Las Terrenas & Jarabacoa help?

emendoza

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Mar 16, 2004
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In late May, we have about 1 week to visit the DR. Am not interested in AIs but they're tempting becuase they actually seem less expensive than traveling on our own. Anyway, we're interested in flying into Puerto Plata, bussing to Las Terrenas, staying a few nights there w/some water excursions & then going to Jarabacoa by bus (maybe?) for a few days with active excursions.

Is this possible to do on our own? Or should we find tour operators & hotels in advance? The getting around by bus makes me nervous becuase we don't speak Spanish. We've heard "stressful" things about driving so we'd prefer not to.

Las Terrenas seems nice becuase it's not as touristy as other places, but it it worth going that far? Is it easy to get to & how much to get there? Looking for decent hotels/cabanas for aound $40/night--on the ocean would be nice--is this possible in Las Terrenas? Or any other more quiet beach recommendations?

Any advice woud be apprecaited. Thank you.
 

Rocky

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Apr 4, 2002
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La Samana & Jarabacoa

It's quite simple to get to La Samana after arriving at POP airport.
There is a bus leaving every morning from Sosua (8 minutes from POP airport) to the peninsula. It's a big comfortable bus and costs only 5 or 6 bucks.
You will not have any difficulty finding hotels in your price range in Las Terenas, the town of La Samana and Las Galeras.
You may not have enough time to go to Jarabacoa in your short visit, as it will require you staying at leats one night in the POP area before bussing out to La Samana, then you would only have 5 or 6 days left to explore, and there is a lot to explore. Maybe you should save the Jarabacoa adventure for some other time.
Marco.
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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The bus to Samana leaves early in the morning, so plan to spend the first night in Sosua. Be at the Caribe Tours bus terminal in Sosua (take a taxi from hotel) and be there about 7:15am. The bus leaves at 7:30. Caribe Tours buses run on schedule. Buy a ticket to Sanchez, the stop before Samana. Vehicles meet the bus in Sanchez to provide transport over the mountain to Las Terrenas. Like Rocky, I recommend you save Jarabacoa until the next trip. Spend the week in May getting acquainted with Las Terrenas on the north side of the Samana Peninsula and with Samana and Las Galeras on the south side.

The Caribe Tours bus back to Puerto Plata leaves Samana at 4pm and Sanchez about 4:30 pm. Spend the night in Sosua, then take a taxi to airport the next morning.
 

emendoza

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Mar 16, 2004
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Thank you both for the good info. About how long is the trip from Sousa to Las Terrenas?

I'm bummed about missing Jarabocoa. We actually get board if we stay in one place too long. If we'd like to see the beach & Jarabocoa as well, should we maybe stay somewhere like Cabarete or Sousa? Would that make it more feasible to visit Jarabocoa as well? Not sure if there's anywhere around Cabarete or Sousa that's good for budget people who want lodging on the beach....but if we stay there instead can we make a trip inland worthwhile? Originally planned 8 days in the DR. Las Terrenas sounded wonderful, but maybe not worth it if we have to sacrafice Jarabacoa???

What do you think? Thanks so much for the advice--on a short trip like this, we want the most bang for our buck and your advice will help us plan the perfect trip!
 

Ken

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Problem is, both places take time to get to.

You could stay in Sosua or Cabarete, go to Las Terrenas for a couple of days, return to Sosua or Cabarete, then go to Jarabacoa. But you would be spending a lot of time on the road. Going to Las Terrenas from Sosua, means leaving at 7:30 am and getting to Las Terrenas around noon. When you leave Las Terrenas, be at Caribe Tours in Sanchez by 4:15. You will get to Sosua about 7 or 7:30 pm. Next morning take a Caribe Tours bus from Sosua to Santiago or La Vega, I need to check on which. These buses (the bus to Santo Domingo) leave 20 minutes after every hour all day. Then you would need to get another bus to Jarabacoa. So that day will pretty much be used up traveling, just as will the day when you return to Sosua/Cabarete to get your plane.

