06 · North coast travel guide · Dominican Republic – Everything to know before the north coast

The north coast of the Dominican Republic runs for about 300 kilometres from the Haitian border to the Samaná peninsula. For most visitors it means the stretch between Puerto Plata and Río San Juan: green mountains, one coast road, and a string of beach towns with Cabarete in the middle. This is what we tell friends before they come.

Cabarete, the base

Cabarete is a single main road along the back of a bay. Restaurants, bars, the supermarket and the banks are all on foot; the surf is ten minutes west at Encuentro and the kite beaches are at the west end of the bay. The map shows the essentials.

Places worth a day off the water

Puerto Plata

The provincial capital, about forty minutes west. Ride the cable car up Pico Isabel de Torres for the view over the coast, walk the Malecón to the Fortaleza San Felipe, and pass the Amber Museum in the old town of Victorian wooden houses.

Sosúa

Fifteen minutes west: a sheltered bay with calm water for snorkelling, and the small Jewish Museum that tells how refugees from Europe settled here in 1940. Busier and more developed than Cabarete.

The 27 waterfalls of Damajagua

An hour west, inland of Imbert: jump, slide and swim down a limestone river gorge. Go early, go with the official guides at the visitor centre, and bring shoes that can get wet.

El Choco National Park

Right behind Cabarete: caves with freshwater pools, lagoons and forest trails. A good half day when the sea is flat and the wind has not arrived.

Río San Juan and Laguna Gri-Gri

About fifty minutes east. Take a boat through the mangroves of the Gri-Gri lagoon to the coves beyond, then eat fish at the harbour.

Playa Grande and Playa Preciosa

An hour east: a long golden beach under palms and, next door, one of the prettiest coves on the island. Surf on a winter swell; swim with care, the currents are strong.

Cabrera and Laguna Dudú

Past Playa Grande, the cliffs of Cabrera hide Laguna Dudú, a blue freshwater sinkhole you can jump into or dive. Combine it with Playa Grande for a full day east.

Samaná and Las Terrenas

Three hours east, worth an overnight stay. From mid-January to March humpback whales gather in Samaná Bay to mate and calve; Las Terrenas has the beaches and a French-Caribbean food scene.

Getting around

• Guaguas: minibuses along the coast road between Sosúa, Cabarete and Río San Juan. Wave one down, pay the conductor in small pesos, say where you are going.
• Motoconchos: motorbike taxis on every corner. Fast and cheap for short hops in daylight; agree the fare first and ask for a helmet.
• Taxis: for airports, night-time and anything with luggage. Agree the price before you get in.
• Rental car: worth it for day trips east and to the waterfalls. Drive on the right and not after dark.
• Coaches: Caribe Tours and Metro Tours from Sosúa and Puerto Plata to Santiago and Santo Domingo.

Flights, transfers and the e-ticket are covered on getting here.

Money and tipping

Prices are in Dominican pesos (RD$); US dollars are accepted in tourist places at a worse rate. Cards work in restaurants, schools and supermarkets, but colmados, guaguas and motoconchos are cash only, so carry small notes. Use ATMs inside banks.

Restaurant bills include 18% tax (ITBIS) and a 10% service charge by law. An extra tip of around 10% for good service is appreciated, and so is a tip for your surf coach and your driver.

Food and drink to try

• La bandera: the national lunch of rice, beans and stewed meat, with salad. Every comedor has a plate of the day.
• Mangú: mashed green plantain for breakfast, with fried cheese, salami and eggs, “los tres golpes”.
• Pescado con coco: fish in coconut sauce, a speciality of Samaná and the east.
• Tostones and sancocho: twice-fried plantain on the side; a hearty meat and root-vegetable stew for Sundays.
• To drink: fresh chinola (passion fruit) juice, an ice-cold Presidente, Brugal rum, and mamajuana if someone insists.

Culture and etiquette

Spanish is the language; English is common in Cabarete’s schools and restaurants, less so beyond. Greet people when you walk in, a “buenos días” goes a long way. Music is everywhere, merengue and bachata above all, and the colmado, the corner shop with plastic chairs out front, is the social centre of every street. Baseball is the national passion; the winter league runs from October to January.

Beachwear is for the beach: put a shirt on in town, and note that banks and government offices may turn away shorts and flip-flops. Ask before you photograph people. Plans run on Dominican time, so leave room in the day.

Health and safety

• Do not drink the tap water; refillable bottles are sold everywhere.
• Use repellent, especially from May to November, when mosquito-borne illnesses are most common.
• Treat reef cuts the same day, and wear booties on the shallow breaks.
• Keep away from stray dogs: rabies is present. Get any bite seen to straight away.
• Call 911 in an emergency. The tourist police (CESTUR, formerly POLITUR) patrol the tourist areas; get a police report for anything stolen.
• Do not leave bags on the sand, and keep valuables out of sight after dark, as in any beach town.

Weather and when to go

It is warm all year, and so is the water. December to April is drier, with the big winter swells; May to September brings the strongest afternoon trade wind for kiting and winging; June to November is the rainy and hurricane season, usually short tropical showers, but keep an eye on the forecast. Surf lessons run every month.

Practical bits

• Power is 110 volts with US-style plugs. Short power cuts happen; most hotels have back-up.
• The time zone is Atlantic Standard Time (UTC−4), with no daylight saving.
• Claro and Altice sell SIM cards with data; coverage is good in town.
• Bring reef-safe sunscreen and a hat: the sun is strong even on cloudy days.