Punta Cana airport to Las Galeras

[memphisj]

Hello there all,
I will be traveling from Memphis Tennessee in December 07 from the Punta Cana airport to Las Galeras. I will be landing around 4:30 in the afternoon. I hear that Higuey is the place to get a bus or to get a gua gua to reach the ferry that crosses to the Samana peninsula. I'd rather take the ferry than the bus to Santo Domingo. Seems like it would be a good adventure. I'm worried though that I will be arriving too late to get much further than Higuey. Is there a decent, reasonably priced place to stay either in Higuey or Sabana de la Mar? Could I even reach the latter the same evening I land?
I really don't have a choice to fly into a more convenient location, as the plane tickets are double the price to land in Santo Domingo or Santiago, even more for La Romana or Puerto Plata. I'm on a pretty tight budget, so any advice on the best way to go about reaching my final destination will be greatly appreciated.
I'm sure I will have more questions as the date of my departure arrives. This is my first post, but I have been enjoying reading other posts on this site, and I have found the information on here to be very helpful.
Thanks for letting me join this forum! J in Memphis

 

[gringo1]

A ferry crosses from Sabana del mar to Samana township and cost 130rd. From Punta Cana you can take a guagua or taxi to SDM. he ferry runs three or four times a day, and from Samana to Las Galeras a taxi or a guagua(public minibus) runs all day until dark.

 

[Hillbilly]

Do some searching on this board, as this has been discussed. You will have to spend a night in Sabana de la Mar in order to catch one of the first ferries in the morning. No way you will get there in time for the last one.

Same thing applies if you are going to go to Santo Domingo (also do a search on that one. Look for posts by Rubio_Higuey.) It is not that expensive and time wise it is about even, with the advantage that you will spend the night in Santo Domingo rather than Sabana de la Mar or Higuey..

I really wonder at the pricing....are you sure??? What about taking Spirit from Ft. Lauderdale to SDQ>??? Absurd pricing sometimes...try and see what alternatives there are...

HB

 

[memphisj]

It's definitely worth investigating...

I'm glad that there are folks on here willing to help a newbie. I'm searching all possible flight alternatives, but it seems that Memphis is somewhat out of the loop. We may fly out of Nashville instead, but the cost difference in putting up there, to catch an early morning flight, doesn't really save too much.
I love this board! Everyone seems very helpful. I'll keep trying to find the best possible option for our trip. This message board is so vast, it might take a while to find all the relevant posts. I'm willing to try though, and thanks for the advice!
Memphisj

 

[shuffine]

That is a tuff one (coming from Memphis). If you can ... try booking on a Tues. or Wed (cheaper). My guess is you are on USair going thru Charlotte....if you can somehow get to Fort Lauderdale Spirit is running some very good fares to Santo Domingo. Good luck amigo!

 

[memphisj]

It's Amiga!

It has been pretty tough trying to do multiple searches to find the best deal. I will be in the DR for a month, so I have to try and save wherever possible so I'm still eating by day 30. Kayak is pretty good. They let you search 3 days before and after the dates you're thinking of traveling. US Airways is the one that offers the best deal so far from Memphis, if you don't want to get too creative. I'm going to try a few searches which include Ft. Lauderdale, maybe from Nashville or Little Rock. It might be worth flying from one of those cities- if I'm saving a couple of hundred dollars. But then there's car rental, motel etc......
There are cheaper airfares out of Memphis to many exotic locales, but I have my heart set on seeing the DR!
Thanks for the advice, and I'll keep posting to let you know what I find. J in Memphis

 

[gringo1]

I find the cheapest tickets originate and return to NY. There are several itn?l airports here so check them all out. Public transport here is convenient and cheap, and always a good show. For instance, if you fly into Santiago but want to stay in Puerta Plata, taking a Caribe tours bus cost around 4 bucks...Pretty minimal if you can save on your flight.

 

[Hillbilly]

Wonder about Jet Blue....Memphis to NYC-> Santiago???

Thing is a bus to Las Terrenas is a piece of cake from Santiago. Might be a long day/night of flying but you'd save a bundle!! Look it up...

HB

 

[memphisj]

Hillbilly,
I just did a pretty extensive search per your suggestion. I guess Jetblue hasn't kicked in any specials for winter yet. It will cost a little over $500 from New York to Santo Domingo, and almost $600 to Santiago round trip. It's about $300 to fly from Memphis to New York, so I think I better keep looking. Thanks for helping me think of alternatives. Maybe one of them will work out. That's why I'm asking the experts for advice!
I have a couple of weeks before I have to make a decision. Does anyone think airfare may go down from what I'm finding now? Looks like I may have to leave from Nashville for the best deal. Even with the car rental, I may still be able to save a decent amount of money.
Once the ticket is straightened out, I'm sure I'll have lots more questions before I leave. You guys are great! j

 

[memphisj]

P.S.
It's the same deal with Ft. Lauderdale or Charlotte. Flying out of Memphis to anywhere, with very few exceptions, is generally costly. Today I found that it's about $375 from Nashville to Santo Domingo. That's not bad at all. Looks like renting a car is about $100, which seems high to me. And I'd have to be at the airport for check-in at about 5am. I might have to get there the night before because it's about 3 hours away.
What to do?!?
It's still looking like I'll end up in the Punta Cana airport, it's about $475 from Memphis. The only problem is the time the flight lands, about 4:30 pm. Looks like I might miss the last bus of the day to Santo Domingo. I think I saw somewhere on here that the last one leaving from Higuey is about 4:00 pm. Am I right about this?
Geez, I bet rich folk don't have these kinds of complicated decisions to make to save a few bucks
Guess I'll keep looking. Thanks all, j

 

[Dolores1]

If you choose a flight that puts you into Punta Cana at 4:30 pm you should overnight in Punta Cana. A budget hotel is the Naragua in Cabeza de Toro. It will cost you US$25 to get to your hotel. The hotel is hotel only, and the rate should be about US$40 for the night. From that hotel, I suggest you go for an early dinner to El Pulpo Cojo. Delicious and right on the beach. It is about a 10 minute walk from your hotel. It gets dark at 7 pm, so if you go from 5-6 you have time to have dinner and make your way back. I would not walk it alone at night.

Next day, head out early for a morning swim at Cabeza de Toro beach. Then head back to catch the bus to the Parada de Veron. RD$30. At your hotel they can tell you where to catch the bus that passes frequently. From the Parada de Veron take the bus to Higuey RD$60. From there, get the bus to Miches. Shouldn't be more than RD$30-40, and then to Sabana de la Mar, another RD$30-40. We are told the ferry leaves from Sabana de la Mar at 11 am and 5 pm.

Once you get into Samana port, it will be another half an hour or so to get to Las Galeras, which is where the Samana road ends. When you get to the port, recommend you take a taxi, about US$30, because you will have arrived at night.

If you fly into Santo Domingo, then take the Caribe Tours bus to Samana city. From there ask about local transport to Las Galeras. The taxi into Santo Domingo from Las Americas International Airport (Santo Domingo) will cost you about US$30, and the trip to Samana under RD$300, plus the transport to Las Galeras that could be RD$30-US$30 depending on the mode of transportation. If you fly into Santo Domingo, be sure to spend at least an evening in the Colonial City.

 

[memphisj]

Thanks Dolores

The information you posted is very helpful. We may end up doing just what you suggested. I appreciate your advice as we have have limited options due to the nature of our wallets! Thank you