Las Galeras to Cap Haitien

jayhawkco

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Jul 2, 2015
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First post in the forum. I'm going to be spending some time relaxing in Las Galeras, and then I want to spend a couple days with a little more adventure in Cap Haitien. Is it feasible to try to get there in one day with public transportation? I know there are buses from Santo Domingo and from Santiago, but are there any buses or guaguas that will get me from Las Galeras to the Caribe Tours buses with plenty of time to connect? Or am I best served hiring a private car to get me to the Caribe Tour buses? And if so, what time should I leave to make sure I have at least an hour and a half or so in between travels (to account for any potential delays). Thanks in advance!

Chris
 

wrecksum

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Sep 27, 2010
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I am trying desperately to resist answering this post as I can't directly answer the questions but the naivety of the plan is frightening.

You should really do some research into travel in the DR and across to Haiti before asking on this forum I reckon.
It's not just a question of hopping on a bus to Albuquerque and having a beer with the locals in the next state.
Good luck anyway.
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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NO - You would really be better off not crossing into Haiti by ground transport at this time - the border is going to be very very crowded - with the returning Haitians - at the rate of thousands a day. The border at this time is really a refugee center rather than a tourist zone.

Adventure?

try a Tom Clancy novel
 

jd426

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Dec 12, 2009
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All i know is if my feet were in that soft powdery sand in Las Galeras.. the furthest trip on my mind would be like a day trip to Playa Rincon or maybe Samana City with a boat ride to cayo Levantado....

Cap Hatien would be like the last thing on my mind..
but to each his own.
 

jayhawkco

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Jul 2, 2015
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I appreciate the responses. First, let me start out by saying I'm not the normal traveler. I've been to 55 countries, many of which by myself. I'm not a stranger to the 3rd world, having spent extensive time in the Philippines, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, South Africa, Ethiopia, etc. I'm not asking whether or not it's a good idea; I'm looking for logistics.

While I don't want to come across as ungrateful to the responses so far (I'm the new guy, don't wanna come off rude), does anyone have an answer to my question? Also, keep in mind this trip is next March, so a lot of refugee issue will have likely worn off.

Chris
 

jayhawkco

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Jul 2, 2015
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Also, keep in mind this trip is next March, so a lot of refugee issue will have likely worn off.

Chris

Well, hopefully that is. If not, flying isn't an option that I have ruled out. Tortuga Air flies from Santo Domingo if I'm not mistaken.

Chris
 

Salsafan

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Aug 17, 2011
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I think from Las Galeras to Cap Haitian in one day with a bus ist not possible, even if the buses could stick to their normal timetable (I have done it from Sosua in one day, arrived at CH at 5pm). And nowadays they have to cancel often.
Don't know if there are flights from Santo Domingo to Cap Haitien, but you could take one to Port au Prince and take a look at the south coast. I guess the flights are pretty full.
 

ju10prd

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All i know is if my feet were in that soft powdery sand in Las Galeras.. the furthest trip on my mind would be like a day trip to Playa Rincon or maybe Samana City with a boat ride to cayo Levantado....

Cap Hatien would be like the last thing on my mind..
but to each his own.

Probably right, but perhaps the OP read the article in the June American Way AA magazine and wants to explore those places near Cap Haitien described.

My advice find a way to fly there.
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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The route you would take would be:

Las Galeras-Samana-Sanchez-Nagua-San Francisco de Macoris-Santiago.
Santiago-Navarrete-Mao-Los Quemados-Sabaneta-Dajabon.
Dajabon crossing to Haiti.
In Haiti, then on to Cap Haitien to the north.

You would have to transfer buses several times, not all the buses leave on the hour, and you will need to take taxis to the bus stations.

It is doable, but because most commuter buses do not leave on the hour, it could end up taking at least two days.

As stated above, the land crossing these days will be especially slow because of all the returning Haitians. Dajabon is the preferred exit point. From there you would contract Haitian transportation to get to Cap Haitien.

The timing right now is not good. You could end up spending at least a half day alone at the border crossing. But you write you would come in March. Take note that even on normal days border crossings are slow, you would have to set aside a morning or afternoon. One never knows what the border brings.

Have been to La Citadelle, and yes it is worth it, but not having to go through all the hardships of public transport you will have to undergo. Especially if you will only have "a couple of days".

