8 Days Tour of the Dominican Republic in Vehicle Rental

After welcoming you to the Santo Domingo airport (driver with a sign outside the airport) we will take you to the Colonial Zone. The capital of the Dominican Republic is not only a strategic point of our company, but it is also here where we welcome our clients and take the time to answer their questions before beginning their adventure.
Upon arrival at your hotel you will have the rest of the day free. If you want us to recommend something, do not hesitate to ask, we will be happy to help you.

Meals included

• None

Included services

• Transfer with Spanish speaking driver
• Water, soft drinks and local drinks during your transfer
• Internet in the vehicle at your disposal

• Hotel Hodelpa Novus Plaza *** or equivalent, Santo Domingo (Executive Superior)

• Santo Domingo Airport - Santo Domingo Hotel / 30km / 30min

• Today a representative will visit you (8.30am) at your hotel (Lobby) and give you a brief informative session with valuable tips for your tour. Successively your private guide will take you to know the first European city in America. Here the first governor lived, the first bishop was consecrated and the first hospital was inaugurated. You will start the day in the historic Old City, the so-called Colonial Zone, declared by Unesco as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
• During the tour you will visit the Diego Colón palace, the palace of the first architect and the Colón Park, with the bronze monument to Christopher Columbus. You will walk along Calle de las Damas and the well-known pedestrian area of El Conde, with its many shops and street vendors, as well as bars and restaurants.
• At the end of the tour you will have time to check out at the hotel where you will be transferred to the car rental station, from where you can pick up your car and drive along the coastal road that leaves the city towards San Cristóbal, the place of birth of the dictator Trujillo.
• The trip will take you to the province of Peravia and the region of production of sugar cane. Further on the road leads to the mountain through an arid and stony terrain covered with cacti and agaves. Before dusk you will arrive at the provincial capital Barahona, from here it is a few kilometers to your hotel.

Meals included

• Breakfast

Included services

• Briefing at the hotel
• Guided tour of the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo and tickets
• Local English, German, Spanish or French speaking tour guide
• Transport and escort from your hotel to the Rental Car offices
• Rental vehicle

• Hotel El Quemaito *** or equivalent, Barahona (Deluxe Room)

• Santo Domingo - Barahona / 230km / 3h15min

• Take advantage of today as you wish. Enjoy your stay at the hotel, on the nearby beach or go on an excursion.
• Our excursion recommendation for you, which you can do on your own is:
• Drive along the coastal road, the trip will take you to Enriquillo, a small fishing village where time seems to have stopped; everything is very quiet here. In Oviedo you can visit the Oviedo Lagoon, a fresh and salt water lagoon, which is separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. If you wish, you can board a boat that will take you along the shore. Oviedo Lagoon has a total of 22 islands, which are very different in size. If you decide to take the boat tour, ask the captain to take you to observe iguanas outdoors. They are located on one of the islands of the lagoon where with a ten minute walk through the island you will come across a sparse cactus-covered vegetation, to an observation tower. Don't be alarmed if the iguanas are curiously following you. Enjoy a fantastic view over the lagoon, the Jaragua National Park, the Caribbean Sea and the Sierra de Bahoruco mountains. From here they will take you in search of the largest flamingo colony in the Dominican Republic. Back on shore, keep driving west toward Cabo Rojo. When you arrive there you can board a boat, which will take you in a few minutes to the most beautiful natural beach in the country. The “Bahía de las Águilas” beach in the Jaragua National Park. The bay stretches for 8 kilometers and offers an exceptional coastal landscape with crystal clear waters that blend with the sky on the horizon. We recommend you take your lunch at the Rancho Tipico restaurant. Enjoy your stay on the beach, swim or snorkel and experience unspoilt nature. In the afternoon take the way back to your hotel.
• If you don't want to go alone on the trip, one of our experienced Spanish, English or French speaking area tour guides is available to go with you. This assistance has a cost of 2000 Dominican pesos plus the payment of your lunch in the same place where your commas.

