Trip Highlights

• 8 Days/7 Night in the North Coast Beach Sports Town of Cabarete!
• Luxurious Accommodations in Beachside Villas & Condos!
• Free Access to Pool & Jacuzzi
• Yasica River Exploration & Remote Beach Bonfire Dinner!
• Hike in the National Park and Visit Ancient Caves!
• Merrengue Lesson!
• Cascading in the Septentrional Mountains!
• Surfing Lessons on Encuentro Beach (optional)!
• Pub Crawl Along the North Coast!
• Rum Tasting at Brugal Rum Factory!
• Beach Day at Sosua Bay!
• 2-Tank Dive (certified divers only) or P.A.D.I. DSD Introduction to Scuba Diving (optional)!
• Community Service Project!
• Giant Catamaran Sail with Snorkeling!
• Farewell Dinner on Cabarete Beach!
• Many catered meals!
• Round-trip Group Airport Transfers!

Revised: June 12, 2005

Trip Descriptive Itinerary

Day 1: Sunday, August 28, 2005

• Arrival to Puerto Plata International Airport (POP)! Bienvenidos!
• Group Airport Transfer to Cabarete.
• Hang out Poolside. Relax on the Beach. Explore Cabarete. Meet Presidente.
• Yasica River Exploration & Remote Beach Bonfire Dinner
  A short distance from the Laguna Cabarete & Goleta park office, on the banks of the Islabon River, Wilson Zapeta has a small ranch of wildlife in temporary captivity. Here we have the opportunity to see some of the Dominican Republic's more elusive wilderness creatures, such as the Carey Turtle, Boa Serpent, Tarantula, Rhinoceros Iguana, North American Crocodile, Turkey Vulture, Sparrow Hawk, and Mongoose. From there you board a boat for a leisurely float down the Wilson River to its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean. Your dinner this evening is served on the beach, amongst the sand dunes and a roaring bonfire.
• First Night Out on the Town in Cabarete!

Day 2: Monday, August 29, 2005

• National Park El Choco Hike & The Caves of BUMBA
  Join us on a true walking-adventure into the past in discovery of the real Dominican Republic. Following red-earth paths walked by the Arawak Indians winding through small Dominican communities and tropical rain forest we hike up to our own hidden spot for a fresh fruit snack and an incredible view of the 8 kilometer long Cabarete lagoon. Enjoy authentic, locally grown Dominican coffee while learning about the 36 species of birds and 862 species of plants thriving around you. Formed as long as 25 million years ago in the Miocene Period, the ancient rock formations are unique to the North Coast of the DR and hold many secrets for us to explore. Subterranean rivers and caves abound throughout the park home to plants and animals that have become completely accustomed to life in the dark. Venture with us down into the mysterious Caves of BUMBA for a cool swim in truly pristine water and glimpses into prehistory. 12 of the 18 species of bats found in the DR are living within the boundaries of the park, and, if we are lucky, we might catch a few sleeping!
• Dominican lunch at El Tigre.
• Afternoon free on the beach.
• Merrengue, Bachata & Salsa Lessons with Tony. Get ready for the Latin Nights!

Day 3: Tuesday, August 30, 2005.

• Cascading
  Join us on a true adventure hiking up to the top of the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua tasting tropical fruit from the trees and learning about this amazing natural phenomenon along the way. Hold your breath! After a short rest, we jump and slide the entire 27 waterfalls back down from heights of 1 to 10 meters! Includes round-trip transportation, morning snack, drinking water, professional guides, and Dominican lunch. Rating: Beginner-Advance hikers looking for an intense experience. Swimmers only.

Day 4: Wednesday, August 31, 2005: Anita's Birthday!!!

• Surf Lessons at Encuentro Beach (optional - Additional Fee)
  Join us for the best surf on the North Coast at Playa Encuentro. Three hour group lesson provided by local surfers who will help you find your Zen! Includes round-trip transportation, group lesson, and board rental. (US$35/person).
• North Coast Pub Crawl
  We'll take the party with us all the way to Puerto Plata to Cafecito Bar & Grill for lunch before making our first stop at the Brugal Rum Factory for an inside glimpse (and taste) into one of the Dominicans best kept secrets. We make our way back to Cabarete stopping at the local hots spots on the way in Puerto Plata, Montellano, and Sosua. Our journey ends on Cabarete Beach.

