Rejuvenate in Dominican Republic

Price $1,995 per person sharing (double occupancy)

Price $2,750 per single occupancy

Private Tour
8 day / 7 nights

"The most beautiful land ever beheld by a human eye," wrote Christopher Columbus in a letter to Queen Isabella I of Castile after he landed in the Dominican Republic on his first voyage of discovery. On the tour Highlights Dominican Republic you will experience this with your own eyes! In Santo Domingo, the first colonial old town in the New World, an open-air concert with Caribbean rhythms and typical local cuisine awaits you. Off the beaten track, you will get to know a less privileged part of town and make a small contribution to improving the conditions of the poorer population. During a ride on the cable car you will enjoy a unique perspective of the city. You will learn all about coffee cultivation in the Dominican Alps, visit a cocoa plantation and a cigar factory. On the Samaná Peninsula you will experience authentic Caribbean magic with secluded dream beaches and lush tropical landscapes.Day 1 – Tuesday 10.09.2024: Santo Domingo airport – Santo Domingo old town (35 km – 45 min)
Welcome to the Dominican Republic

Personal welcome at the airport of Santo Domingo (local tour guide with name sign outside the terminal) and transfer to the old town of Santo Domingo. The rest of the day is at your leisure to explore the oldest city in the New World. Folkloric band with typical music and drinks (water, coke, sprite and two beers per participant) on the bus.Meals included: Services included: Accommodation:
None
Transfer with local English-speaking tour guide and Spanish-speaking driver Hodelpa Nicolas de Ovando**** Santo Domingo – Contemporary Room
Day 2 – Wednesday 11.09.2024: History, music and culinary delights in the World Heritage Old Town

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at the hotel reception at 10:00 am. Today you will get to know the first city built by Europeans in America. It was here that the first cathedral in the New World was built, the first governor resided, the first bishop was consecrated and the first hospital opened. This bustling city of over a million people has a number of cultural, especially architectural, attractions to offer that you won't find anywhere else on the island of Hispaniola. You will spend the day in the historic old town, the so-called Zona Colonial, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tour includes palaces, forts, museums, churches and squares. You will walk through Calle de las Damas, the first street paved in Santo Domingo for the ladies of the Spanish nobility to stroll, and the pedestrian street El Conde with its many stores and street vendors as well as bars and restaurants.
After the city walk, we will serve you one of the most typical Dominican dishes for lunch. The stew called Sancocho is for every Dominican a flagship of his gastronomy. In addition to various meats, the dish combines a variety of local Caribbean ingredients such as yam, musk gourd, cassava and plantain, which give the stew its characteristic flavor - a dish as rich as Dominican culture. Rice and avocado are served as side dishes. After lunch, you will be escorted back to the hotel. Use the afternoon to relax, or to stroll around the city.Meals included: Services included: Accommodation:
Breakfast at the hotel and lunch after the city tour
Entrance fees and English-speaking tour guide
Hodelpa Nicolas de Ovando**** Santo Domingo – Contemporary Room

Day 3 – Thursday 12.09.2024: Santo Domingo – Jarabacoa (150 km – 2 h 45 min) Santo Domingo off the beaten track

During today's excursion you will get to know Santo Domingo from a different side. Off the beaten tourist track you will see the life of the less privileged population and contribute a small part to improve their circumstances.
After breakfast and check-out, you will be picked up by your driver at 09:00. You will deposit your luggage in the vehicle. Then you will drive to one of the most precarious neighborhoods in the Dominican Republic, Gualey. The neighborhood is located north of the old town on the west bank of the Ozama River. Here you will visit the non-profit foundation Rincón de Luz. The foundation has been doing work in education, nutrition and health for socially disadvantaged children, youth and seniors for over 18 years. Children from preschool age to the beginning of middle school receive schooling and participate in lunch. At the foundation you will hand over a food donation
(included in the price of the excursion, will be provided for you in advance). The founder and president Leyda Alvarez will give you a tour of the premises and present her work. You will also have the opportunity to interact with the school children. Afterwards you will get a guided tour through Gualey. You will get an impression of the living conditions in one of the poorest neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. You will visit the four pozos, small lakes fed by natural springs, which are popular with local residents. One of the pozos has recently been used as a breeding pool for ornamental and food fish. Drinks are available during the walk from local corner stores called colmados.
After the end of the tour, you will head to the cable car station of Gualey. You will board the cable car, from which you will enjoy a spectacular view. You will cross the Ozama River, passing through the Tres Brazos and Sabana Perdida stations to the Charles de Gaulle terminus in the north of Santo Domingo, and then return to your starting point. During the tour you will gain a new perspective on the city and get an impression of the different living conditions. From the gondola you will have numerous opportunities for spectacular photos. A quarter of the price of the excursion will be donated to the Foundation in the form of a food donation, which you will hand over on the day of the excursion.
The trip then continues north. You will drive to Jarabacoa on the oldest highway in the Dominican Republic. The route leads through rural areas characterized by intensive agriculture. In La Vega you will leave the highway. Here begins the mountain world of the Cordillera Central, also known as the Dominican Alps, where many locals spend their summer vacations due to the good climate. Take a walk through the mountains of the Dominican Republic to one of the famous waterfalls of the region. Enjoy the impressive view and landscape and immerse yourself in the unique nature with endemic flora and fauna.
The small town of Jarabacoa is located at 600 meters above sea level and is surrounded by pine forests, rivers, mountains and valleys. Spring-like temperatures prevail here all year round. The climatic health resort is the center for hiking enthusiasts and nature lovers.Meals included: Services included: Accommodation:
Breakfast at the hotel
Entrance fees, transportation and English-speaking tour guide Hotel Gran Jimenoa*** Jarabacoa – Junior Suite

