DR "Must do" list

Chip00 said:

I was hoping to get some ideas on things that would be considered a "must do" while here in the DR.

I'm looking for things that I can do with my Dominican wife or a couple of buddies or two. We're really not interested in the AI places but like more of the "local" feel stuff for instance recommendation of a decent hotel and restaurant and snorkeling, or deep see fishing, or climbing mountains, visit rainforests, etc. I wouldn't say that we are on a shoestring budget exactly but don't plan on staying at the Ritz either.

Your comments will be much appreciated.

Que viva Quisqueya!

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:bunny: Where to in the DR POP SOSUA NAGUA ETC

If you are an adventurous person, then visit Jarabacoa. Stay at Rancho Baiguate and take their river rafting excursion or go hiking to the highest mountain in the Caribbean.

Or stay in a Puerto Plata hotel and visit Damajagua Falls off Imbert. You need to get their early. We recommend the hike up to the top of the mountain and then jumping down through the waterfalls. You need to bring clothes and shoes that can get wet and dry and not come off your feet.

Stay in Bayahibe or Boca de Yuma and tour the National Park of the East. If you are interested, we can recommend the best guide in the area, Kelvin Guerrero. Once out east, check out Altos de Chavon, shopping for art in La Romana town and Cueva de las Maravillas between Juan Dolio and La Romana.

Take a snorkeling trip in Bayahibe or to Catalinita island.

Lots to do for those who have the time.

Check out the small hotels, that usually are not a-i listed at DR1 - Directories

Drive up to San Jos? de las Matas and then over to el Rubio, Monci?n and El Casique, then down to Santiago Rodriguez, Dajabon and Monte Cristi.

OR: Go to Saman? and whale watch!! That is an absolute MUST DO..
Then to Los Haitises rain forest....

Plus all of what Dolores said....

HB

Here in El Seybo each year during the first week of May the local cattle ranchers but of a week of 'bull fights'. This is not done by professionals and no bulls are killed but rather local nuts, or any nut that volunteers, can get in the ring with one of these locally raised animals to flap your red cape or just try to out run the bull.

This tradition has been going on for years and is done in conjunction with the birthday of El Seybo. We are the only place in the DR that has such a function with bulls and the whole town, and surrounding towns, turn out for a week of merriment.

El Seybo has a nice restaurant called Discotec Restaurant WOW that serves good food and a dinner will usually cost about 360 pesos. We also have a couple of hotels that charge anywhere from 350 to 600 pesos a night.

Other than that El Seybo has nothing to really offer other then being a very peaceful area that is nowhere near any tourist areas or beaches. Rather, we are situated in the central eastern part of the country 26 kilometers east of Hato Mayor and 55 kilometers west of Higuey. Miches is located 45 kilometers north from here over a road through the mountains that offer a very scenic view of Miches and the ocean.

Also, I live here so if you should pass through make sure you drop by my little adobe and I'll offer a Dominican meal prepared by my Dominican wife. Just a thought.

Rick

This is posted for anyone and everyone that should come out to this neck of the woods.

Rio Damajuagua

Lago Enriquillo, the iguana/croc national park, the Jimani/Haitian market and the whole desert Southwest

The beauty of all of Samana, beaches, mountain views, El Limon on horseback

Playa Diamonte, the "wet beach"

Lago Azul

the Colonial Zone

Camp David with your snuggle bunny for dinner

Carnival in La Vega

Many, many more...

Hillbilly said:

Monci?n and El Casique, then down to Santiago Rodriguez, Dajabon and Monte Cristi.
HB

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I had never been that route and did it on my last trip over the holidays. I must say I FELL IN LOVE WITH SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ. What a nice cozy little town. I have a friend from there and was always invited - i just never went. Boy I was missing sooo much.

Dajabon? Really?
Where is Santiago Rodriguez?

