4-Wheeler Excursion in Puerto Plata

[tjmurray]

Two friends from the U.S. came to visit me here in the DR last week and we decided to do a little traveling. We are much more of the independent traveler types and shy away from most excursions and tours; preferring to figure things out for ourselves. We left from Santo Domingo and after a stop in beautiful Jarabacoa to hike up to the Salto Jimenoa, we took off for the North Coast. We were planning on heading straight for Punta Rusia (my favorite beach in the country) but I mentioned a 4-wheeler excursion in Puerto Plata that I knew of called Morales-Nunez tours: Welcome to Moralez Nunez Excursiones website, that takes you through the Dominican country side. When I mentioned the tour I was expecting a resounding..NO!, but my friends thought it would be a cool idea.

Maria and her husband run the show at the company and are great people. It cost US$45 to rent a 4-wheeler. I rented one for myself and my two friends shared the other one. We switched during the tour so everyone could get a little freedom.

Our tour guide was a really nice kid and the tour was absolutely amazing!! He lead us deep into the Dominican country side, passing through sugar cane fields, farms and small villages. This was my two friends' first time in the DR and they were simply amazed by the beauty of the campo and even more so by the people.

The tour made 3 stops. One at a small town for about 15 minutes for anyone who would like to get something to drink. The next stop was beautiful as we were lead to a small beach with turquoise waters. Our guide told us to take some time for pics or to swim. We did both. The next stop was the best of all, especially for travelers like us because we felt so far off the beaten path. The third stop was at a small river/watering hole with a bunch of Dominican children swimming and diving off a tree that hung over the water. I got up there right away to show those kids my back flip was as good as anyone's. Haha. None of us wanted to leave but eventually we had to.

On the way back our guide let us stretch those 4-wheelers out going full throttle through the sugar cane fields. What more could you ask for: speed and beauty!

I would say the tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours and was worth every minute. Great experience and great memories. This is a great suggestion for anyone looking for a fun excursion on the North Coast.

[DAKRA]

Nice Report!

[laurapasinifan]

I could post up a photo essay of that trip, as I have done it a few times and took my camera!!!

I was a lot of fun...but there are a few tips that can help you decide a few things.

one, if it hasnt rained in a several days and is hot....dont take the dirt roads through the cane fields!!!!!!!!! it becomes a huge dust bowl..and you end up choking on dust and beign filthy dirty all over...

and if it has rained recently...dont take the mountain course...because it is full of mud pits sometime a 100 feet long and there is no way around them, because they cut through the mountain in a narrow path...4 or 5 are nice and fun...but after 20 of them it becomes a pain....especially for women...if you stop your ATV in the middle sometimes it is tough to get going again..and who wants to stand in 2 feet of mud pushing an ATV???

try to go in a small group, and you can ask to stay longer in places or take more stops....in the big crowds...they just stick to their plan.

so mention those two things to your guide before you set out...and you might have a more enjoyable ride..

the one we took up into the mountain was really nice, because the pit stop was way up on the mountain and you could look down onto the coast and see playa dorado and puerto plata, while you ate and drank.

bob