The first week of my sabbatical was of course dedicated to the beautiful beaches – the Dominican Republic is famous for – and lots of sleep. Finding a beautiful beach here is very easy. I have started at the touristic centre „Punta Cana“ from where I slowly made my way along the coast to Santo Domingo.
If you like white sand beaches with lots of palm trees, playa Bibijagua and playa Bavaró in Punta Cana will meet your needs. From more busy areas and hotel resorts, it is just a 20min walk to get to more remote areas of the beach. Nightlife in this area is however very limited, El Cortecito offers more restaurants and bar options, but the beach is not the nicest. Independent of whether you choose El Cortecito, Playa Bavaro or any resort, you can book several excursions around the Dominican Republic from here. The most famous – the party boat – many locals use as well – you have some stops to see dolphins and do some snorkeling and on the boat – all-inclusive party. Like in many Carribean countries, Rum is always included in excursions, either in the form of Rum punch or Cuba libre always following the slogan – „drinking rum before 10 am makes you a pirate, not an alcoholic. “
The public transport system in DR is quite good. It is just complicated to find information. There are no central bus stations, but every company has its own station and online you do not necessarily find the information you are looking for. So you have to ask – the best way is to ask several people as they will all have a response but probably different ones as not everyone knows the quickest way to get from A to B.
Expreso Bavaro, for example, goes to La Romana and Santo Domingo. I took a bus to La Romana, from where I took a „Guagua“ (minivan; collectivo) to Bayahibe. Traveling the way locals do and it can get very „cosy“, especially in the Guagua, which transports more people than it has seats available.
The region Bayahibe is also famous for its beaches and its huge national park „Parque National del Este.“ From here you can easily do diving excursions and the trip to Isla Saona at lower rates than starting from Punta Cana. As always – compare the offers and negotiate. For snorkeling/diving excursions (even for beginners) Scuba Fun is offering very nice tours. If you only like to see Isla Saona, you get the best rate, when you go to the mooring around 9 am. Here you can buy a ticket for 30USD; just look for people with „All-inclusive-bracelets“. Tour operators charge at least 55USD or if you book in a resort incl. transport to the mooring you might even be charged 100USD. The tour is more or less the same independent of the tour operator. You go to Isla Saona either by speedboat or on a catamaran. If you go by catamaran, the party starts directly in the morning. You are not even on board and the first round of rum is served. The crew is also encouraging you to dance Bachata, Merengue or some Reaggaton. After 2,5h you arrive at Isla Soana – one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It is like paradise, but crowded J Given that the beach is so long, there is space for everyone. After the buffet, you can take a walk or relax on one of the multiple sunbeds.
On the way back you then take a speedboat and you make another stop at the so-called „natural pool“. The sea is so flat here that you can easily stand. Close to this place you can also find starfish, a whole colony of them and on the coastline, you see more deserted beaches and lots of green in the back.
This trip was definitely the highlight of my first week.
My next stop was Boca Chica – also on the coast. Boca Chica is not a touristic place and I think I am kind of the only Gringo or “Chele“ here. It is close to the capital – Santo Domingo – so many people from the capital come here to enjoy their free time and weekends. I wanted to come here to learn more about the Dominican Republic and the people. On the beach you have one beach bar next to the other, offering sunbeds and space in the shadow for free. During the nights you hear music until the early morning hours.
Police are quite present in all places I have been so far. If you are afraid of motorcycles, you should not get detained here. The police are mainly using motorcycles to get around, so if they detain someone, the personˋs hand are tied together and he is placed on the motorcycle behind the police officer so that everyone can see him/her during the ride to the next police station. I honestly would be afraid to fall if I could not use my hands to hold on to something. But other countries, other customs.
Next time, I will talk about my time in Santo Domingo, where I will refresh my Spanish skills and take some dancing classes – as I am still a little bit too German when it comes to dancing 😛
Wanderlust 