|
| |
|
Long
popular among divers and visitors from Europe, Dominican
Republic is experiencing more North Americans as well.
DR offers some of the most beautiful beaches in the
world, but is also home to the highest mountain range
(10,382 feet above sea level) in the entire Caribbean
- Pico Duarte. There is plenty here to see and do, and
keep you busy.
The Dominican Republic is a great place to begin diving,
and it is also a haven for serious divers. The country's
undersea world has excellent reef diving, good visibility,
warm waters, wrecks, caverns and marine life offering
a wealth of diving experiences around the island.
Bordered by reefs on three coasts (only has 3, Haiti
is situated to the west), the Dominican Republic is
part of the second largest island in the Caribbean.
Among the most popular dive sites are more than 400
wrecks situated in the surrounding waters.
DR is also known for whalewatching, with humpbacks and
pilot whales exciting visitors annually.
Climate Summer 88 - 95F 31 - 35C Winter 75 - 85F 24
- 29C
Water Temp Average Summer 84F 29C Winter 77F 25C Visibility
60 - 100 ft 18 -30 m |
| |
|
|
Dive Services & Accommodations
Casa
Daniel Swiss Diving School
calle Juan Brito # 1
Bayahibe, La Romana
Dominican Republic
Tel.: + 809 833 0050
Fax.: + 809 833 0050
E-Mail: info@casa-daniel.com
Web: http://www.casa-daniel.com
The Dive Center Casa Daniel and its PADI dive
shop is located directly at the waterfront in the
center of Bayahibe. Our 3 simple guestrooms offer
accommodation in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Mariana Caribbean Sports
Main office: Hotel Barcelo Premium Punta Cana
Branches at: Hotel Majestic Colonial Punta Cana, Hotel
Amhsa Marina Grand Paradise, Hotel Amhsa Marina The
Club
Dominican Republic
Tel. 809 476 7777 ext 4595
Fax. 809 412 2334
mcsmcs@tricom.net
http://www.mariana-net.com
Watersports Center with all-inclusive service, half
& full day excursions, PADI dive center, Parasail
operation, sailing & surfing and speed boat rental.
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Getting
There
|
| |
|
| Air
Travel to DR |
| |
The
Dominican Republic has seven international airports.
The most used airports are:
Las Américas International Jose Francisco
Peña Gomez Airport, 20 minutes east of
Santo Domingo
Puerto Plata International Gregorio Luperón
Airport, 15 minutes from Playa Dorada, Puerto
Plata and Sosúa
Punta Cana's International Airport (have a look
at the photo)
María Montez International in Barahona
La Romana International
Santiago International Airport
Herrera Airport in Santo Domingo
El Portillo Airport in Samaná
The Arroyo Barril International Airport in Samaná.
Flying Times: from New York (3-1/4 hrs), from
Miami (1-3/4 hrs), from San Juan (35 mins), from
Toronto (5 hrs), from Santiago de Chile (8 hrs),
from most European cities (8-10 hrs).
American
Airlines
Direct Service From New York, Miami and San Juan
Puerto Rico
Continental
Airlines
Direct Service From Newark Airport / NY City to
Santo Domingo
COPA
Airlines
Direct Service to Havana and Santiago, Cuba from
Santo Domingo
IBERIA
Airlines
Direct Service from Santo Domingo to Dusseldorf
- Germany
Lufthansa
/ Condor
Direct Service to Munich-Germany with connections
to the rest of Europe
MartinAir
Holland
Direct Service to Amsterdam - Holland. Also service
from Puerto Plata & Punta Cana |
| |
| Entry
Requirements |
All
nationalities require a valid passport (except
nationals of Canada and the USA staying up to
90 days only need holding appropriate ID such
as a Birth Certificate and a Driver's Licence
which proves citizenship and nationals of Germany
holding a National Identity Card).
Visas are required for nationals of all countries
except for the following:
nationals of Argentina, Ecuador, Iceland, Israel,
Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein and Uruguay
as tourists for a maximum of 90 days.
nationals of the following countries are entitled
to travel on Tourist cards if holding valid passports:
Albania, Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba,
Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium,
Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Curaçao,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Finland, France
and French Overseas Territories, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Monaco,
The Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Russian Federation, St Lucia, St Vincent
& the Grenadines, San Marino, Slovak Rep,
Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland,
Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands,
the UK, the USA (including Puerto Rico, Virgin
Islands and Hawaii), Venezuela and Yugoslavia
Fed Rep.
foreign nationals who are legal residents of Canada,
Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,
The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK, the
USA and Venezuela in possession of a valid passport
are also entitled to travel on Tourist Cards.
All visitors who enter the country are required
to purchase a tourist card (tarjeta del tourista)
which cost US$ 10 This card is very often included
with the airline ticket, otherwise they can be
obtained at the airport or at the border crossings.
