Directions from Santiago Airport to Sosua.

Barry

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Jun 28, 2003
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Hi,

Will be driving directly from the Airport in Santiago and would like directions in English if anyone can help, specifically what I look for to make the left to get on the Mountain road to Sosua.

Thanks in advance.

Barry.
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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Coming out of the airport, make a right turn. Now follow your nose and you will pass by sugar cane fields, that would be Montellano. Keep going a little bit more until you will see a sign for santiago, that is where you make the left turn. Hint: there is a store on the right side (colmado) and there is a road going to the left. Please pay attention, that is where you make the left turn. There is a sign for santiago (to the left arrow). Now follow that road in zig zag and enjoy the view but keep the eyes on the road. then you will enter santiago when you will see some civilization. believe me, you will know you are in santiago. Keep on going until you get to the intersection where there is a big "H". That is the main avenue called estrella Sadahala. You are in santiago my friend and, most probably, lost. Have a nice day.
 

Adrian Bye

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Jul 7, 2002
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God bless DR1!

Where responding to the question asked is optional!!

(sorry AZB, but maybe you should take another look at the question). :)
 

XanaduRanch

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Sep 15, 2002
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AZB, that's reversed. He wants to get from the Santiago Airport to Sosua. Not from the Sosua airport to Santiago.

I have never been to the new Santiago airport. But I assume you exit the airport and turn right (north) and this is (I think) Estrella Sadahala. Just follow that for a ways on north. Turn right at the Edificio Hache building (one block past the MecDonald's-Supermercado Nacional-Casino) and that will take you through the mountains (in two hours) to the intersection on RD5 just west of Monte Llano. Turn right there, and it's 15 minutes more to Sosua.

There is a faster way, but it's harder to describe. If you turn right at the McDonald's that will take you through Tamboril to a much, much nicer mountain pass just before Moca that runs to Sabeneta. Saves you an hour, even though it's longer. If interested just PM me and I will scan a map for you.

Tom (aka XR)

P.S.
AZB feel free to correct me if my Santiago airport directions are not correct!
 
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Rocky

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Wrong way

Been here, done that! Moderated by Tim H:cool:

To answer your question to the best of my ability, the directions are as follows.
When leaving the airport service road, turn/merge right in a westerly direction towards Santiago. (Cibao airport is actually 15 or 20 minutes away from Santiago). Head straight into Santiago on the highway, paying close attention to a large sweeping right hand bend marked for Puerto Plata direction, take that bend. This will take you to Esterella Sadhalla street, on which you will continue on, still in a westerly direction. After several traffic lights and a couple of elevated portions, you will come to an intersection next to a large harware store called Hache. This 4 or 5 story building has a large H on it's rooftop and is unmistakable. There you take a right hand turn and stay on that very same road all the way to the North coast in the sugar cane fields. (approx 35 minute drive). Once you come to that intersection, you will turn right in an easterly direction towards Sosua. The best way to know that you are getting close, is to watch out for the airport which would be on your left hand side. Sosua is another 6 to 8 minutes from the airport. If you want to enter in the El Batey portion of Sosua, you must keep an eye out for a Texaco staion on your left hand side at a traffic light. This is where you turn in.
If you need specific directions to your destination, let me know.
Marco.
 
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Barry

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Thanks Marco.

I have been to Sosua before, will stop into Rocky's to have a beer or two and say hello.
 

AZB

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Sorry, I commited a boo boo.
Anyway, rocky is very close to being perfect in his direction.

When you leave the airport and going on the exit road (there is only one road) you will merge into main highway to santiago (autopista duarte). Now follow your nose until you reach the city limit. There you will go over an over pass and you will clearly see the monument, but don't go straight to the monument, at one point (just before you go on the other over pass-- elevated road)you will see a right exit out towards Av. Estrella sadhala. I think there are signs for "puerto plata" as well. You get out on this exit (on the right) and go up to an intersection where you will make a right turn (note: you will be exactly parallel under the elevated road above). Now make that turn and you are on "estrella sadhala". You will see a movie theater (hollywood) on the right side. Keep on going and go up the elevated road and you will come down and see a casino on the left side (hotel gran almirante). Now pay attention, when you come to the next intersection, you will see a huge "H" simbol in a water fountian. That is the hache fereterria building (about 7 storey). make that right turn and follow that road until you get up on the mountians and then follow it another 40 mins until you reach the north coast. There you will come to the main road and you make a right turn. Now go straight and you will go through montellano (sugar cane fields), then airport on the left side will come, then you go straight and you will reach sosua in 10 mins.
Now you owe me a beer.
Have a nice trip.
regards,
AZB
 

XanaduRanch

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Sep 15, 2002
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Aha!

So the airport is on AP Duarte! Well, that is a confusing intersection to turn right on to Av. Estrella sadhala. There is a right hand lane for traffic exiting to go north. It's well before the monument and the signs that point straight ahead and say 'Centro Ciudad'. All I can say is the AP Duarte part goes over the Av. Estrella sadhala part, and you need to exit right and go right, (north) at that point. You'll know you're on the right street (Av. Estrella sadhala) if immediately on your right, just after exiting at the first light, there is a 3-4 story cinema building on your right.

Tom (aka XR)
 

XanaduRanch

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The Shorter Route Directions!

I PM'd this to Barry, but for anyone else who is interested here's my best description of the route through Tamboril to Sabaneta:

As you pass the Cinema, having just turned right from AP Duarte onto Av. Estrella Sadhala go straight through the first light. On the right one block ahead is a small pharmacy, just as the street splits into an overhead portion on the left, and an exit ramp to below on the right. Stay right and do not go on the elevated portion.