Meals included

• Breakfast

Included services

• Rental vehicle
  

• Hotel El Quemaito *** or equivalent, Barahona (Deluxe Room)

• Barahona - Oviedo / 60km / 60min
• Oviedo - Cabo Rojo / 50 km / 60min

• Passing through the sugar cane fields, you will drive from Barahona to Azua and successively follow the road to Baní. Before reaching Baní, in the so-called "Cruce de Ocoa" you will leave the highway and head north, through a wonderful green landscape and small typically Dominican towns such as Sabana Larga and Piedra Blanca. During the trip there is the possibility of having lunch at the "Plaza Jacaranda" rest stop.
• We also recommend stopping at "Santo Cerro", a hill on which, according to legend, in 1495 during a battle between the Taíno Indians and the Spanish colonizers, the Virgen de la Merced appeared that scared the locals. Take your trip here to Jarabacoa, a town located 600m above sea level, well away from the influx of tourists. Here you will have the opportunity to witness a totally different facet of the Dominican Republic.

Meals included

• Breakfast and dinner (Buffet)

Included services

• Rental vehicle

• Hotel Rancho Baiguate *** or equivalent, Jarabacoa (Master Room)

• Barahona - Jarabacoa / 285km / 5h

• Jarabacoa is surrounded by pine forests, mountains and valleys. Throughout the year spring temperatures predominate. This town is the ideal place for those who love hiking and nature. Countless adventure sports are offered here. Here you can visit the Monte Alto roasting machine, where you will receive a detailed explanation about the cultivation and processing of coffee. During said tour there will be a tasting.

Meals included

• Breakfast

Included services

• Rental vehicle

• Hotel Hodelpa Garden Court *** or equivalent, Santiago (Executive Superior)

• Today the journey will take you northeast to the Samaná peninsula. On the outskirts of the city of Salcedo we recommend a visit to the museum of the Three Mirabal Sisters (María Teresa, Minerva and Patria), who opposed the prolonged Trujillo dictatorship and were murdered in cold blood in 1960 by soldiers from this after having visited their husbands in prison.
• This atrocity generated great outrage at home and abroad. Through a fertile valley, your trip will continue in the direction of San Francisco de Macorís, where you can visit the Cacao Trail at La Esmeralda hacienda, which supplies well-known chocolate factories around the world. You will have the unique opportunity to get to know everything, from cocoa beans to chocolate making.
• Of course, the program includes a tasting of cocoa and chocolate. At the end of this experience, the trip will continue to Nagua to reach the Atlantic Ocean, this is where you will reach the Samaná peninsula, which is 63 km long and between 10 and 20 km wide and has a paradisiacal tropical landscape with pristine and isolated beaches, limpid mountain rivers and steep coasts. Las Terrenas is the bustling center of the northeast coast. Here you will experience the magic of the Caribbean.

Meals included

• Breakfast

Included services

• Rental vehicle

• Hotel Playa Colibrí *** or equivalent, Las Terrenas (Apartment type B)

• Today is at your free disposal. After breakfast we recommend you join a boat excursion that will take you to "Los Haitises" National Park. Some of the best Tour Operators for this are "Peninsula Tours". This is one of the most interesting intact areas and one of the largest tropical rain forests in the Caribbean.
• The excursion leads to the coastal area of more than 200 km² of comprehensive protected area. Along the coast there is a large green belt of mangroves and more than 50 small islands form a labyrinth of waterways. The shape of the surface is very irregular and consists mainly of limestone hills 200 to 300 meters high. For millions of years, rain has ravaged the caves here. After a visit to three caves and a short walk in the impressive national park you will return to your hotel.
• Another slightly more adventurous option is the "ZIPLINE SAMANA". Drive with your vehicle to "El Valle". Here you will find the longest zipline in the Dominican Republic, it is also the one that generates the most adrenaline, rising above the lush hills of El Valle. Its integrated brake system allows you to glide in pairs and turn from top to bottom at 122 meters in height, with speeds that reach up to 64 kilometers per hour. The beach is a short distance from here, once you have finished with the zip line we recommend you visit the beach restaurant and recharge with a seafood lunch.

Meals included

• Breakfast

Included services

• Rental vehicle

• Hotel Playa Colibrí *** or equivalent, Las Terrenas (Apartment type B)

• Today, after breakfast, the trip continues to Santo Domingo through the "Los Haitises" National Park. The rental vehicle can be dropped off directly at the Santo Domingo airport. Optionally you can book a stay at a beach hotel and extend your vacation. If you want more information, do not hesitate to contact us.

Meals included

• Breakfast

Included services

• Rental vehicle