Driving Directions in the DR

I'll be gentle

Just tell me where you are going and I will give you detailed driving instructions on how to get there.

Anyway, driving here is an "interesting experience" as I am sure you will find out.

1) Get all the insurance you can afford. Find out how much your credit card company will automatically supply you with, and all that stuff before you leave the states.
2) Visually check the car before you sign for it. In fact, you should ask the Rental dealer to go with you for a short drive to check out the car. Check lights, brakes and horn (the louder, the better)
3) Drive defensively, since drivers in the DR are reall A$$holes and have just no idea as to what is the proper way to drive, nor doues the word "courtesy" have the slightest aplication on the roadways.

Getting from one place to another is as simple as following your nose for the most part, so when you get back to me with your destination I will impart, from my seat here on high, the most precise, most meticulous directions you will need to get wherever it is you are going...

HB

And

Keep about $30US (bribe money) in a seperate pocket, so the police won't see you pulling out a knot. Also, keep a photocopy of your license and Passport, to show if you get pulled over. If the police officer is on foot, drive right past him. lol
good luck on your adventure!

Good luck on your decision to attempt to navigate the DR by car all by yourself.
this map below will give you general directions and roads but is not entirely accurate.

http://www1.tip.nl/~t794614/mapdr.htm

Good luck
Badpiece

we meet again

d life said:

This is my first post so please be linient with me and overlook my mistakes. I will be traveling the DR very soon and plan to rent a car. I will do a lot of driving while I am in the DR. I will be flying into Santiago and plan to drive to Puerto Plata. But I have one problem I do not have driving directions.
Where can I find intercity and intracity driving directions for the DR. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

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Small world eh? My advice is still the same. Buy the B&B map and study it. the only difference is that you will be much better off referring your subsequent questions to the veteren members on this board. I've driven around the DR quite a bit on vacation, but I don't live there, and the routes I've taken may not always be the best.

The experience of driving in the DR is not that dissimilar to major cities in North America, the primary difference being that you can NEVER count on another driver following laws or decorum. I would call my approach to driving there "assertive defensive driving". Head on a swivel for motoconchos and other crazies coming out of nowhere, but if you have an opening, don't hesitate.

Use Taxis

d life said:

I will be traveling from Santiago Airport to Puerto plata (Malechon). and then from there to Sosua. I guess I am in for an adventure. thanks guys for everything. I really appreciate it. I will come back with the report of the adventure that I had.

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If this is the sum total of where you are driving you will be paying many times the cost of using taxis for the same areas, and risking your life, and hassles up the hoop on the whole rental car game. Why bother?

sweetdbt said:

Small world eh? My advice is still the same. Buy the B&B map and study it.

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If you don't know, the B&B map sweetdbt is referring to can be can be ordered at www.berndtson.com don't let the above posters frighten you about driving in the DR. Just make sure your will is in order, just kidding, have a blast!!

Joe

taxis scarier than driving yourself

I just got back from the DR Sunday, and greatly enjoyed driving around the country. Even though I'm definitely neither the best nor the bravest driver, I much more preferred it over sitting in a taxi practically panic-stricken, not knowing how justified my fear is. This way at least it was up to me when to overtake or not. I must admit I got pretty good after a few days.

In the east, we had some bridge problems and had to ask around which will be the best passages. Even though travelling in a Jeepeta may have been more comfortable, our Economy Chevy Corsa was doing a great job, carrying us across small rivers, through many many hoyos, and up and down some serious hills and dirt roads.

At night, beware of the pasolas without light. Had a ugly experience a few years ago on my first trip, outside of Navarrete where we hit a driver late at night in heavy rain. Luckily the lady ended practically unharmed, I and was with Dominicans who knew how to handle the situation and I hadn't been the one driving. Still you can imagine this ended up costly and in various additional trips from the capital back to Navarrete...

Use great caution, but you will have a great time

CyaBye3015 said:

If you don't know, the B&B map sweetdbt is referring to can be can be ordered at www.berndtson.com don't let the above posters frighten you about driving in the DR. Just make sure your will is in order, just kidding, have a blast!!

Joe

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Also available on Amazon.com. While maps are never completely current, I've found this one to be pretty accurate and easy to read. It's plastic coated and extremely durable as well.

Once you get into Santiago from the airport, it will be tricky to find the highway to Puerto Plata. There is a hidden sign where to turn off the highway, but then you have to take some small turns where there are no signs at all. The best thing is just to keep asking people on the street every 2 mins, until you get the same direction 2 or 3 times in a row. Be prepared to be sent in the wrong direction, this has happened to me a few times. Once you are on the main highway again its pretty easy and you just turn to the mountain road near Navarete, which has a good sign. Once you get into Puerto Plata, turn left at one of the main roads and you will eventually end up at the Malecon.

Conchman said:

Once you get into Santiago from the airport, it will be tricky to find the highway to Puerto Plata. There is a hidden sign where to turn off the highway, but then you have to take some small turns where there are no signs at all. The best thing is just to keep asking people on the street every 2 mins, until you get the same direction 2 or 3 times in a row. Be prepared to be sent in the wrong direction, this has happened to me a few times. Once you are on the main highway again its pretty easy and you just turn to the mountain road near Navarete, which has a good sign. Once you get into Puerto Plata, turn left at one of the main roads and you will eventually end up at the Malecon.

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Conchman,

You are right about a couple of those turns in Santiago being easy to miss. D life, one other thing you can do as a last resort when you get turned around and are truly lost in a big city like Santiago and your Spanish comprehension is not good enough to understand detailed directions (like, for instance MINE!). Just get the attention of a motoconchisto and ask him to guide you to the caraterra (main highway). Once You are there, you pay him and go on your way. I usually give them about RD50 for this, more than for a ride, because they are taking a chance that I could rip them off once I get where I need to go.

Thank you for the map, Badpiece!

It is the only one I've found of my hometown, Bonao. Bless you for the link!