GPS in the DR???

salcedo2010

New member
Aug 11, 2010
75
6
0
Hey,

I'm planning to go to Puerto Plata on January 2011 and i'm planning to rent a vehicle, I would like to travel around the country instead of staying in the resort all day, plus I have family in Salcedo. I heard that rented cars in the DR come with GPS....can soneone confirm this and let me know how well does the GPS works in the DR?
 

DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
3,512
238
63
www.vipcigartours.com
Hertz, Avis, National or other International rental agencies may offer GPS units, like they do in the US, but it is definitely not standard here. GPS does work fine though...if you have a blackberry or iphone, just download google maps.....works great....
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
We enjoyed using GPS for the first time while driving in Europe this summer, but I can't imagine using it in the DR. Wherever you are, you can always ask someone on the street/roadside - it's part of the fun.
 

Taylor

Buy the ticket, take the ride
Jan 28, 2005
362
73
28
maps

if you bring a GPS, there are maps available online of the DR. yes it's fun to look around (and the fail proof method of asking a motochoncho to lead you there) but it's always nice to have a GPS when you get lost.
 

DR_Guy

Bronze
Feb 17, 2010
891
81
48
google maps works with my blackberry. very accurate, especially in colonial district. Buy your own would be the best way to be sure,
 

salcedo2010

New member
Aug 11, 2010
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0
if you bring a GPS, there are maps available online of the DR. yes it's fun to look around (and the fail proof method of asking a motochoncho to lead you there) but it's always nice to have a GPS when you get lost.

sounds great!...do you know where to go online to download a map of the DR into a GPS?....what are the steps,website, etc etc...thank you
 

salcedo2010

New member
Aug 11, 2010
75
6
0
We enjoyed using GPS for the first time while driving in Europe this summer, but I can't imagine using it in the DR. Wherever you are, you can always ask someone on the street/roadside - it's part of the fun.

true but it's not fun when you get lost, especially if your are not from the island.... I think it's beter to use a GPS without asking for directions so much... how safe is the Puerto Plata...Santiago area?
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
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We enjoyed using GPS for the first time while driving in Europe this summer, but I can't imagine using it in the DR. Wherever you are, you can always ask someone on the street/roadside - it's part of the fun.
Come on Chiri, don't be mean to visitors. :cheeky:

Just imagine:

Salcedo2010: 'Se?or, ?c?mo est?s? ?Usted sabe d?nde queda tal sitio?

Se?or: 'oh s?, eso es all? mimo. Sigue eta reta hata la equina con la mata de Sam?n. No doble ah?, sigue pa' lante. Baja la cueta, depu? sube la otra cueta, y sigue hata la casa de Mar?a. Ella tiene un colmado que se llama Colmado Mar?a con un letrero que dice Colmado Mar?a. Dobla ah? pa' eta mano y sigue hata la lu. All? dobla pa' ete lao y sigue derecho. Tu va ve una iglesia, ah? eh'.

I think its clear what Chiri meant by 'fun.' ;)
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
12,290
519
113
good luck with the above maps. They are more close to the base maps than anything else. There is nothing in them.
AZB
 

puryear270

Bronze
Aug 26, 2009
935
82
0
I have a Garmin nuvi, and I use a DR map that I downloaded from this site:

http://www.dominicana.cc/

I use the GPS when I'm driving in the capital mostly.

To be honest, the directions that it gives me are not the best, as it tends to calculate some strange routes. However, it was certainly been helpful for me. It has some stores and notable locations marked. And I have found it extremely helpful when encountering roadblocks caused by construction, accident, flood, guagua dispute, the government's whim, etc.


Out in the country, it is good for getting from one major town to another, but if I am looking for a small town or a house in the country, I have to ask.

PS. When asking for directions, I always get at least one "turn at the colmado", AS IF there is only one colmado in the entire province.
 

NFF

New member
Nov 10, 2010
16
2
0
GPS in the Dominican

I have a Garmin nuvi, and I use a DR map that I downloaded from this site:

Dominican Republic maps for Garmin GPS - Index

I use the GPS when I'm driving in the capital mostly.

To be honest, the directions that it gives me are not the best, as it tends to calculate some strange routes. However, it was certainly been helpful for me. It has some stores and notable locations marked. And I have found it extremely helpful when encountering roadblocks caused by construction, accident, flood, guagua dispute, the government's whim, etc.

Out in the country, it is good for getting from one major town to another, but if I am looking for a small town or a house in the country, I have to ask.

PS. When asking for directions, I always get at least one "turn at the colmado", AS IF there is only one colmado in the entire province.


Also they have free to download topo, political, region and road maps of Dominican Republic.

That were very usefull for me.

and some free GPS track with different routes (from Santo Domingo, Las Terrenas, Bavaro etc.).

I had the same problem with building "number". But nobody in Dominican Republic knows this...
 

NFF

New member
Nov 10, 2010
16
2
0
Hertz, Avis, National or other International rental agencies may offer GPS units, like they do in the US, but it is definitely not standard here. GPS does work fine though...if you have a blackberry or iphone, just download google maps.....works great....

They still don`t offer this option, I don`t know why... :pirate:
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
12,290
519
113
JD, this map has correct street names etc? can you navigate with it? how accurate is it? local residential streets exist?
AZB