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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
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Dive
Services & Accommodations
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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. |
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Neptuno
Bavaro C.porA.
Hotel IFA Villas Bavaro,
Punta Cana, Bavaro
Dominican Republic
Tel. 001 809 552 6025
Fax. 001 809 552 6025
neptunobavaro@gmx.net
http://www.neptunobavaro.com
Diving and water sports in Punta Cana, Bavaro. Cozy
and professional.
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Travel
to Dominican Republic
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| Air
Travel to DR |
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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 |
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| 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. |
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| Getting
Around DR |
| Air
Santo Domingo or Sapair operate scheduled
flights between the principal tourism regions of the Dominican
Republic. |
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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. |
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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. |
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| Helpful
Information |
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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. |
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