Travelogue Dominican Republic 2022

SAT 26.03.22

The flight with Air Europa from Zurich via Madrid to Santo Domingo is just ok. You get what you pay for. However sitting in a tight seat for 8 hours is somewhat awkward.

So far so good. We arrive in Santo Domingo at around 8 p.m.

The transfer by taxi from the airport to our hotel at the Zona Colonial takes about 45 minutes. Hotel Class Colonial is located on the calle Conde which is a pedestrian zone.

SUN 27.03.22

We spend all day at the Zona Colonial. Very entertaining is the Parque Colon next to the cathedral.

Locals come together and practice with their musical instruments. They play all kind of instrument; drums, clarinets, guitars, flutes. Some groups play here others there, a huge cacophony.

However, in the afternoon they form a big band and we enjoy an excellent Salsa and Merengue concert.

MON 28.03.22

It is raining. We can't have breakfast in the cosy patio of our hotel. By taxi we transfer to the busstation of Caribe Tours.

Our direct bus to Jarabacoa leaves at 10:30 a.m. On-line reservations are not possible. So we arrive at the station half an hour earlier. It keeps raining on the entire route. Arriving at Jarabacoa we take a cab to hotel Gran Jimenoa, an excellent place right at a thundering river. Feels like beeing in the jungle in such a montainous, densely wooded, rainy place.

Later in the day we enjoy the spa, do some walks accross the hanging bridge which belongs to the hotel and finally have an excellent dinner.

TUE 29.03.22

It rained all night and is still raining in the morning. We have a traditional breakfast and decide to walk to the waterfalls despite the rain. Lucky us, the weather is getting better and it stays dry as long as we are on the hike. We walk to Jarabacoa and try to find the trail to the Jimenoa falls. Unfortunately we missed the deviation and get lost. It is somewhat annoying to walk along busy roads.

A poor young dog keeps following us. We can only get rid of him when flagging down a motor taxi.

Three of us on the motor arriving at the Baiguate falls. The guard of the park doesn't want to let us in because of the heavy rains and the amout of water. Luckily we can convince him to quickly walk down to the falls and turn right back. The taxi already left, so we hike all the way back to the hotel. As soon as we arrive there it starts raining again.

WED 30.03.22

It's raining again in the morning. We leave Jarabacoa and take Caribe Tours to the northern coast.

In La Vega we change the bus and get aboard the one which heads north to Puerto Plata and Sosua. Two to three hours later we arrive at our final destination Sosua. Our hotel is located at the southern end of Playa Sosua called Villa Mar. In the afternoon we walk down to the famous beach with dozens of beach taverns (chiringuitos). Beer drinking male tourists accompanied by local women. They all seem to have fun, celebrate the day and dance Merengue.

We have a swim and back at our place we decide to have dinner at a nearby restaurant on top of a cliff overlooking the bay. And the day ends with a thunderstorm.

THU 31.03.22

It's a day at the beach. We spend most of the day at Playa Sosua, having a beer at one of the chiringuitos at sunset. They close the beach-area at around 7:30 p.m. which is a pitty. The bars and pubs at the center of Sosua are not very inspiring.

FRI 01.04.22

Nobody is able to tell us at what time the buses leave to Samana. The world wide web isn't helpful either. Apparently there is one or maybe a second one in the early morning and another in the afternoon. Alternatives are a taxi for 210 USD or with Caribe Tours all the way back to Santo Domingo and from there to Samana.

So we wait at the main road as from 5:30 a.m. Finally at around 6:20 a.m. a minibus passes by. Lucky us, we made it. 4 hours later we arrive in Samana from where we take the microbus to Las Galeras.

The former vehicle was overloaded and this one is even more. After an hour we arrive at our final destination. The aparthotel La Isleta is a relaxing place. We spend the rest of the day at the village beach. White sand, palm trees, fishing boats and happy people. Caribean pure.

SAT 02.04.22

Today we do an excursion with a fishing boat visiting playa Fronton and playa Madame which are both located east of Las Galeras and later playa Rincon which is located in the west of the town. Playa Fronton is surrounded by a rock cliff, with lots of palm trees and a white sandy beach.

Playa Madame is less spectacular. Playa Rincon is another gem, a long white sandy beach framed by palm trees. The more you walk westwards the less people around.

SUN 03.04.22

We walk along playa Las Galeras towards the east passing by playa Cala Blanca. There is supposed to be a cave nearby.

We enter a small path along the rocky coast. A young guy follows us. We decide to turn back before reaching the cave. At the exit of the path another guy just arrives by motor-bike. Back at playa Cala Blanca we spend the rest of the morning there. In the afternoon we walk eastwards to a beach called Playita. The patch leads through private ground.

According to our host, it is not forbidden to use this path. Playita is very populated and, let's say less spectacular than the other beaches.

MON 04.04.22

Today we travel back to Santo Domingo and from there to Punta Cana where we spend the rest of our vacation at an all-inclusive resort. The first part of the trip is quite adventurous. Our micro-bus from Las Galeras to Samana is packed with people. We feel like sardines in a can. From Samana we travel with Caribe Tours to the capital and from there with Expreso Bavaro to Punta Cana. The resort where we stay is called hotel Occidental.

TUE 05.04.22

Spending a typical day at the beach with the all inclusive package having buffet breakfast in the morning at around 9 a.m. staying at the beach, having buffet lunch at around 1 p.m. staying at the beach, having a drink at around 5:30 p.m. followed by a shower and dinner at a restaurant which is part of the complex and finally ending the day with attending a musical performance.

WED 06.04.22

Another day at the beach.

THU 07.04.22

We travel back to the airport of Santo Domingo from where we take our flight back home.

To leave the country every passenger needs to present a QR code. Unfortunately we were not aware of this. So we have to fill a form at the departure hall where the wifi signal is very bad. After maybe half an hour we finally succeed in producing the QR code. Unclear if this procedure has to do with Covid regulations or not.

FRI 08.04.22

Arriving at Madrid and waiting for our connection flight to Zurich.

A stormy day in Zurich but our pilot lands smothly.