Playa Limon

80 kilometers from Bavaro, Punta Cana in direction to Miches you find one of the most amazing places for to enjoy all the splendor from Caribbean nature. In the small village El Cedro you will find the entrance to Playa Limon - one of the most beautiful and amazing beaches. In the small Hotel La Cueva you find all the facilities like horseback riding on the beach, boat trips to the freshwater lake Laguna Limon, safaris to the top of the mountain Redonda or to the Rio Cedro waterfalls. The too offer comfortable rooms and fresh fish or seafood.For more information go to: Bienvenidos al Hotel Restaurante La Cueva

The beach at la esperanza 4 poles and some tin roof equals restaurant. Never eaten a fresher fish in my life (the woman asked how big and jelled at a youth who went out to catch it in the sea)

Greetings

Johan

Some of my wildest trips, I cant even tell you where i was exactly.....one being a hunting trip up near Monti Christi...we walked about a mile in from the road and passed what looked like the edge of a salt marsh with the tide out, then climbed a coral rise and hunted white crowned pidgeons. I dont tell you to do what i did , but only mention it , because on the back side of that bluff was a cliff that fell to a hidden bay ringed with Mangroves, and it was georgous...i would love to build a house right there on that cliff, to look out everyday into that hidden bay...maybe it was 100 acres max.. with hills rising up all around covered in those trees... the only place you could walk the "shore" was right below this rock cliff.....the cliff was only about 150 feet up, but it was enough. Pure poster material view!!!!!

I guess the point is....you have to get off the road and get out into the bush to see some sights that even most dominicans dont see.

as far as common places that are really nice and unusual..Id say the south west shoreline is so different...the beaches are made of smooth pebbles and the water is so many colors of blue it will amaze you.....just a great sight for your memory.....check it out your way to the big salt water lake in that region...

another place I loved, because we stayed in a really nice chalet on one of the peeks that just stick out of the ground like a tent a hundred feet high, was....Batero....from that vista it looked like the land that time forgot....we were on a 30,000 acre ranch.... I wish i took more pictures...

for sure we'd love to hear how it went...we are still waiting for Larry to take his jaunt and report back...

LARRY???

bob

Fishing in Playa Limon

Hello Johan,
The fishes and Langusts are waiting in line front of the beach of Playa Limon for to come to our kitchen in La Cueva.
regards
the women from the kitchen of La Cueva.



Tip: the best is to prepare the fish steamed - cooked in his own Juice with garlic, salt, pepper and orange!

Santiago Rodriguez is Sabaneta on maps.
Draw a line between Mao y Dajabon .

The most amazing panoramic sights of steep mountains, and rivers at the bottom, I've ever had the pleasure, was the trip up the snaking road to the little town of Manabao from Jarabacoa. It takes about 45 minutes of stunning views and heart-pounding moments --due to narrow stretches of road-- to get there.
Once in Manabao you can bathe in the many rivers around it.
There is ONE greasy, but tasty, restaurant and ONE flea-bag hotel in town.
You can explore the area's beautiful flora. the town's not wired for electricity.
All the better for witnessing the stunning starry night sky. Bring binoculars!

My suggestions for some sights in the DR, if you have time-
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Take the road to Sabana de la Mar (above Hato Mayor) early in the morning (like 7 or 8 am), and enjoy the peace and quiet - very much like mountain roads east of Seattle, Washington with low fog, etc. There is a stretch of this road that is lined for maybe 10 km with 50' oil palms on both sides of the road, as far back as you can see.

At Sabana de la Mar, you can take the ferry across the bay (about 7 miles) to Samana if you like. Or, you can feast on freshly caught shrimp at any of the restaurants close to the dock there. Cheap too.
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In El Seybo, one of the neat things to me during the bull fighting time in May, was that on a Sunday, EVERYONE is riding around El Seybo on a horse- hundreds of cowboys. All of the bars parking lots are filled up with tied-off horses waiting for their cowboys (but trust me, there are also lots of pretty nice looking cowGIRLS around too.
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If you go to Lago Enriquillo in the Southwest, ask one of the locals near the lake to show you where to go and see the cave drawings that were made by Taino Indians high in the cliffs above the road, when they sighted some of the first Spaniards checking out their lake below. This is just a little east of Los Rios on the road that passes on the north side of Lago Enriquillo (maybe 5 km from where a big gypsum mine is).

