Dominican Countryside Safari

Dominican Countryside Safari takes you out past the hotel zone and into the part of the Dominican Republic that most visitors never see. You travel in an open safari-style bus or truck with an expert driver and a professional guide, stopping in working towns and villages where daily life carries on around you.

It is a long day and a full one. You will be on your feet, in the sun, and in places that are genuinely lived in rather than arranged for visitors.

Itinerary

Countryside towns and villages

The route starts by crossing through small towns, so you see how people in the east actually live before the day’s first stop.

A ranch, and a cigar shop

At the first ranch you ride on horseback through the hills – a short ride, and an easy one, with the countryside opening up around you. At the same stop you visit the cigar shop, where you watch Dominican tobacco worked by hand and learn how a cigar is actually made.

A sugar cane plantation

A stop at the cane fields, where you see the crop cut and handled the way it has been for generations.

Higüey: the Basilica and the public market

You visit the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, the most important religious monument in the country – a vast concrete arch of a building that is worth seeing from the inside. Afterwards you walk through the Mercado Público, among local produce and everyday trade, for what Dominicans call a baño de pueblo – a proper immersion in the life of the town.

Lunch in the Anamuya mountains

The tour heads up into the Anamuya region for a typical Dominican lunch at a mountain ranch. Afterwards there is time to walk down to the Anamuya stream.

A countryside home

You visit a traditional house and meet the family who lives there, then walk among their plantations of coffee, cacao, vanilla and fruit trees. There are tastings of freshly made Dominican coffee, chocolate, and Mama Juana, the country’s own root-and-bark infusion.

A local school

On the way, your guide explains how the Dominican education system works, with a stop in front of a local primary school. The stop always respects the privacy of the classrooms.

Playa Macao

The day ends with a swim at Playa Macao – open Atlantic water, pale sand, and a good place for photographs – before the drive back to your hotel.

Who This Tour Is For

Travelers who want to meet people and see the country rather than add another beach to the list. It suits families, couples and mixed groups. It is a long day outdoors, so come prepared for sun and walking.