Getting around DR – Roads & Travelling Info

Getting around DR

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Types of transport

You have few ways of transportation here in DR, each one has its pros and cons. Lets take me as example. Well, it is maybe not really best example as I was/ I am kind of unique visitor in DR - coming here for long time, buying motorbike and travelling independently like a maniac. And [.. read more, 70 % of content inside...]

So, in other words, what I want to say here is that IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN TRANSPORT, you will see a lot more than by going by bus and you have totally better quality of travelling here in DR. Well, of course there are exemptions of this rule - if you will stay in just one place you will probably need bike less than if you travel/ move around a lot etc. BUT STILL - trust me, it aint easy to walk in the sun and heat here.

gua gua in dominican republicTypical dominican gua gua. This one however has WORKING air conditioning unit, which is rare.

To resume: you have many options to travel around Dominican Republic.  The usual price of one km of travel by public transport (by buses and shared taxis, but not by private taxis and mototaxis which are more expensive)  is around 2-3 pesos.  You have to remember just about ONE THING: Never ever drive after dark for the long distances. Even the local people dont do it, so just dont !

Buying your own vehicle

If you want to be free and independent you have two methods of doing it: to rent a car/bike (good for days, but not weeks) or BUY IT. The prices in car rentals can be more expensive than in Western Europe (especially comparing to Spain, where for example you may rent a car for 10-15 euros/ day - here it would be always more than 20-25 euros/ day). If you want to rent a car and you do have money to do it, the best option is [.. read more, 70 % of content inside...]

So, if you plan to stay in DR for longer than, lets say, 2 months, best option is to buy a car/ motorbike here. For the decent used car, that will actually run/work, you have to pay [.. read more, 70 % of content inside...]

Country's road network, its conditions and best roads

The roads in DR are/ were built like the terrain allows to do it. In the middle/ center of the country and on the west there are mountains, with their peak - Pico Duarte , around 3,000 metres above sea level. So it is rather difficult to build roads on such terrain for the country such poor as DR (sometimes) is. Two main roads in DR cross this country from North to South, and from West to East (southern coast line) - where the terrain is usually flat. The other problem though is [.. read more, 60 % of content inside...]

 Here are the best quality roads in DR a.d. 2015:

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Basically, most roads in DR are in decent, "driveable" conditions. You have to be always careful though - Dominican people "also" drive here 😉 And oh god, THEY DRIVE LIKE CRAZY. Watch out for bus drivers, truck drivers and motorbikes. The bigger car/ vehicle is, the more important his driver feels on the road. And the motorbikes ? They just fly..... roads in dominican republic - potholeEven the good quality roads in Dominican Republic have their "surprises" (as you may see in the picture). Having said that, I always recommend being CAREFUL.

I never drove here after the dark while moving from one city to another, which I will always advise against for. Even the Dominican people usually avoid to drive after dark, because exactly during the night (11 pm to 5 am) happen a lot of robberies. Add to that the problems with visibility and potential potholes - and you will have recipe for disaster.

I may say a lot of bad things about Dominican Republic- its (often) terrible food, expensive internet access, noise, sometimes hassle, uneducated (but still lovely and hospitable people) - but I cant say anything bad about roads in DR... Why ? Because they do a lot to build new roads and repair old ones. During my stay here in 2012-2013 ( when I'm writing this, is the 2015) I saw new roads being constructed every month, in various places in the country. Which is a good thing.

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