la isabela to montecristi road

dom

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Jun 1, 2011
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planning to go on a little offroad tour, from la isabela to montecristi, the backroad, passed the old curch in la isabela. question is if it is passable in a landcruiser and how long approx. would it take.

i have asked this about a year ago, nobody could really tell by then, hopefully today someobody can.

thanks for any help
 

Drperson

Well-known member
Sep 19, 2008
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la isabela to Montecrisiti

planning to go on a little offroad tour, from la isabela to montecristi, the backroad, passed the old curch in la isabela. question is if it is passable in a landcruiser and how long approx. would it take.

i have asked this about a year ago, nobody could really tell by then, hopefully today someobody can.

thanks for any help

I have driven on my motorcycle several times from La Isabella to Punta Russia (Mod: that's Punta Rucia). There is a river and some small boats to take motorcycles across. Depending on the rain and river levels if your Landcruiser is equipped to travel in deep 3 feet water more or less you should be ok . Maybe walk through first. YOU will see where others travel by vehicle.

I went from Punta Russia to Montecristi a few years ago by a jeep. It was ok then. There is a bit of mud now on the road just after Punta Russia but nothing serious.

The road from Punta Russia will take you to about 50 km fro Montecristi where you woul djoing the main road.
 
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dom

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Jun 1, 2011
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nice thats some good advise thanks, 3 ft that about 1 meter, its gonna be fun for sure, the landcruiser has hydraulic suspension so it can raise a little bit, i guess that will be enough.

any pictures of your trips, specially the river.

what we plan is go from maimon over guzmancito to luperon and from luperon, la isabela, punta rusia.
 

trucker

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Mar 20, 2011
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If you go in the summer time you can drive across the river. Then go to Villa Isabela then to Punta Rusia. All good new roads. There is a small hotel in Punta Rusia, The Tortuga. Clean and Cheap. Go west along the coast and keep saying MontCriste. You will eventually come out about 3 miles from Monticristi on the main highway. It is an awsome ride on a bike or suv. Enjoy the people cause they haven't seen too many gringos out there. Also look for a little town of Buen Hombe on the coast. Very nice and you will NOT see any gringos there. Beautiful beach. Have a good trip. I have done it many times over the years. The best way is to fill up your tank and go without maps. You never know where you will wind up and when ya get lost, that is the most fun you will ever have. Have a good trip.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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As I remember it from years ago in one of the really old Land Rovers, with a rag top, after leaving Punta Rucia (let's get the name right please!) you come out to the roadway between Estero Hondo and El Papayo. You turn right and after crossing the little bridge into El Papayo, you go left up the hills. About 3 clicks more and you come to a crossroads known as Agua de Palma. There you turn right and go to Buen Hombre, and from Buen Hombre you have to come out onto the Duarte Hwy, near Montecristi..

The people along that road are great.

Once many moons ago when people danced together and you could understand the words to the songs, the Hillbilly was traveling with the scion of a local land baron family and one of their adopted sons, a young fellow of Finnish heritage. Get the picture? Three very white guys in a Land Rover.

As we drove over this road, seeing absolutely no one, no traffic, not even on mules, suddenly we came over a rise and there n the distance was a little hamlet with lots and lots of people in the dirt road. We thought "something has happened, oh sh!t!"

But as we approached (three white guys dressed in shirts and khakis) we noticed that they were jumping up and down with smiles on their faces! Oh boy! a party! .....and we heard the chant: "PADRE, Padre, Padre, Padre!!!"

Eddy, the scion, looked at me and said "they think we are priests"....soon we were in their midst and they were clamoring for the Padre!!!

Eddy took one look at the roast pig, the huge 'pailas" of moro, the mounds of beers in ice, and said, "Hillbilly, you can be a priest for today, look at all that food!!"

But I didn't and we didn't.

Apparently they were waiting for the yearly visit of one of the local priests for marriages and baptisms and such!! Once a year was enough for them...

Anyway, let us know how it goes.

And if you don't have to go to Luperon and make the crossover, you can use the bridge in El Estrecho/Ranchito...way before you get to Luperon...it takes you into La Isabela and from there it is pretty straight forward to Punta RUCIA!!


HB