At the bottom of the exit ramp is a light. Codetel is ahead and right at this intersection, A Burger King on the left. Go straight one block. At the next light you will see a McDonald's ahead and right. At this intersection turn right. This is the road to Tamboril & Moca. Just keep plowing ahead, it'll take 20 minutes or so to get to the turn into the mountains. It's mostly straight ahead, for whatever that means here in the DR. But no turnoffs!

The turn into the mountains (left) is marked with a sign that says Sabeneta (I think) but Nagua (don't ask why) for sure. As you go through Tamboril you will pass first a chocolate factory on the right, then 2-3 minutes later a speed bump with a PN station on the right and a cigar factory and store facing it on the left. Continue on. Maybe 5 minutes later through several curves a ball stadium left with an Isla station nearby on the left, then a few minutes more and a Texaco on the right, and 1/2 block ahead another PN station next to a town square on the left with a speed bump in front. Immediately after a small bridge. A few minutes more an Endy's Egg farm (you'll smell it) on the left. Then a middle school with speed bump. 3-4 minutes later another speed bump and school.

After this speed bump maybe 1-2 minutes more and you're at the intersection. There is a new gas station going up on the right, a PN station on the left. The road is marked. Lots of taxis there and people buying fried pork as you turn left and head up into the mountains at La Cumbre.

That's it! Just keep going! La Cumbre, Arroyo Frio, Palo Roto, La Caoba, Victor Guzman, Palo Blanco, Jamao, Las Brasos, etc. and then Sabeneta. Turn left there, and it's 10 minutes to Cabarete, and 10 more to Sosua.

Tom (aka XR)
 
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Barry

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Jun 28, 2003
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If I make it there I'll buy you all a beer - Thanks for the information.

Regards,

Barry.
 
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NV_

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Is the shorter route really faster? Especially with all the speed bumps and schools before getting to the mountain roads?

About how much time is saved if your destination is Cabarete? Trying to decide which route to take since i've always gone the "longer" route...

How bad (or good) are the roads on the "shorter" route compared to the other route? My lead foot combined with these bad roads is killing my Toyota... lol
 

Rocky

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Shortcut

The shortest route to Cabarete from the Cibao airport is by way of Moca through Jamao to Sabaneta and on to Cabarete, but not quite the route described above, and it will save you 10 or 15 minutes as opposed to going by way of Montellano and the Caratera Turistica via Santiago.
You have to have a knowledge of the area to not get lost, but it goes like this....
Go East in the Santo Domingo direction after leaving the airport on the main highway, turn left at the first sign for Moca, left again at the intersection in Moca where that road ends, go North through town to an intersection that I can only decribe as a huge intersection with some type of military base or prison on the corner, where the oncoming traffic has a speed bump and you don't, proceed along that road a couple of miles to a Y intersection where you will bear right, along that road for a few miles to an intersection that is marked for Jamao or Cabarete or both. There will be a small speed bump at that right hand turn after you complete the turn.
From there it's straight through the mountains to Sabaneta where you take a left to Cabarete.
Not worth trying this route at nightime if you don't know the area.
Escott and I have taken that route a couple of times and it's even a bit shorter from Sosua, so you're bound to save 15 minutes if your destination is Cabarete, and the bonus is that the Sabaneta to Moca road is in much better shape than the Caretera Turistica, has painted lines with relectors in the middle. The down side is that the road is a bit narrower.
Marco.
 

calamardoazul

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Has anyone driven by "carretera turistica"lately..?

I drive a lot from Santo Domingo To Pto Pta, and since the earthquakes began in the Santiago-Puerto Plata area, I don?t dare to take "Carretera Turistica" anymore! I haved heard about landslides, cracks and so, happening in that way..my last three trips to PP, I have taken the Navarrete-POP roadway. has anybody taken the "turistica" lately....?:confused:

Edited: I was so tired..my grammar wasn't working:cool:
 
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Rocky

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Caretera Turistica

Caretera Turistica is still looking good. If there was any damage caused by the earthquake, it's not very noticible.
If I lived in POP, I might take the Navarete road to Santiago as you don't save much time, if any, by going the Yasica way, especially if you live in the western part of town.
Marco.
 

XanaduRanch

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Sep 15, 2002
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NV:

Using the route I described you can make it from El Choco to downtown Santiago in about 1 hour and fifteen minutes. No problem. The Luperon highway from Hache to Montellano requires 2 hours 30 minutes from here.

Marco:

You're going way out of your way.

We keep a house in Santiago and I often drive back and forth several times a week. I have tried going through Moca, before I discovered that you could go by way of Tamboril or Licey al Medio much more quickly. Using the Moca turnoff on AP Duarte you're already 10-15 minutes from downtown Santiago. Then there's time spent between the turn-off and Moca, through Moca, and another 10 minutes to the turnoff to the mountain.

There is another way that shaves a few minutes off the route I posted but I didn't have any good landmarks to use to describe where to turn. Turn at the Codetel building as if you're heading to Licey al Medio on Av. Juan Pablo Duarte. 5 minutes out you'll pass the Illusions disco on the left, and a pair of dilpitaed bridges over Arroyo Pontezuela. Take the second left, it's an unnamed street, the first in the Urb. Monte Adentro. Follow that for 2 minutes and turn right, back onto C. Don Pedro. 2 more minutes, turn left again at the first traffic light. This takes you straight into Tamboril via a less congested route. Turn right in Tamboril and you're 10 minutes away from the Route 21 over the mountains.

Tom (aka XR)

Edited to Add:
However! I forgot he's not coming from Santiago per se but from the airport which is SE of town. I have never been there. So you are correct if the new airport is fairly close, within a few minutes say, of the Moca turnoff.
 
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