Cabarete and Sosúa

Overview

East of Puerto Plata, the coast road runs past the airport into two small towns with very different personalities. Sosúa is a bay town with the calmest swimming and the best snorkeling on the north coast, and a remarkable history as a refuge for Jews escaping Nazi Europe. Cabarete, 20 minutes farther east, is one of the best-known kitesurfing and windsurfing spots in the Atlantic, with a beach town built around the wind.

Beyond Cabarete the road gets quieter. Río San Juan is a fishing town with a mangrove lagoon you tour by boat, and Playa Grande is a long, wild beach with big waves, a clifftop golf course and one of the most expensive resorts in the country. This coast draws a mix of Dominican families, European and North American expats, and athletes who come back every year for the wind.

This is a good region for active travelers, independent travelers and anyone who prefers a town to a resort. It is less polished than Punta Cana and generally cheaper. If you want to compare regions, see planning your trip.

Kitesurfing and windsurfing in Cabarete

Cabarete Bay was put on the map by windsurfers in the 1980s, and kitesurfing took over in the 2000s. The reason is the wind: the Atlantic trade winds blow onshore and side-shore most afternoons, warmed by the land behind the beach, and a reef offshore breaks the swell so the inside water stays manageable. The water is warm all year, so most people kite in a swimsuit or shorty.

When the wind blows

Wind is most consistent in two seasons: December through March and June through August. Spring and early fall are hit and miss, and around October and November you get more light days. On a typical windy day it is calm in the early morning, builds from late morning, and peaks in mid-afternoon before dropping near sunset. That pattern is why the whole town surfs in the morning and kites after lunch.

Where

• Kite Beach, about a mile (1.5 km) west of the town center, is lined with kite schools and is where most lessons happen. It gets crowded with kites on peak afternoons.
• Cabarete Bay, the main town beach, is the windsurfing heart and also busy with kites. The reef outside has bigger waves for advanced riders.
• Bozo Beach, at the west end of the bay, is a mix of both, with a bit more space.

Schools and courses

Dozens of schools operate here, most teaching to IKO standards. A long-running example is Laurel Eastman Kiteboarding on Cabarete Bay, at the Millennium Resort (809-571-0564). Kite Beach has a row of other schools, many run by European or North American instructors with Dominican staff; windsurf centers on the bay rent boards and rigs and teach beginners on calmer morning water.

A beginner course to reach independent riding usually takes about 9 to 12 hours of instruction, spread over three to five days because of the wind. Prices are quoted in US dollars and vary with private or group lessons, so compare on these points:

• Radio helmets, so the instructor can talk to you on the water
• Boat or jet ski support for rescue and downwind lessons
• Whether equipment, IKO certification and taxes are included
• Group size: one-to-one or two students per instructor is ideal
• What happens to unused hours on no-wind days

Surfing at Encuentro

Playa Encuentro, about 4 miles (6 km) west of Cabarete, is the north coast's main surf beach. Several reef breaks line up along a short stretch, with lefts and rights for different levels. The best swells arrive from about November to April. Go early, from dawn to late morning, before the trade wind blows the waves out.

Surf schools with shacks on the beach rent boards by the hour or day and run lessons in the inside whitewater, where beginners can learn. Lessons and rentals are quoted in US dollars; agree on the price and whether a board leash, rash guard and transport from Cabarete are included.

• The reef is shallow in places, especially at low tide. Ask your instructor where it is and consider reef booties.
• Rip currents pull out through the channels. That helps surfers paddle out and makes Encuentro dangerous for swimmers, so swim somewhere else.
• Do not leave anything of value in a car or on the sand. Theft at beach parking areas is the most common problem here.

Sosúa: the bay, diving and the town

Sosúa Bay is a small crescent of sand protected by coral reefs at each end, so the water is calm and clear most of the year. It is the best swimming beach on this part of the coast for families and weak swimmers, and you can snorkel from shore along the edges of the bay.

The beach is busy and lined with stalls selling souvenirs, food and drinks, and vendors are persistent. Rent a chair and umbrella from one person and you will mostly be left alone. On the west side of the bay is Los Charamicos, the Dominican neighborhood, where fish shacks and a Sunday crowd of local families give the beach its liveliest moments. Just north of the bay, Playa Alicia is a newer, quieter beach that formed when sand built up below the cliffs.

Diving and snorkeling

Sosúa is the north coast's dive base. Dive shops near the beach run reef dives, wall dives and wreck dives a short boat ride away, as well as PADI courses. Visibility is usually good outside rainy spells. Choose a shop that shows its certifications and checks yours, and ask about group size and equipment age. See outdoors for diving across the country.

Sosúa's Jewish history

At the 1938 Évian Conference, where most countries refused to take Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo offered to accept up to 100,000. His motives were political and racial as much as humanitarian, and only a small fraction came. Between 1940 and 1945, about 800 German and Austrian Jews received Dominican visas and settled on a large tract of land at Sosúa.

The settlement was organized by DORSA, a New York-based association backed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, under an agreement signed with the Dominican government in January 1940. The refugees built farms, a school, a clinic and a dairy cooperative whose cheeses and butter became Productos Sosúa, a brand still sold in Dominican supermarkets. Most descendants later moved to the United States, but a small community remains.