Or charter a plane to fly into Cap Haitien. The only time I have visited, I went by plane. I stayed at Mont Joli hotel that I understand is still in operation.

You could rent a car and park it in Dajabon where you would cross the border. By renting a car you will not have the wait between buses and you can follow the route.

Take note that in Haiti everything is much more expensive than in the Dominican Republic. And value for money you will be probably getting much much less.

If you do go, let us know how you did it. Again… if you only have "a couple of days" forget it.

Make room for more travel time, or simply split the trips. Fly into Haiti for one trip, the DR another.
 
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Salsafan

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Aug 17, 2011
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Santiago-Navarrete-Mao-Los Quemados-Sabaneta-Dajabon.
Dajabon crossing to Haiti.
In Haiti, then on to Cap Haitien to the north.
I would recommend Caribe Tour from Santiago to Cap Haitien. Costs a bit more but they only stop at the border and accompany you through the Immigration. In CH you can then use the local Taptap's and motoconchos without Problems to get to Citadelle, Labadee, ...
Check Hotel Roy Christoph in CH, awesome and affordable.
 

jayhawkco

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Jul 2, 2015
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Thank you very much for the informative responses. The Caribe Tours bus was definitely the way I had planned on going (and how I'm arriving in Samana Province in the first place (from Santo Domingo)). So from the sounds of things, it doesn't seem like public transportation from Las Galeras to Santiago is that easy (or that regular). If I were to hire a private car to take us to Santiago, how much am I looking at spending and how long in the car? I'm guessing private car to Santiago followed by a Caribe Tours bus would be many orders cheaper than chartering a plane from AZS to CAP, yes?

Chris
 

jayhawkco

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Jul 2, 2015
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Yes, the Citadelle, San Souci Palace, and maybe beach time at Cormier if there's time. On my current schedule, I'll have three total days after arriving.

Chris
 
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There are many, many buses that can take you from Las Galeras to Santiago, though you will probably have to go in stages.
Just ask around once you get to las Galeras.
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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ok -jayhawk - you did not actually say at first that it was in March - or seem aware of the current issues on the border - so forgive me if I snapped.

You are trying to plan what is probably one of the more difficult passages -

getting to Las Galeras is already difficult -

I do not know transport from Santiago but from the Capital - which is more of a transport hub
to Las Galeras there is no direct Caribe Tours bus - have to take the Samana bus and then a local gua gua to Las Galeras

Dolores is right that you need to get to Dajabon - and then cross over on foot and take public Haitian transport - local bus to Cap Haitien.

I doubt that you could make the trip from Las Galeras to Cap Hatien by public ground transport in one day

Dajabon is about an hour and a half drive from Santiago

You could not take a rental car across into Haiti

All of it is doable - just not perhaps within a short window of a few days.

You might consider going south to Pedernales and seeing Bahia de las Aguiles - which is rated one of the top ten beaches in the world -

That will also get you to see a lot of the county - the Zona Colonial.. and the ride to the south is quite spectacular - can be done on a small guagua - even in the big bus it is a 5 to 6 hour haul to the border.

then you can at least walk across the border into Haiti and say you have been there ----

then perhaps come back next trip and start in Haiti -

good luck
 

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
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Salsafan's info on the Santiago-Cap Haitien Caribe Tours is best. That is definitely a way you want to go.

There is a Caribe bus that leaves Santiago for Cap Haitien daily at 12 noon, according to their website.

In addition to Caribe Tours, Transporte Samana also serves Samana. There once was a 6:30am bus leaving Las Galeras with stops in Samana and Sanchez prior to heading to Santo Domingo.

Back in Santo Domingo, you need to take a taxi to the Caribe Tours terminal, and then grab one of the many departures to Santiago. Even taking that 6:30am bus, I doubt you would make it to Santiago in time for the noon bus, but you could try it.
So, it is not as long as a drive as I thought. Figure 1 hour from Las Galeras to Samana, + 2:30 hours to Santo Domingo + 3 hours to Santiago.

And you have to factor in wait times between buses. There may be an earlier bus, though. And you could always overnight in Samana City to be earlier to catch the first bus, maybe at 5am. Considering also overnighting in Santo Domingo or Santiago. But then maybe a 5am bus from Samana City would make it possible to catch the noon bus from Santiago to Cap Haitien.

