Planning Your Time

It is said that 95 percent of travelers who visit the North Coast [1] fly in to Puerto Plata [2], find their resort shuttles, and spend the rest of their vacation within the confines of its walls. If you are prone to “resort fever” or have adventure on your mind, then you will want to budget your time for the many things to see and do along the Amber Coast. Deciding how and where to concentrate your time is a daunting task with so many options available.

Choosing your main focus before arrival is essential. For instance, if you want to spend most of your time kiteboarding [3], then Cabarete [4] is the place to focus your vacation. Will you be taking a guagua, renting a car, or depending on the bus schedules to get you from location to location? If you are at the mercy of public transportation, leave time in your itinerary for missed connections.

Days on the beach are a given. It’s what the northern coast does best. But an afternoon saved for visiting the Museo del Ámbar Dominicano [5] and the Fuerte San Felipe in Puerto Plata [6] or getting a tour of the first settlement of the New World in La Isabela [7] is all you need for a break from the sand.

If you fly in to Puerto Plata and drive east toward Río San Juan [8], save at least a day for snorkeling in Sosúa [9] and a couple of days for water sports in Cabarete.

Choosing to go west from Puerto Plata is a decision that requires more time. Perhaps that is why tourism wanes the farther west you travel. Not that there isn’t a lot to see and do, but there is a lot of ground to cover between stops. Driving from Puerto Plata to [node:85955 link Monte Cristi [2], there is an opportunity for an afternoon in historic Puerto Plata, or to spend the night and visit Ocean World [10] the next day. In Luperón [11], spend the night mixing and mingling over beers with expats and in the morning take an early swim at Playa Grande [12] before heading off to see the ruins of La Isabela and the Templo de Las Américas [7]. Continuing west, you’ll have to budget a few days for a full visit to Monte Cristi [13] and even more if you choose to detour to Punta Rucia [14].

All in all, the north coast offers a great variety of activities in many different locales. No matter which direction you go, or if you stay put in one locale, book tours and excursions either prior to arrival or in the first days of your stay to avoid the disappointment of not getting a spot.

While traveling according to an itinerary, you may find paradise along the way and can’t bring yourself to move onward. If you truly want to experience the Dominican way of life, then do as the Dominicans do and wing it. If you suddenly feel like scrapping your plans to stay at one beach, then spread out your towel and relax.