The Indians hid in the cliffs, and I guess to pass time, made lots of these cave drawings there, under overhangs. About 500 years ago. Wear your hiking boots, and take your time climbing up. It is not extremely difficult, but it is unmarked, and it will take you 15 or 20 minutes to get up there. Take a drink along and rest and enjoy the view from above.
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You can take a road trip south of Barahona and go as far as Enriquillo ( a village on the coast south of Barahona). The road is usually quiet, but has many stretches that seem to have a 1000 foot dropoff on the seaside (although NOT along the coastline) of the road, and only a line of little concrete posts keeping anybody from plunging off the cliff. Spectacular views. Watch out for the guaguas and let them pass (as usual)
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Playa Grande, east of Cabarete, when there has been an Atlantic storm, and the 12' waves are rolling in. Best view is from the Playa Grande resort above, on the golf course. If there are no storms, the beach below the golf course is one of the most beautiful as well.
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Want a taste of Dominican culture? Bright and early on a Monday morning, (like 6.30 or 7.00 am) in Santo Domingo, go sit in the shade on the east side of Avenida Maximo Gomez across from the US consulate, and watch the masses of Dominicans standing in line to try and get a US visa, as well as the various entrepreneurs making their living from this whole operation. The show is finished by 11 or so.
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If you are so lucky, see the Faro Colon shining its cross into the sky at night, when it's a bit overcast, so that the cross is reflected from the clouds. Balaguer might have been a turkey building it, but it sure as heck was cheaper than a Metro, and it is a sight to see. That is, if Leonel ever lights it up, other than on Easter.
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Take the road up to Constanza. They have been rebuilding it for years. Narrow, twisting, very few guardrails protecting 500+ foot dropoffs from the gravel road. It is an experience, and on a clear day, you can see 50 or 100 miles out over the Cibao. Same or better at night, or when there is a lightning storm at night over the Cibao. Or, se fue la luz, also a good effect.

There are some great greenhouses on the way to Constanza also, and the people grow flowers and vegetables in its valley. Be careful on the way back down, with the many trucks carrying cabbages, onions, carrots, etc out to Santo Domingo and Santiago.
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Go to Dajabon on a market day (I think that their days are Mondays, Wednesdays or on Friday) and station yourself about 100 feet from the border crossing portal.

What a parade, Haitians carrying in everything they have to sell, and guys with huge carts taking things out of the DR to Haiti that people have come to buy. Customs guys checking things. On the other side, UN peacekeepers with carbines and blue berets watching the passing throngs too. Thousands of people, lots of stuff to pick up as souvenirs, at a great price. And they all leave at sundown, or sooner.
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Good luck.

gary short said:

Geez...bob you were shooting pigeons????? Are they good with black bean sauce?????

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ha ha ha...I have never had them . That trip we dropped all the birds off at the guy who showed us how to get there... and my buddy was going to pick them up a few days later after they were all cleaned.

but you know that guy some how, somewhere met my buddy and showed him where to find the birds. My buddy only knew him through that connection, but called him often about the birds and how the hunting was...well he died a few months later when he got the bends coming up from diving . I think he was collecting lobsters, or fishing some how while diving off the Monti Christi coast.

just a little additional info that makes us all think about what we do and where we are in our lives, and who we meet and talk to ....

ps: I did have some morning doves and some white winged doves on an a 2 day trip in the Baharonna territory down on the sw coastline....I had to pick out a few more feathers than I liked, because one of my biddies did the cooking over a fire in a pot...and i guess the cleaning chores went a little too fast. ha ha ha..tastes like....CHICKEN, :surprised

bob