Dominican Republic: North Coast Expedition

Upon arrival at Puerto Plata airport, a driver waits outside the terminal holding a sign with your name. You meet the driver and begin the 16-kilometer transfer, which takes about 30 minutes to reach the hotel.

Once checked in, you spend the rest of the day at your leisure to rest from the flight. The afternoon provides an opportunity to walk to the beach or watch the sunset. 

Transfers to Puerto Plata from Santo Domingo and Punta Cana are available upon request. Contact your Trip Planner for details.

After breakfast, your guide meets you at the hotel reception at 09:00. You leave Puerto Plata and drive along the highway to reach the Damajagua River for a canyoning adventure.

Upon arrival at the park, you receive a safety briefing along with a helmet and life jacket. You then begin a 45-minute uphill hike through the tropical vegetation to reach the start of the falls. From there, you follow the river's course by sliding down natural rock formations and jumping into natural pools. You navigate the small rapids that connect each waterfall section to make your way back down the canyon.

Once the descent is complete, you have a Dominican buffet lunch at the visitor center. The tour then continues with a 4x4 buggy ride through the local landscape. You drive or ride as a passenger through villages, plantations, and across riverbeds. At the end of the route, you have time to shower and change before the return transfer to the hotel in the early afternoon.

After breakfast, you begin the drive along a panoramic mountain route to Santiago. The road winds through the northern range, providing views of the green valleys and palm-covered hills as you travel toward the city.

Upon arrival in Santiago, you visit Los Pepines, a historic neighborhood known for its revitalization through street art. You take a walking tour to view the colorful murals and learn about the local figures depicted in the artwork. During the walk, you stop at a local shop to try typical empanadas and fresh fruit juices.

The tour continues to the town of Tamboril to visit La Aurora, the oldest cigar factory in the country. You walk through the facility to observe the tobacco cultivation process and watch the staff hand-roll cigars. Afterward, you visit Centro León, a modern museum housing a collection of contemporary Dominican art and historical exhibits. Once the visit is complete, your driver takes you to the hotel located on a ridge overlooking the Santiago valley.

After breakfast, you depart Santiago and head back north toward the coast. The destination is the Cabarete and Goleta Lagoons natural monument, a protected area featuring dense forest and a system containing 258 caves. Upon arrival, you receive a helmet and meet a local guide to begin a 90-minute hike through the tropical vegetation.

During the trek, the guide points out local flora, including coffee and cocoa trees and various medicinal plants. You visit three of the caves within the monument. At the Taína cave, you descend a 25-meter wooden staircase to reach an underground freshwater pool. The tour continues to the Crystal Cave to view stalactite and stalagmite formations. Finally, you reach the Frog Cave, which features a six-meter-deep pool where you can enter via a staircase or jump from a three-meter platform.

Following the cave expedition, your driver takes you to the hotel in Cabarete. You spend the afternoon on the main beach, a central hub for Caribbean water sports. You can walk along the shore or watch the kitesurfers and windsurfers in the bay.

Leave the hotel after breakfast and drive along the coastal road toward Río San Juan. This route follows the northern shoreline to explore its lagoons and rock formations. The first stop is Laguna Gri-Gri, where you board a boat to navigate a mangrove-lined channel leading to the open sea. During the boat tour, you stop for a 15-minute swim at the natural pool of La Piscina Natural and visit a small sea grotto. You also pass a rock face decorated with local sculptures before a second 15-minute swimming stop at Playa Caletón.

Back on land, you continue through the town of Cabrera to Laguna Dudú. This park features two cenotes, Laguna Dudú and Pozo de los Caballos, which are connected by an underground tunnel. You can swim in the 22-meter-deep freshwater pools or use the zip line to drop into the lagoon from a height of approximately 15 meters. Lunch is available at the on-site restaurant for an additional cost. In the early afternoon, the driver brings you back to your hotel in Cabare

ou leave the hotel after breakfast and head west along the coastal road toward Sosúa. Upon arrival, you visit Castillo Mundo King, a five-story fantasy castle created by a German artist. You walk through the galleries to view a large collection of Haitian and Dominican stone sculptures and paintings displayed throughout the unique architectural structure.

The drive continues to Puerto Plata, where you board a safari truck for a 15-minute ascent to the top of Mount Isabel de Torres. At the 800-meter summit, you view the statue of Christ the Redeemer and walk through the botanical gardens. After returning to the city for a lunch stop, you visit Fortaleza San Felipe, a massive stone fortification built in 1577 to protect the harbor from maritime attacks.

The final leg of the drive takes you to the fishing village of Punta Rucia. You arrive in the early evening at this small headland, where the bay is known for its shallow, clear water.

After breakfast at 08:00, you board a boat directly from the beach for the 25-minute crossing to Cayo Arena. This sandbank, also known as Paradise Island, is a jewel of the Dominican Republic and a unique landmass that emerges from the sea during the day and disappears again at high tide.

Upon arrival, you swim in the shallow turquoise water or snorkel at the coral reef to observe schools of tropical fish in their natural habitat. After several hours on the sandbank, the boat departs for the return to the mainland. The route follows the shoreline through the coastal mangroves, arriving back at the hotel around noon. You spend the rest of the day at the lodge in Punta Rucia to enjoy the quiet surroundings of the bay.

After breakfast, enjoy your last sight of the beach before going to Puerto Plata airport to catch your flight back home.

Or, speak with your trip planner to arrange a beach extension to relax on the beaches in Las Terrenas, Cabarete, or Puerto Plata.