Do you really need a 4 Wheel Drive car on the Samana Peninsula?

but a 4X4 is highly recommended, My husband and I drove there in a 4X4 pickup truck we borrowed from a friend. the roads are bumpy,

4x4 or you'll leave your chase on one of the bumps. with any weather is is better and safer to use big vehicle in this country.
and have fun!

I have rented a car and I can tell you that I ran that sucker into the ground. It rained and I drove it all the way from Santo Domingo's airport and I hit a TON of potholes, many times going fast. I slammed on the breaks (slowing down for potholes) and I took it down many many rocky and dirt roads. There were certainly times that I wished I had a jeep or an SUV, but you don't NEED a 4X4. If you can afford it, go for it, but it costs more in gas. I never got stuck, so I didn't NEED a 4X4, but I would have enjoyed having a little more ground clearance that a non car vehicle would have provided, especially when I drove through deep water standing after a tropical storm that had passed through days before.

I can't imagine traveling the DR without a stout, strong 4x4/AWD vehicle with good undercarriage clearance.