I know it?s covered here already, but the posts seem out of date. I am wondering the cheapest, quickest, and easiest ways to get from Cabarete to Jarabacoa, so I can arrive at a decent hour of the day. I won?t use taxis out of Cabarete any more, but any other location a suggested price would be fantastic, thanks!
- Thread starter maleru
- Start date
Cabarete to Jarabacoa
You can take the caribe tours bus in sosua past the metro bus station, about a 20 minute concho ride from cabarete center. You can make the bus connection in la vega but there are only 3 daily caribe buses from la vega to jarabacoa at 9 am 12pm and 3pm. If you miss the bus you can take a concho from la vega to jarabacoa but much more expensive. About a 3 hour bus ride to la vega. Probably around 10.00 US.
Concho fom La Vega to Jarabacoa is 80 pesos ($2) You need to take a taxi or motoconcho from the bus station to the Jarabacoa-La Vega concho station, not sure on the price but its not far.
An alternative would be:
Concho to either Metro or Caribe Tours (second stop-Los Jardines--in Santiago), taxi (or an "A" concho) to the corner of Restauraci?n and Sabana Larga. This is the bus stop for buses that go directly to Jarabacoa from Santiago.
Need better directions? Let me know.
HB
Concho to either Metro or Caribe Tours (second stop-Los Jardines--in Santiago), taxi (or an "A" concho) to the corner of Restauraci?n and Sabana Larga. This is the bus stop for buses that go directly to Jarabacoa from Santiago.
Need better directions? Let me know.
HB
Easiest & quickest way - drive yourself 
it takes about 2 hours depending upon traffic.
Cabarete to Sosua - 10 min along the coast
Sosua to Puerto Plata - 10 mins follow the same road
PP - Navarette - 40 mins, ride through PP on the high side, thunder through the mountains early in the morning, look for the sign Santiago at the Nvarette crossing
Naverette - La Vega - 35 mins, depending on traffic in Santiago, make sure you take the right side on the overpass out of Santiago (look for a sign on your left with Santo Domingo, once you pass the 2nd La Sirena)
La Vega - Jarabacoa - 20 mins take the first turnoff from La Vega and take a right at the lights by the Texaco station... it's not signed but that is the start of the mountain road up to Jarabaco
it takes about 2 hours depending upon traffic.Cabarete to Sosua - 10 min along the coast
Sosua to Puerto Plata - 10 mins follow the same road
PP - Navarette - 40 mins, ride through PP on the high side, thunder through the mountains early in the morning, look for the sign Santiago at the Nvarette crossing
Naverette - La Vega - 35 mins, depending on traffic in Santiago, make sure you take the right side on the overpass out of Santiago (look for a sign on your left with Santo Domingo, once you pass the 2nd La Sirena)
La Vega - Jarabacoa - 20 mins take the first turnoff from La Vega and take a right at the lights by the Texaco station... it's not signed but that is the start of the mountain road up to Jarabaco
Easiest & quickest way - drive yourself
Cabarete to Sosua - 10 min along the coast
Sosua to Puerto Plata - 10 mins follow the same road
PP - Navarette - 40 mins, ride through PP on the high side, thunder through the mountains early in the morning, look for the sign Santiago at the Nvarette crossing
Naverette - La Vega - 35 mins, depending on traffic in Santiago, make sure you take the right side on the overpass out of Santiago (look for a sign on your left with Santo Domingo, once you pass the 2nd La Sirena)
La Vega - Jarabacoa - 20 mins take the first turnoff from La Vega and take a right at the lights by the Texaco station... it's not signed but that is the start of the mountain road up to Jarabaco
Do NOT cut corners or pass like Dominicans do and you get to write about your trip. Serious.
Bob,
1. I agree; don't drive like a mad man
2. This time was set a couple of times from Cabarete to Jarabacoa - early on in the am (starting at 04:30 am) when no traffic was on the roads.
3. If you run into traffic (quite possible on the PP to Navarette or Navarette to La Vega parts) your time will drastically increase.
4. It also depends on the car; I drive a Mitshubishi Montero cara de gata which is fine to drive at 100 km/h on the roads up to La Vega.
As we've never been in a car together, it's difficult to say if I drive like a crazy Dominican.. I know I used to but have wised up a lot after having had a few lessons from mrs Cobraboy
... I still drive fast but only where it is possible..So far, I've avoided accidents and my passengers have had only positive comments..
Easiest & quickest way - drive yourself
Cabarete to Sosua - 10 min along the coast
Sosua to Puerto Plata - 10 mins follow the same roadPP - Navarette - 40 mins, ride through PP on the high side, thunder through the mountains early in the morning, look for the sign Santiago at the Nvarette crossing
Naverette - La Vega - 35 mins, depending on traffic in Santiago, make sure you take the right side on the overpass out of Santiago (look for a sign on your left with Santo Domingo, once you pass the 2nd La Sirena)
La Vega - Jarabacoa - 20 mins take the first turnoff from La Vega and take a right at the lights by the Texaco station... it's not signed but that is the start of the mountain road up to Jarabaco
Sosua to Puerto Plata in 10 minutes? Not unless your in a Formula 1 race car!