If you have the money, which it doesn't sound like you are keen to spend, then you could take taxis and speed up the whole process. But it will cost you a great deal more than taking the CaribeTours buses.
 

Rocky

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My mistake

I guess I just assumed that you would want to relax and take it all in easy.
Your trip is very feasible and I should have said so.
8 days is ample to fit both in.
You're going to have a blast. Both places are breathtaking.
Marco.
 

Samana1

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Jan 4, 2002
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Pop_sam

So their is really interest in a evening bus departure from POP to Samana.

I will contact Caribe Tours.

But in the meantime you can take Puerto Plata - San Fransisco de Macoris- Samana bus all the day!
 

Tom F.

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Jan 1, 2002
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If you speak Spanish and travel light, I can give you the Peace Corps mode of getting there and would be an interesting trip. Taking public transportation, It would take 1 hour 30 minutes or so, from Sanchez to San Francisco de Macoris (driving yourself a little over an hour). A few blocks from the Central Park, you take a publico to Santiago letting them know you will get off on the autopista to go to Jarabacoa. At the Zona Franca where the road goes up to Jarabacoa, take another publico to Jarabacoa. Pay a little extra and get dropped off at the door, or just take a taxi. That would probably take a half a day or so. Driving yourself a little over 2 hours. Of course there are stops along the way which may make it into a 4 hour drive. Those guys on the North Coast forget there are roads to other places besides Puerto Plata, Santiago, and the Capital (just kidding fellas). I think Marco has left Sosua a few times (don't count the trips to Santiago).
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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Samana1 said:
But in the meantime you can take Puerto Plata - San Fransisco de Macoris- Samana bus all the day!

What bus are you talking about? I know of no bus from Puerto Plata to San Francisco. The bus that goes through San Francisco to Samana starts in Santo Domingo.

I doubt very much that Caribe Tours will add another bus. The one they run is already a money loser.

Tom F, you are absolutely correct that someone who speaks a little Spanish, travels light, and knows what he is doing can get from here to there in a variety of ways. But, until a poster reveals his interest in this during the course of the thread, those of us on the North Coast not in the Peace Corps assume that scheduled transport, like Caribe Tours or Metro, is their best bet.
 

emendoza

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Mar 16, 2004
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No hablo

In fact, we do not speak Spanish. But I do appreciate all the options. I will give our trip a little more thought & decide what we should do.

One more quick question, Las Terrenas sounded perfect for us, but IS there somewhere closer to POP or Cabarete or Sousa that is not an AI resort area? Somewhere with a nice beach but more modest accomodations? Maybe I should look for another beach town that will make visiting Jarabacoa easier?

Thanks for all your help. I've never used a chat site where the chatters are so responsive!
 

Ken

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Jarabacoa is a long way from the beaches, any beach.

There are non AI hotels in Sosua, you just have to walk to the beach. For example, take a look at Tropix Hotel http://www.tropixhotel.com/

Your best beach options are Las Terrenas and Las Galeras.

8 days is not a long time. You have to decide your priorties. How much time do you want to spend on the beach? How much time in a bus? Which is more important, Las Terrenas or Jarabacoa. If you devide your time between Sosua/Cabarete and Las Terrenas or Sosua/Cabarete and Jarabacoa, it seems to me that you will achieve at least most of what I understand you to be saying that you want from your vacation.
 

mountainfrog

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Dec 8, 2003
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8 Days

Well, a little more than one week should not be used to see as many places as possible in this country.
Relax, and let the Caribbean carry you away from the rat race.
Make a decision:
Mountains (Jarabacoa) or beaches and smaller mountains (Las Terrenas).
We live in the hills near LT and I think that 8 days is even little time to see a small part of the Saman? peninsula.

M?frog
P.S.: See fewer places and get to know them well.
Elderly couple after their 5-day-tour of Europe:
"Look love, what a nice picture of the Eifel-tower
in Brussels."
"Oh yes, I remember, that was near the Alpes
of Denmark."