Anyway, read here more about what to do in Samana. Most is still happening, with the exception of the Taino Park that is closed.

http://dr1.com/travel/samanaguide.pdf
 

jayhawkco

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Jul 2, 2015
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ok -jayhawk - you did not actually say at first that it was in March - or seem aware of the current issues on the border - so forgive me if I snapped.

I appreciate the apology. I felt like I had actually done a lot of my due diligence before posting here and got a little bit attacked off the get go. I'm not the normal American coming down to hang out at all inclusives in Punta Cana and then maybe decide that's a bit boring. I'm flying into Santo Domingo, catching the Caribe Tour bus to get to Saman?, then taking a guagua, or whatever else I can find to get to Las Galeras. Spending my time there in some cabins without hot water. I plan on doing some of the touristy stuff, Los Haitises, Cayo Levantado, etc. But, unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, that's not my normal style of travel. I couldn't be that close to another culture and not experience it -- especially feeling like right now Haiti needs the tourist dollar as much as possible. So, I'm going to Haiti; my outbound flight is from Cap Haitien to Miami. I'm going to make it there, and spend three days there. Now the question is how and what day. Based on everything I've read here, I might take either a later bus the day before or a private car to Santiago, spend the night in a hotel, and then take the Caribe Tours bus the next day. I had already set aside a full 24 hours to get from Las Galeras to Cap Haitien in the midst of my two week vacation. The whole reason I had posed my question was the hopeful chance that maybe I could not waste a late afternoon/night traveling to Santiago (or Santo Domingo) to catch the bus if it were possible to catch some kind of transportation (no matter the cost) to get to the bus before it left from Santiago at 12:15 pm (or so I've read). If I got a private car rented at, say, 4 AM to take me to Santiago, I would arrive before the bus and it would cost me....? That's the question I really came in search of.

Thanks again,
Chris
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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I appreciate the apology. I felt like I had actually done a lot of my due diligence before posting here and got a little bit attacked off the get go. I'm not the normal American coming down to hang out at all inclusives in Punta Cana and then maybe decide that's a bit boring. I'm flying into Santo Domingo, catching the Caribe Tour bus to get to Saman?, then taking a guagua, or whatever else I can find to get to Las Galeras. Spending my time there in some cabins without hot water. I plan on doing some of the touristy stuff, Los Haitises, Cayo Levantado, etc. But, unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, that's not my normal style of travel. I couldn't be that close to another culture and not experience it -- especially feeling like right now Haiti needs the tourist dollar as much as possible. So, I'm going to Haiti; my outbound flight is from Cap Haitien to Miami. I'm going to make it there, and spend three days there. Now the question is how and what day. Based on everything I've read here, I might take either a later bus the day before or a private car to Santiago, spend the night in a hotel, and then take the Caribe Tours bus the next day. I had already set aside a full 24 hours to get from Las Galeras to Cap Haitien in the midst of my two week vacation. The whole reason I had posed my question was the hopeful chance that maybe I could not waste a late afternoon/night traveling to Santiago (or Santo Domingo) to catch the bus if it were possible to catch some kind of transportation (no matter the cost) to get to the bus before it left from Santiago at 12:15 pm (or so I've read). If I got a private car rented at, say, 4 AM to take me to Santiago, I would arrive before the bus and it would cost me....? That's the question I really came in search of.

Thanks again,
Chris

sure --

well, March is a long way away - and you have already committed yourself to flying out of Cap Haitien

There should be no problem making the connections with the Caribe Tour bus in Santiago - but it might be more fun to set off via the local guaguas - make your way along the coast road -- to Samana - then up to Las Terrenas - and across to Cabarete and Puerta Plata, then to Santiago. Probably a few more days travelling but you will see more of the country-- and beautiful parts of the country - then just sitting in a cabin in Las Galeras - which is a little hamlet and not that much.

That would be my recommendation- rather than hiring a car and spending just the night before in Santiago

Also - just keep up with the news and the threads

and hold out enough $$$ so that you can fly from SD to PAP and from there to Cap Haitien if you need to - We have no idea what it looks like on the border now and no idea what it will look like in March - but be aware that there is a chance buses might not be running.

But the planes will always fly.

enjoy