Even if there were no other cars on the road (and day or night, there WILL be other cars) driving that fast on that road is plain crazy!
"So far".......famous last words. And it only takes one time to really ruin your day!
IMHO, there are too many fools like you on the DR roads, and that's why I avoid driving there.
Let me put the timing into perspective
You do know that Sosua formally ends at the bridge over the Rio Verde at Cangrejo do you? From there it is less then 10 mins to the entry of POP at the round-about at the Palacio de Justicia, driving at about 80-100 km/s hour..
When you cross the bridge you take the bend towards the priest seminary, then pass the Shell bomba and the old 'Azucar" at Montellano, then you slowdonw for the curve where the Carretera Turistica begins... uphill you can accelerate again, past the Children's amusement park, past Playa Dorada and you're there..
Cabarete to Sosua similar - when you start counting at the Kite Beach, you go around the bend with the Horse Ranch, then pass the various developments, Pera Marina, Sol de PLata, Sea Horse Ranch, until the Parada de Choco I see no reason to slow down.. then into town... past the German butcher, cross the bridge up till the Texaco you can still do 60-80, then you need to slow a bit more.. at around 50 you can breeze through town, until the Playero, then 80 besides the beach, slowing to 50 at Sosua Abajo until you exit.. up the hill past the airport and La Union 80-100 km/h and then slow down till 50 in Cangrejo..
Believe you me, there is almost no traffic around at 04:30 am...
As far as PP to Navarette - you roll into PP @ 04:50 am, again almost no traffic - no moto's and no camiones... it takes 10 mins to cross PP, entering at the round-about and taking the road across town at 50-70, careful at the only working stoplight at that time of night (the others are not working).. then from the Zona Franco to Imbert, 15 mins @ 90-110... again no traffic, no camiones and whatever there is is easily passed... then Imbert to the tunnel another 15 mins @ 90-110... through the tunnel down towards Navarette in 10 mins again @ 90-110 km/h..
At Navarette you can open up until Santiago @ 100-120 km/h... through Santiago you can do 50-60 at that time of night with a little luck at the lights (it takes 10 mins to pass Santiago this way).. after Santiago you get to La Vega in 10 mins again @ 100-120 km/h, slowing down only for the unfinished toll..
I see no problem here..
You do know that Sosua formally ends at the bridge over the Rio Verde at Cangrejo do you? From there it is less then 10 mins to the entry of POP at the round-about at the Palacio de Justicia, driving at about 80-100 km/s hour..
When you cross the bridge you take the bend towards the priest seminary, then pass the Shell bomba and the old 'Azucar" at Montellano, then you slowdonw for the curve where the Carretera Turistica begins... uphill you can accelerate again, past the Children's amusement park, past Playa Dorada and you're there..
Cabarete to Sosua similar - when you start counting at the Kite Beach, you go around the bend with the Horse Ranch, then pass the various developments, Pera Marina, Sol de PLata, Sea Horse Ranch, until the Parada de Choco I see no reason to slow down.. then into town... past the German butcher, cross the bridge up till the Texaco you can still do 60-80, then you need to slow a bit more.. at around 50 you can breeze through town, until the Playero, then 80 besides the beach, slowing to 50 at Sosua Abajo until you exit.. up the hill past the airport and La Union 80-100 km/h and then slow down till 50 in Cangrejo..
Believe you me, there is almost no traffic around at 04:30 am...
As far as PP to Navarette - you roll into PP @ 04:50 am, again almost no traffic - no moto's and no camiones... it takes 10 mins to cross PP, entering at the round-about and taking the road across town at 50-70, careful at the only working stoplight at that time of night (the others are not working).. then from the Zona Franco to Imbert, 15 mins @ 90-110... again no traffic, no camiones and whatever there is is easily passed... then Imbert to the tunnel another 15 mins @ 90-110... through the tunnel down towards Navarette in 10 mins again @ 90-110 km/h..
At Navarette you can open up until Santiago @ 100-120 km/h... through Santiago you can do 50-60 at that time of night with a little luck at the lights (it takes 10 mins to pass Santiago this way).. after Santiago you get to La Vega in 10 mins again @ 100-120 km/h, slowing down only for the unfinished toll..
I see no problem here..
10 years and over 20K miles and counting...
Judge my driving after you've been in the car with me please.. several members have and I've not heard complaints from them..
When you understand the unwritten rules of the road and become a corpuscle in the circulatory system, the DR traffic flow is awesome!
It has evolved over many years. It's like Apple: "it just works."
I have to re-adjust to America when I go back. Those people will get you killed!
YOU are the foreign body in the petrie dish. YOU adapt or perish.
Some people just shouldn't go to a third world environment. They can't cope.