The Jewish Museum of Sosúa (Museo Judío de Sosúa) tells this story through photographs, documents and settlers' belongings, next to the small wooden synagogue that is still in use. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour. It is small and run with limited staff, so opening hours are short and can change; check locally or with your hotel before you go, and assume it may be closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. A modest admission fee supports the museum.

Cabarete town and nearby

Cabarete is a one-street town strung along the bay, with hotels, condos, surf and kite shops, bars and restaurants on the beach side. By day the action is on the water; at night restaurants put tables directly on the sand, and a few beach bars play music late, especially on weekends.

• El Choco National Park, just south of town, protects caves, lagoons and forest. Guided cave tours take you into chambers with swimmable pools and, in some caves, Taíno drawings; go with a park guide.
• Horseback rides and river trips leave from ranches in the hills behind town.
• Yoga and fitness are part of the Cabarete scene, with classes at several beach hotels and studios.
• Master of the Ocean, a competition combining surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing and paddleboarding, is held most years in late winter. Check this season's dates.

Río San Juan and Laguna Gri-Gri

Río San Juan, about an hour east of Cabarete, is a laid-back fishing town that sees fewer foreigners. Its main attraction is Laguna Gri-Gri, a mangrove-lined lagoon at the edge of town. Boatmen at the lagoon's dock take you through narrow channels under the mangroves and out along the coast to a sea cave, rock formations and a sheltered swimming spot, usually in about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Prices are set per boat by the boatmen, so it is cheaper with a group; agree on the price, the route and the stops before you board, and pay at the end. The lagoon water is murky, so save your swim for the coastal stops. Boats should carry life jackets; ask for them.

Nearby are Playa Caletón, a small, protected cove good for families, and on the road toward Cabrera, Laguna Dudú, a pair of freshwater sinkhole lagoons with clear blue water, a zip line that drops you in and cave diving for certified divers. An entry fee is charged.

Playa Grande and Playa Preciosa

About 10 minutes east of Río San Juan, Playa Grande is a long curve of golden sand below green cliffs, with powerful Atlantic waves. It is one of the most beautiful beaches on the north coast and one of the least safe for swimming: strong shore break and rip currents make it a beach for walking, sunning and, for experienced surfers, the waves. Swim only on calm days, close to shore, and never alone.

The public entrance has parking, chair and umbrella rentals and a row of shacks frying fish and lobster with tostones. Agree on prices first, especially for lobster sold by weight. Next door, small Playa Preciosa is a surf spot with even stronger currents.

On the clifftops above sit the Playa Grande golf course, with holes along the ocean (see golf), and Amanera, Aman's resort, with private casitas and a price to match $$$$.

Getting there and around

By air: Puerto Plata's Gregorio Luperón Airport (POP) is right next to Sosúa. Taxis from the airport take about 10 minutes to Sosúa and 25 minutes to Cabarete; agree on the fare first or arrange a transfer with your hotel. See flights for routes and entry for the e-Ticket.

From Santo Domingo: about 4 hours by road. Caribe Tours and Metro Tours buses run from the capital to Puerto Plata and Sosúa, with connections along the coast. See getting around.

Along the coast:

• Guaguas run up and down the coast road between Puerto Plata, Sosúa, Cabarete and towns to the east all day. Flag one down on the road and pay the fare in pesos; ask a local what it should be.
• Taxis have stands in each town. There are no meters, so agree on the fare in pesos before you get in.
• Motoconchos are the fastest way around town and the most dangerous. If you use one, go slow, in daylight, and hold on.
• A rental car makes sense for Río San Juan, Playa Grande and Laguna Dudú. The coast road is paved but busy with motorbikes. See driving.

Where to stay

Practical tips

• Weather. The north coast gets its most rain from about November to January, when cold fronts bring gray, showery days, which is also good wind season. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. Sargassum seaweed reaches the north coast less often than the east coast, but it does arrive in some months. See when to go.
• Money. Pay in pesos outside resorts and water-sports schools; ATMs are in Sosúa and Cabarete. Restaurant bills include the 18% ITBIS tax and 10% service charge. See money.
• Safety. The State Department rates the DR at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution. On this coast the main risks are theft from beaches and cars, motorbike accidents and drink spiking in nightlife. Do not walk dark beaches at night. Call 911 in an emergency. See safety.
• Health. Do not drink tap water, and use repellent at dusk: dengue is present across the country. See health.

Three days on the coast

1. Day 1

   Sosúa

   Swim and snorkel in Sosúa Bay in the morning, then lunch on fish in Los Charamicos. Visit the Jewish Museum in the afternoon and watch the sunset from the cliffs above the bay.

2. Day 2

   Cabarete

   Surf lesson at Encuentro early, breakfast in Cabarete, then a kite lesson or an afternoon watching the kites at Kite Beach. Dinner on the sand on Cabarete Bay.

3. Day 3

   East to Río San Juan

   Drive or take a driver east. Morning boat tour on Laguna Gri-Gri, swim at Playa Caletón, then lunch and a beach walk at Playa Grande. Stop at Laguna Dudú on the way back if there is time.