Dominican Republic Travel
After scheduling a Dominican Republic Adventure Tour, you will need to plan your travel arrangments for your Dominican Republic Trip. We have compiled some useful information for booking flights, lodging and car rentals.
Dominican Republic Flights
We recommend flying into the Gregorio Luperón Puerto Plata International Airport. The airport code is POP.
The airport is a 15-minute drive from Puerto Plata, a 5-minute drive from Sosua, and a 1-hour drive from the Ocean Star Estates development in Luperon.
Cheap Tickets (http://www.cheaptickets.com), Travelocity (http://www.travelocity.com), Expedia (http://www.expedia.com) and Cheap-O-Air (http://www.cheapOair.com) are all good websites for finding the cheapest ticket, or you can consult your travel agent. Delta has a lot of direct flights from many U.S. locations.
A passport or equivalent national identity document and a visa (but see exception below) is required of foreigners traveling to the DR.
All non-resident travelers need to show a round trip ticket as proof of their departure.
Traveling without a passport
The DR has signed an agreement with the U.S. and Canada that allows their nationals to enter without a passport or visa by purchasing a US$10 tourist card (cash only). You will need to present proof of citizenship - either an original birth certificate or certified copies with raised seal, an expired passport (if photograph still clearly resembles the bearer), U.S. naturalization certificate or a signed U.S. voter registration card. You do not need to have this tourist card with you to exit the country - it is just a requirement to enter the country.
As of January 23, 2007, all U.S. citizens need to have a U.S. passport (including children) to re-enter the U.S. when coming from the Dominican Republic.
When flying direct from the DR to Canada, Canadian citizens can travel to and from the Dominican Republic with an an original birth certificate and a photo ID, such as a driver's license, that matches the name on your citizenship document. If you have changed your name because of marriage, you should bring certified proof of your marriage.
Why get a passport anyway?
A passport is the preferred document for international travel to the DR. In these days of enhanced security considerations, travelers are highly recommended to go abroad with passports as their identification document. Note that you will need a passport to cash travelers checks, rent a car, to make large credit card purchases, and sometimes even as a security deposit for equipment such as golf clubs.
Please
check
with
your
travel
agent or
airline
to
ensure
the
above
requirements
have not
changed.
Transportation to your Hotel
If you are staying in Puerto Plata, Sosua or Luperon, our staff in the DR is available to pick you up at the airport and transport you to your hotel, if your hotel or lodging does not provide this service. Please make arrangements for this as part of your tour.
A good source of information on travel in the Dominican Republic is at http://www.dr1.com/travel (see links in left-hand side bar).
Car Rental
Car rental prices are approximately US$39 to US$59 per day (SUVs are a common rental car). The following are some rental car companies located at the Gregorio Luperon Puerto Plata International Airport:
Budget Rent-A-Car
809-586-0413
http://www.budget.com - type in "POP" (no quotation marks) for the airport in Puerto Plata in the field labeled pick-up location
Kobi Rent S. A.
809-571-4169
http://www.dominican-car-rental.com
National Car Rental
http://www.dr1.com/national
If you do not wish to rent a car, cabs and motorcycles are available for transporting you around.
Lodging
We recommend that you stay in one of the following three towns:
There are many choices for lodging, so you will want to do some research on the Internet. Here are a few Dominican Republic Hotels to get you started:
The Riu Bachata in Puerto Plata
800-454-6835
http://www.godreamvacations.com/RiuBachata
The Riu Merengue in Puerto Plata
http://www.godreamvacations.com/RiuMerengue
The Riu Mambo in Puerto Plata
http://www.riubambu.com/RIU_WEB_PAGES/MENU/RESORT/MAMBO/MAMBO.htm
Casa Cayena in Sosua
809-571-2651
http://www.hotelcasacayena.com
Luperon Beach Resort
http://www.conquestvacations.com/hotels/hotel.aspx?hc=LUPB
The following is a list of popular Puerto Plata hotels, as listed by HolidayWatchDog.com:
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