Day 4 – Friday 13.09.2024: Jarabacoa – Santiago de los Caballeros (55 km – 1 h 15 min) Coffee tasting and tobacco culture in the cigar factory
After breakfast you will visit the Monte Alto coffee factory, where everything about the cultivation and processing of coffee will be explained to you. Of course, there will also be a coffee tasting.
The Dominican carnival represents a very important element in the promotion and encouragement of Dominican culture, having an impact both locally in the provinces of the country, as well as nationally. Each expression of it is different, unique and identity, characterizing and differentiating one territory from another, showing native elements, fragrances, smells and craftsmanship of the hand of hundreds of people who work in the preparation of these beautiful folkloric costumes, both for local and international entertainment according to the time in which they perform the manifestations. One of the most recognized in the country is the carnival of La Vega, it has a museum dedicated to it called El Museo Carnaval Vegano and is a space that receives the history and evolution of this folkloric tradition.
Afterwards, the journey continues to Santiago de los Caballeros. Here you will visit one of the most renowned cigar factories in the Dominican Republic, La Aurora, where everything about tobacco processing will be explained to you. You will have the opportunity to watch the employees as they skillfully handcraft the coveted tobacco products. After the tour, the driver will take you to the hotel.

Meals included: Services included: Accommodation:
Breakfast at the hotel
Entrance fees, coffee and cigar tasting, transportation and English-speaking tour guide Hotel Camp David Ranch*** Santiago – Deluxe

Day 5 – Saturday 14.09.2024: Santiago – San Francisco de Macorís – Las Terrenas (165 km – 3 h 45 min) Cocoa plantation and Caribbean magicAfter breakfast, the journey continues in the direction of Samaná. After driving through a fertile valley, you will reach San Francisco de Macorís. In the shade of the huge jungle trees you will visit the Sendero del Cacao. Here you will have the unique opportunity to learn everything about the coveted fruit of the cacao tree, from the cultivation of the cacao bean to chocolate processing, at the Hacienda La Esmeralda cacao plantation, which supplies world- renowned chocolate factories. Of course, a cocoa and chocolate tasting are also part of the program. A lunch will be provided during the tour.

From here, the tour continues via Nagua to Samaná. The peninsula of Samaná is 63 km long and 10 to 20 km wide. It is a tropical paradise with secluded beaches, clear mountain rivers and steep cliffs. Las Terrenas is the bustling center on the north coast of the peninsula. Here you will experience authentic island flair and can feel the magic of the Caribbean.

Meals included: Services included: Accommodation:

Breakfast at the hotel and lunch during the visit of the cacao plantation
Entrance fees, cocoa and chocolate tasting, transportation and English-speaking tour guide Sublime Samana***** Playa Cosón-Las Terrenas – One Bedroom Suite

Day 6 – Sunday 15.09.2024: Full Day Excursion
Today you will pick up after Breakfast (08.00am). The Trip goes to Las Galeras where the trip with our buggies starts. We will pass through different villages to discover the real Dominican life in the mountains. We will visit a typical house and test self-made products. Mountain, beach, sea and rivers. A day full of surprises with many very beautiful views. We will try to ride as good as possible on nature trails away from the main traffic. A Buggy is very easy to drive, it is exactly the same as a car with automatic transmission. A typical lunch will be served at the beach.
Meals included: Services included: Accommodation:
Breakfast at the hotel and lunch during the excursion
Double buggy, lunch, transportation and English-speaking tour guide Sublime Samana***** Playa Cosón-Las Terrenas – One Bedroom Suite

Day 7 – Monday 16.09.2024 & Day 8 – Tuesday 17.09.2024: Las Terrenas
Unwind on the beautiful and unique sandy beaches of this peninsula. Here you can experience pure Caribbean life. Palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze, cool cocktails and freshly prepared seafood as well as the sounds of merengue and bachata music. Go on optional excursions or relax in a Caribbean atmosphere!
Meals included: Breakfast at the hotel
Accommodation: Sublime Samana***** Playa Cosón-Las Terrenas – One Bedroom Suite

Day 9 – Wednesday 18.09.2024: Las Terrenas – Santo Domingo Airport (140 km – 2 h) Goodbye
Transfer to the airport of Santo Domingo according to your flight details.
Meals included: Breakfast at the hotel
Services included: Transfer with Spanish-speaking driver

Private tour
Services included:

Change of program
Program is subject to change. In case of overbooking or the closing of hotels, sights, excursions, restaurants etc., an equivalent alternative will be provided according to the possibilities on location.
Cancellation Policy
BOOKING IS NON-REFUNDABLE AT ANYTIME BUT AMENDABLE (TRAVEL CREDIT)