in Samana Bay, and enjoyed lunch and a swim on a paradise-like out island
- all for the price of about two hundred American dollars per person.
On the way back my newfound
friend and I got talking about how people spend thousands of dollars to
go whale watching in places like Baja, California. Here, for two hundred
dollars extra tacked on to a bargain-priced all-inclusive resort vacation,
he had taken a fabulous plane ride and had been present at the largest
annual humpback whales spawning convention that the Atlantic Ocean has
to offer. And as we taxied down the runway on our return to Puerto Plata,
my friend's lament was not how much the trip had cost, - rather he was
kicking himself for not having budgeted more for this vacation.
"I
only wish we knew before coming that there are so many incredible things
to do and see here. Nobody told us!"
Come Prepared
Most
people come unprepared to discover the real Dominican Republic because
most have booked an all-inclusive resort vacation and their mindset is
that everything is already paid for. And while the resorts include the
meals, beverage and myriad beach and poolside games, it seems a shame
to travel this far and then stay stuck in the resort just because meals
and beach volleyball are free. The unseen opportunity here is that for
a few hundred extra dollars you can turn a bargain resort vacation into
a world class travel experience. Another way to look at it is that for
the price of a short hop to the Caribbean, you can have the kind of adventures
that some people spend big bucks and travel halfway around the world for.
•
• •
Tour
operators in the Dominican Republic have organized an impressive array
of trips and off resort adventures which means you can explore many areas
of the island safely and conveniently without having to be a multilingual,
expert traveler.
Santo Domingo
City is the first European City of the New World, founded in the late
1400's by a brother of Christopher Columbus, Bartolomé. This is the DR's
largest city and is a bustling modern burg of about two million. Old Santo
Domingo is a walled section you can walk around, where you'll find many
interesting museums and restored buildings. Most tours of Santo Domingo
also stop at the lighthouse monument, where Christopher Columbus' remains
remain.
Pico
Duarte, in the middle of the DR is the tallest mountain in the Caribbean
at 10,000 feet above sea level. Sitting in the middle of a vast national
park, you can take guided mule trips up to the summit. The only thing
is they take two to four days. So for those who are not up that much roughing
it, there are shorter excursions into the same general region featuring
different forms of transportation that range from comfortable to adventurous.
At the base
of the Central Mountain Corridor where Pico Duarte is lies the Cibao
Valley, a lush and fertile agricultural region where world famous
Dominican cigars are cultivated and manufactured. From here you go up
into the mountains to towns like Constanza and Jarabacoa,
where the nighttime air gets cold enough to turn to frost, and where towering
pine trees line up beside the royal palms. Traveling through these parts
is like visiting a giant botanical garden set among dramatic mountain
panorama, around rushing rivers and pristine valleys. There are permanent
base camps operating, some with comfortable overnight accommodations,
that exist to service sporting activities such as rappelling through waterfalls,
whitewater rafting, parasailing and ballooning.
Jeep
Safaris and horseback riding trips are among the most popular
ways to explore the outback and countryside around the resorts. Most of
the Dominican Republic is undeveloped so you don't have to go very far
to feel like you're in the middle of Africa or lost in the Amazon somewhere,
fording rivers, meeting people in tiny crossroad villages, swimming in
some remote waterfall. These trips often feature some sort of destination
or activity such exploring a jungle river or discovering an uninhabited
beach, but the real attraction of these jeep safaris is simply the millions
of things you see and learn along the way.
Adventures
on and under water can be sailing trips or powerboat rides that take
you to some remote beach or out island to swim or snorkel. In Puerto Plata there are catamarans that go
to Sosua Bay for snorkeling and then on the return trip home, tack way
out into the ocean for a spectacular sailing experience. Another north
coast adventure takes you for a two hour ride down the coast to where powerboats take you through a jungle river to a sand spit of an
island where the water and snorkeling are perfect. December to March marks
the whale watching season in Samaná. I confess that the first time
I went to see whales in Samaná I only went because I had to write about
it. But after being witness that day to a mother and her calf and to the
sheer size of the animals, lolling around and coochi-cooing right beside
our boat, I know now that a chance to go whale watching is an experience
that nobody should miss.
