Getting Around and Where to go

Where to go

A long weekend:

 Santo Domingo

 Ciudad Colonial

Guayacanes and Juan Dolio.

One week:

 

 Puerto Plata

 

 

 

 Damajagua

 

 Cabarete

 

 

 

 Sosúa

 

 

Two weeks

 

 La Península de Samaná

 

 

 Jarabacoa

 

 

 Constanza

 

 

Getting Around

  Car & motorcycle

Renting a car is a great way to see the country without wasting time waiting for buses. Prices range from US$40 to US$100 per day. Motorcycles can also be rented, but only experienced drivers should do so because of poor road conditions. If you bust a tire – the most common car trouble here – a gomera is a tire repair and retail shop.

You must have a valid driver’s license and be at least 25 years old to rent a car. You will be required to show a major credit card or leave your passport as a deposit. Be sure to ask about the ‘deductible’ (the amount you pay out-of-pocket before insurance kicks in) and whether the insurance covers damage to your tires or windows.

Bus & tram

First-class buses are comfortable, have air-con, and often also have TVs and a movie. Fares are low – the most expensive is less than US$10. Reservations aren’t usually necessary.

The following companies have 1st-class services:
Caribe Tours (in Santo Domingo 809-221-4422; cnr Avs 27 de Febrero & Leopoldo Navarro) The most extensive bus line, with service everywhere but the south east.
Expreso Santo Domingo Bávaro (in Santo Domingo 809-682-9670; cnr Juan Sánchez Ruiz & Máximo Gómez) Connects Santo Domingo and Bávaro with a stop in La Romana.
El Canario (809-291-5594) Not exactly 1st-class vehicles, but the only daily direct service between Puerto Plata and Samaná (US$7, 3½ to 4 hours, with stops in Nagua and Sánchez.
Metro (in Santo Domingo 809-566-7126; Calle Francisco Prats Ramírez) Located behind Plaza Central Mall in Santo Domingo, Metro serves nine cities, mostly along the Santo Domingo–Puerto Plata corridor.
Terra Bus (809-531-0383; Plaza Lama, cnr Avs 27 de Febrero & Winston Churchill) Air-con service from Santo Domingo to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Gua-guas

Gua-guas vary in size, from minivans to midsize buses with room for around 30 passengers. They don’t have toilet facilities and only occasionally have air-con. Unlike regular buses, gua-guas stop all along the route to pick up and drop off passengers. Wherever long-distance buses don’t go, you can be sure a gua-gua does. Gua-guas rarely have signs, so ask a local if you’re unsure which one to take. Most pass every 15 to 30 minutes and cost US$1 to US$2. Simply wave to be picked up.