Easiest & quickest way - drive yourself
Cabarete to Sosua - 10 min along the coast
Sosua to Puerto Plata - 10 mins follow the same road
PP - Navarette - 40 mins, ride through PP on the high side, thunder through the mountains early in the morning, look for the sign Santiago at the Nvarette crossing
Naverette - La Vega - 35 mins, depending on traffic in Santiago, make sure you take the right side on the overpass out of Santiago (look for a sign on your left with Santo Domingo, once you pass the 2nd La Sirena)
La Vega - Jarabacoa - 20 mins take the first turnoff from La Vega and take a right at the lights by the Texaco station... it's not signed but that is the start of the mountain road up to Jarabaco
I will have to take your word for it, because I am not sure that I understand your plan. Why do you recommend to go so far west along the coast (60 km) then over the mountains, then through the very busy Santiago, instead of going straight over the mountains from Cabarete south through Jamao and Moca? Am I missing something?
Not to argue your other points in rest of your post, but strictly from logical view point, measuring distances (or time) in this manner does not make sense.
When giving directions through several cities it does not make sense to measure the distance (or time) from the point that you leave one city to the entrance to another city. This is because it would discount the distance (or time) that it takes to traverse the city. The bigger the city, the greater the error. It would makes sense to either measure the distance (or time) between cities from the entrance to entrance, or center to center, or exit to exit.
Sensible question.. the answer is that in crossing the mountain road to Moca you can never hope to achieve the same speeds as along the highway.. so more miles but much faster speed.. is a faster total time..
The Moca road is much more scenic and if you're not in a hurry or a travelling during the day-time traffic hours (anywhere from 07:30 am till 19:00 pm) then this road is preferable..
However since the OP was asking about the quickest way to get there... I recommend early am across the roads I described..
This is completely true... but this point was made in answer to someone who called me a fool and irresponsible without ever knowing me or my credentials.. and without doing any driving himself..
Also the time from Sosua city-limits till PP is a little less than 10 mins.. leaving some time over to cross Cangrejo, the airport and La Union in reverse order...
The total time it took me from Cabarete to Jarabacoa when leaving 04:30 from Cabarete was 2 hours and around 10 mins.. we parked he car and were drinking coffee just before 07:00 at the produce market in Jarabacoa on the way to La Cienega.. this is a true story and includes one stop for fuel at La Vega turnoff..
You can choose to believe what you will...a person who drove this stretch just over a week ago or someone who by his own admission never drives in the DR..
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Either way, Cabarete-Moca-La-Vega is a faster route, and more scenic, depending on how fast you travel. I did La-Vega-Cabarete in just about an hour. Now I wouldn't recommend it but it can be done....my Dominican passengers were white faced and white knuckled at the end, but it was a wild ride....
As for the OP, you can take a carrito publico to Sabaneta, grab the Moca guagua and it leaves you at the parada for SD, Santiago, and La-Vega, go to La-Vega and ask them to drop you at the Jarabacoa stop and take a guagua from there.....you were asking about public transport, not driving right?
Oh price:
Cabarete - Sabaneta 25 pesos
Sabaneta - Moca 100 pesos
Moca - LaVega 50 pesos (It was that a couple of yrs ago)
LaVega - Jarabacoa Not sure, never took that one
As for the OP, you can take a carrito publico to Sabaneta, grab the Moca guagua and it leaves you at the parada for SD, Santiago, and La-Vega, go to La-Vega and ask them to drop you at the Jarabacoa stop and take a guagua from there.....you were asking about public transport, not driving right?
Oh price:
Cabarete - Sabaneta 25 pesos
Sabaneta - Moca 100 pesos
Moca - LaVega 50 pesos (It was that a couple of yrs ago)
LaVega - Jarabacoa Not sure, never took that one
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Cabarete-Moca-La Vega is less than half the mileage of Cabarete-Pto Pta-La Vega...no matter how fast you drive, The mountain route will be quicker on average, and a MUCH nicer route...
Or, in the words of Dirty Harry: "A mans just got to know his limitations".
-)According to wikipedia - Road fatalities per 100,000 motor vehicles:
USA: 15
DR: 140.7
FYI, I've driven on five continents in too many countries to recall. Including the DR. And based on my experiences and observations, as I said in my post, I now try to avoid driving there. But sometimes there's no way around it.
And MerengueDutch, you said:
Cabarete to Sosua - 10 min along the coast
Sosua to Puerto Plata - 10 mins follow the same road
So your saying you can get from say, Jose O'Sheas in Cabarete to say, the baseball stadium on the eastern edge of Puerto Plata in 20 minutes? I don't think so. And IMO, it you drive that fast, you ARE a fool. And people who get in the car with you are foolish.
You said something to the effect of "So far, I have not had an accident".
Should we put that on your tombstone when you invariably do?
If you have a death wish, well there is not much we can do about it. But please, for the sake of other, innocent people, slow down and enjoy the scenery. Life is not all about who is the fastest, etc. etc. (I'll leave out the Freudian implications).
Peace.