Day 5: Thursday, September 1, 2005

• Early morning transport to Sosua.
• Beach Day on Sosua Beach...rated one of the top 10 best beaches in the world. Sosua Bay is renown for its calm turquoise water protected by stunning limestone cliffs. Pina Colada, anyone?
• SCUBA Diving Intro Course & Open Water Dive (optional - Additional Fee)
  P.A.D.I. Discover Scuba Diving (D.S.D) course for beginners includes a morning class in a pool and an afternoon shallow water (15 meters) dive in Sosua Bay. The D.S.D. Certifies participants for shallow-water dives accompanied by a Dive Master for a period of 14 days. Two-hour instructional class generally begins at 9:00 a.m. Open water dive at 2:45 p.m. In between time is your to relax, eat lunch, and explore the town and beaches of Sosua. Includes round-trip ground transportation, boat to the reefs, Dive Master, and all equipment. (US$60+tax/person).
• Two-tank Dive for Certified Divers (optional - Additional Fee)
  Join the experts at Northern Coast Aquasports P.A.D.I. Four Star Instructor Development Center. Northern Coast offers everything from open water shallow dives to wreck dives and deep water. Northern is happy to provide you with all the equipment, or bring your own.US$65+tax/person (Tank & Weights). US$75+tax/person (Tank, Weights, BCD, Regulator).
• Return transport to our accommodations in Cabarete.

Day 6: Friday, September 2, 2005

• Community Service with DREAM Project
  Spend half a day with the Dominican Republic Education And Mentoring Project helping to foster education for children in the Cabarete area.
• Afternoon free on the beach or at the villa.

Day 7: Saturday, September 3, 2005

• Giant Catamaran Sail.
  A day of sailing along the North Coat from Puerto Plata to Sosua and back enjoying the views, Caribbean music, and friends on a giant Catamaran. Includes light morning snack, juice and national beverages, lunch, snorkeling gear for the reefs, and round-trip transportation. Rating: All levels.
• Farewell Dinner at Lax. The hottest spot on Cabarete Beach.

Day 8: Sunday, September 4, 2005

Group transfer to airport 3 hours prior to plane departure.

Hasta pronto!

Accommodations

Our own exclusive Private Condos right on the beach!

Hotel Magnifico

The ultimate selection for style and comfort. Contemporary Design Magnifico Phase IV units have 2 bedrooms with queen size beds, A/C and full on suite bathroom, Complete modern kitchen fully equipped with dishwasher machine, etc…. additional full bathroom , and living room with balcony. Presidential Penthouse features two bedrooms with queen size bed, A/C and full on suite bathroom, complete modern kitchen, additional full bathroom, living room with balcony, plus roof terrace with beach chairs, outside shower, and a marvelous sea view. Located on eastern point of Cabarete Bay.

Web: www.hotelmagnifico.com

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Dates

August 28 (Sunday) - September 4 (Sunday), 2005

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Participant Evaluation

Ratings from 1 (very poor) to 5 (outstanding). MEAN / MEDIAN / MODE

Pre-Arrival Information & Communication: 4 / 4 / 4-5
Accommodations, Cabarete: 3.7 / 4 / 4
Excursions & Activities: 4.8 / 4.5 / 5
Meals: 4.3 / 3.5 / 5
Organization & Sructure: 4.3 / 3 / 5
Guides: 4.8 / 4-5 / 5
Comfort of Transportation: 3.6 / 3.5 / 2

Participant Comments

Pre-Arrival Information & Communciation

• Website was very good.
• Website itinerary was very helpful.
• Good packing list.
• Detailed itinerary was helpful.
• Website was fantastic.

Accommodations, Cabarete

• A/C in every room.
• Magnifico was great, but felt bad for those sleeping in room without a/c.
• Perfect location.
• Great place, but more rooms with a/c would be nice.
• Beach in front of hotel lacking. Staff very nice.

Excursions & Activities

• Well planned. Activity physical level was not always clear.
• Excellent.
• Awesome.
• Cascading was awesome.
• Great recovery for motor problems on boat last day (we got a new boat...just for us!!!)
• Cascading was the coolest!
• Perfect balance between adventure and relaxation.
• Loved how we went off the beaten path.
• Cascading a must!

Meals

• Great across the board.
• Very good every day.
• Excellent.
• All were good except for the Mexican. That was OK.
• Great.
• Very good, although more variety for lunches.
• Well organized. Good food.
• Food was delicious.

Organization & Structure

• Very well planned.
• Very organized and timely.
• Very organized and on time.
• Adding in some group hang-out time similar to first night in mid-week would be good.

Guides

• Couldn't have asked for better.
• Well informed.
• Nice job, guys.
• Genesis was great and a lot of fun.
• Awesome.
• Fun x 2.

Comfort of Transportation

• Open-air truck good idea for no more than 20 minute ride.
• Generally very good.
• Overall very good.
• Interesting with all of the different options.
• Buses very good. Only exception was open-air truck...very uncomfortable.

What is the most memorable part of this trip for you?

• Cascading and surfing x 2.
• People.
• Cascading without a doubt x 3.
• Cascading on the way down.
• Outdoor activities-cascading & surfing-were awesome!
• Impressive organization of community service project.
• Group dinners.
  

If you could change one thing on this trip, what would it be?

• Bugs. Too many bites.
• Temperature.
• More comfortable transport for cascading.
• Add in a sailing day on Hoby Cats.
• A/C in every room.
• Sleeping arrangements.

 

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