The card allows tourists to remain in the country
for a maximum of 90 days (single entry).
Important tip: sometimes, the tourist card given
to you by officers is not really your own card
! So you can feel very upset not to have your
personal own card. Don't panic. As long as you
have a tourist card, it is not a problem. Your
local contact will tell you that is normal and
that you won't be annoyed at time of departure. |
| |
| Getting
Around DR |
| Air
Santo Domingo or Sapair
operate scheduled flights between the principal
tourism regions of the Dominican Republic. |
| |
Taxis
There is more than one type of taxi in the Dominican
Republic. When you step off a plane or out of
your hotel, you will almost certainly find a "tourist"
taxi. A few years ago the government funded new
taxis. They are now Hundai minivans or cars. All
are sand colored. They replace the 70's vintage
American gas guzzlers that used to transport tourists.
Tourist taxis fiercely protect their territory
against other forms of transport. Not surprising
since their prices are double those of the vintage
Japanese cars that the city taxis use. In the
large cities you will find "carro conchos"
who cruise the main streets like buses, constantly
stopping to take on or disgorge passengers.
They only charge a few pesos and are practical
for short rides along the same street. Don't look
for a taxi meter in the Dominican Republic. Tourist
taxis usually have posted rates at the entrance
to resorts.
Motorcycle taxis - Known as "moto conchos"
they abound except for downtown Santo Domingo.
They charge double at night which means 20 or
more pesos instead of 10 for a fairly short ride.
They are not practical for long trips and are
involved in lots of accidents.
Buses
In contrast to car rentals and taxis, buses are
cheap, safer, and fun. You will come in contact
with real Dominicans. Metro Tours, Terra Bus and
Caribe tours are for long trips, for example Santo
Domingo to Puerto Plata. Clean modern and comfortable
they are a bargain. They work by reservation except
on Holidays.
Other intercity buses offer express and air conditioned
services. If the bus is not express it will make
lots of stops. Fine if you have all the time in
the world.
Local buses (guaguas) will take you to the next
town for a dollar or so. The only problem with
buses is that they stop operating at about 9 PM,
so you can't use them at night. |
| |
Car
Rentals
Major car rental companies have airport and city
locations, such as Honda, National, Avis, Budget,
Hertz, Europcar, Nelly Rent-a-Car, Dollar and
many others. A valid driver's license and major
credit cards are required to rent a car for up
to 90 days. Driving is on the right hand side
and the speed limit is 60 kph in the cities and
80 kph or 100 kph on the highways, unless otherwise
indicated.
There are only two problems with this, cost and
safety. You will find that the cost of car rentals
is higher than you are used to in your home country.
Safety is not a problem if you learn and apply
the Dominican rules of the road. Simply stated;
there are none! It is a big free for all. Most
traffic police are on foot and almost nobody stops
on their signal. With no radio and no pursuit
car, it is a mismatch. In other words traffic
law enforcement is close to zero. If renting a
car can be hazardous, renting a motorcycle is
doubly so, but it is cheaper. Be very careful. |
| |
| Helpful
Information |
| |
Mail
service
You can choose between two services. The official
postal service will send your postcard to your
friends within 10 days. The private postal services
send your mails via Miami within 7 days (25 pesos
per postcard). The private postal service is more
performant. Some people using the official postal
service receive their mails within... 2 months
! The best way is to give your mails to your local
correspondant. He will send them in good conditions.
Safety
It is perfectly safe to walk around tourist areas
and towns during the day. Criminality rate is
lower than in europeean cities. Most resorts have
security personnel, and the beaches are also patrolled
periodically. When going into town, or out of
the resort area at night, use common sense, just
as you would anywhere else. Don't wear expensive
jewellery or flash large sums of money around
!
Topless sunbathing
Topless sunbathing is quite common. It's not a
Dominican custom, just the fact that many of the
tourists are European, and topless sunbathing
is natural for them. Many hotels do not allow
topless sunbathing around the pool areas. The
best way is to choose a sunbathing place at the
end of the beach area in order to not disturb
families and people who don't want to see topless
bodies...
Electricity
The D.R. uses 110 volts, the same as in North
America (including outlets) so North Americans
can use their appiances as usual. Transformers
are necessary for European appliances. One of
the main problems in the country are the recurrent
power shortages which often occur for several
hours at all hours of the day or night, so it
may be a good idea to bring along a small flashlight
for sudden power cut-offs. Most hotels have generators
to make up for this deficiency, but some of the
smaller ones may not and you never know when it
may cut off.
Climate
DR has a tropical climate with an average temperature
of 82 in summer, 78 in winter. Remember to use
plenty of sunscreen. If however you plan to make
a trip into the mountains, bring warm clothes
as there can be frost in the upper altitudes. |
| |
|
|