Saona Island is a great
day trip destination if you are staying in Bavaro or Punta Cana.
This is an idyllic island national park where just a few hundred people
live in simple huts and without vehicles. What dominates here is pure
white sand and coconut palms. You have to travel by boat and there are
a variety of possibilities. One of the tours takes you out there by catamaran
and speeds you back with the thrill of a powerboat ride. There are other
calmer ways to enjoy a trip to Saona, including a comfortable ferry type
boat that speeds you over the ocean.
Air
charter excursions that cost up to $200 U.S. dollars have a certain appeal
and advantage. Unlike those 15-minute helicopter rides on the Miami causeway,
these shuttles of 30 to sixty minutes truly speed up the travel time in
a day while providing the chance to see this truly spectacular country
from the air. Meanwhile, if your budget doesn’t allow for this luxury,
or if you want to pack in more trips for the money, you will enjoy the
land based excursions and boat trips that cost from $40 to $100.
Freestyle
Catamarans These 55 foot racing cats travel daily between
Puerto Plata and Sosua, providing an authentic sailing experience
Humpback
Whales Thrill Visitors to Samana Bay Nobody shouted the
traditional "Thar she blows" whale call: we were all too awestruck
when the first whale breached clear of the water, only yards away,
throwing a rainbow-hued arc of water off its sleek body while hurtling
forty feet into the air. by Joe Harkins
Adventure travel in the Dominican Republic:Two
hours into the mountains, Maxima Aventura, or Maximum Adventure,
is a wilderness dude ranch for adventure travelers and extreme sports
enthusiasts
by Tim Hall
On the way back my newfound
friend and I got talking about how people spend thousands of dollars to
go whale watching in places like Baja, California. Here, for two hundred
dollars extra tacked on to a bargain-priced all-inclusive resort vacation,
he had taken a fabulous plane ride and had been present at the largest
annual humpback whales spawning convention that the Atlantic Ocean has
to offer. And as we taxied down the runway on our return to Puerto Plata,
my friend's lament was not how much the trip had cost, - rather he was
kicking himself for not having budgeted more for this vacation.
Santo Domingo
City is the first European City of the New World, founded in the late
1400's by a brother of Christopher Columbus, Bartolomé. This is the DR's
largest city and is a bustling modern burg of about two million. Old Santo
Domingo is a walled section you can walk around, where you'll find many
interesting museums and restored buildings. Most tours of Santo Domingo
also stop at the lighthouse monument, where Christopher Columbus' remains
remain.
At the base
of the Central Mountain Corridor where Pico Duarte is lies the Cibao
Valley, a lush and fertile agricultural region where world famous
Dominican cigars are cultivated and manufactured. From here you go up
into the mountains to towns like Constanza and Jarabacoa,
where the nighttime air gets cold enough to turn to frost, and where towering
pine trees line up beside the royal palms. Traveling through these parts
is like visiting a giant botanical garden set among dramatic mountain
panorama, around rushing rivers and pristine valleys. There are permanent
base camps operating, some with comfortable overnight accommodations,
that exist to service sporting activities such as rappelling through waterfalls,
whitewater rafting, parasailing and ballooning. 
Plata there are catamarans that go
to Sosua Bay for snorkeling and then on the return trip home, tack way
out into the ocean for a spectacular sailing experience. Another north
coast adventure takes you for a two hour ride down the coast to where powerboats take you through a jungle river to a sand spit of an
island where the water and snorkeling are perfect. December to March marks
the whale watching season in Samaná. I confess that the first time
I went to see whales in Samaná I only went because I had to write about
it. But after being witness that day to a mother and her calf and to the
sheer size of the animals, lolling around and coochi-cooing right beside
our boat, I know now that a chance to go whale watching is an experience
that nobody should miss.
Saona Island is a great
day trip destination if you are staying in Bavaro or Punta Cana.
This is an idyllic island national park where just a few hundred people
live in simple huts and without vehicles. What dominates here is pure
white sand and coconut palms. You have to travel by boat and there are
a variety of possibilities. One of the tours takes you out there by catamaran
and speeds you back with the thrill of a powerboat ride. There are other
calmer ways to enjoy a trip to Saona, including a comfortable ferry type
boat that speeds you over the ocean. 
