Is there a road from Barahona to Santiago....

Nope. You have to go to Santo Domingo and then head to Barahona from there.

El Tigre said:

Nope. You have to go to Santo Domingo and then head to Barahona from there.

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Or you can go though Villa Altagracia, taking the Baden exit out of Juan Pablo Duarte highway and go to San Cristobal and from there to Barahona.

The road is not the best, but it can get you there.

i thought the OP wanted to go from Barahona to Santiago?
in any case El Tigre is right, the more direct and faster route is going to Santo Domingo and then up to Santiago...

Why not go to Santo Domingo's colonial zone for the churches and historical buildings, rum, shopping and dining, and explore some areas around Barahona for eco-tourism.

Alternatives - Las Salinas; San Jose Ocoa

Alternatives to travel the distance from Barahona to Santiago would be to visit some of the lesser know but equally interesting and beautiful areas of the Dominican Republic that are closer to Barahona;

May I suggest that you take the local gua-gua to Cruze del 15 (I think that it's called - between Azua and Bani) turn left and spend a day at San Jose Ocoa - probably the most beautiful and well kept central plaza of any town in the DR - and a couple of good discoteques right off the square where you can dance your hearts delight - a couple of relatively cheap 'pensiones' are place a block or two from the square that makes the trip affordable.

Thereafter, down again to the trunk-road and onwards to Bani, from there a gua-gua to Las Salinas for a day in the sun; small town, no tourists (except on Sundays where th Dominicans from 'la Capital' flock to the place), interesting to see the salt-panes, and swim in the bay -trust that they have cleaned up the beach...

... and then the last couple of days in Santo Domingo for the museums, churches and the other historical stuff.

cheers

pkaide1 said:

Or you can go though Villa Altagracia, taking the Baden exit out of Juan Pablo Duarte highway and go to San Cristobal and from there to Barahona.

The road is not the best, but it can get you there.

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Very good suggestion. Our MotoCaribe tours of the SW use this route to avoid Santo Domingo. Stop at La Toma, just north of Duarte in San Cristobal on the bypass road, for a dip in the spring pools. Interesting place.

cobraboy said:

Very good suggestion. Our MotoCaribe tours of the SW use this route to avoid Santo Domingo. Stop at La Toma, just north of Duarte in San Cristobal on the bypass road, for a dip in the spring pools. Interesting place.

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This is supposed to be a secret.

hey

Funwhileserving said:

Is it worth the effort to try to get to Santiago? We only have four days. My last trip was to Ecuador and we left the riverfront at Guyaquil (sorry about spelling) and took a bus up to Quito and flew out of Quito.

We definately want to explore Santo Domingo.

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I am from Ecuador. did you mean boardwalk instead of riverfront? malecon salado or the malecon 2000? either way i miss my hometown, I was born in Guayaquil and last visited February 2008.
In any case you have 4 days to enjoy yourselves in DR, make the most of it, i say give it a shot. if you all could find a personal driver to make the trip for you then I say go to Santiago and explore it. Barahona is a long drive and I don't know the roads like many of the members here, I usually stick to the main highways and would go through Azua, Bani, San Cristobal and to the Capital. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that drive alone is close to 3 hours [from Barahona to SDomingo?] depending on traffic? then another 3 hours from SD to Santiago again bearing traffic conditions....look, the island has so much to see, try to take it all in with the days you have available. hope you all have a wonderful time doing it! the members here have made some good suggestions! :bunny:

pkaide1 said:

This is supposed to be a secret.

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There's more secrets, but I ain't tellin'...