bavaro to samana road trip, 10 hours?

Do not know if u can still get a ferry from Sabana de la Mar...it would be the quickest. Otherwise you need to drive back thru Sto. Dom. and take the autopista up to Piedra Blanca thru Maimon, Cotui, Pimentel, Nagua and onto the penninsula (or autopista to SF de Macoris and on to Nagua)...and it's about 10 hours.

Other option is to fly from PC to Portillo airstrip, taxi to town and rent a car there.

"Do not know if u can still get a ferry from Sabana de la Mar..."

The car ferry from Sabana de la Mar to Samana has NEVER been in operation. The people ferry runs 3 times a day. If you drive, you'll have to make the long drive west across the island to Santo Domingo and then up to Samana. By the way, using the Maimon-Cotui-Pimentel-Castillo shortcut is not that advisable as the road is pretty bad.
You're better off to stay on the Duarte and take the San Francisco de Macoris exit about 40 minutes further than the exit at Piedra Blanca for the Maimon shortcut. Even then there is some construction delay about halfway to SFM from the Duarte. The drive from Bavaro to Samana will take about 8 hours.

I once did La Romana to Playa Grande in a little over 6 hours, and I knew the roads....

I'd say 10 hours might be generous....

Fly or take the ferry. People only (well bicycles are ok)

HB

Thnx for clarifying the ferry Andy...was not aware you cannot take cars on it.

I drive the Cotui route all the time and never have a probelm...but know it pretty well. If this is a first time for (anyone) driving to Samana the SFM route is a safer bet.