Kayaking the Dominican Republic

The author’s mothership ketch at anchor in the Dominican Republic.

For even the savviest adventurers, the north coast of the Dominican Republic is still a relatively unknown quantity. But rocky coastline, whitewater rapids, and friendly locals in thatched-roof huts make the Dominican Republic a paddler’s delight—and since recent flood damage dropped the peso to an all-time low, it’s a budget traveler’s delight as well.

Sailing down to the Dominican Republic in an antique ketch, my boyfriend and I acquire two inexpensive, used kayaks, more or less on a whim. Relative novices, we buy them for fun and good exercise. As it turns out, thanks to the impulse buy, we end up kayak-camping much of the north coast of the country.

CRUISING THE COVES

We venture out from Luperon, a small village best known as a haven for long-range sailboaters from the US and Canada, and spend a day exploring the rocky shores and coves of the natural harbors of Puerto Blanca. Paddling lazily along the sheltered mangroves, cliffs and tiny secluded beaches, every minute brings another perfect spot for a picnic, rock climbing, or late afternoon fishing (always good for entertainment in the kayak, especially when you hook a big one). On a beach just big enough to hold us, the kayaks, and a campfire, we dine luxuriously on fresh-caught broiled snapper, then gentle waves lull us to sleep under brilliant, far-from-the-lights-of-civilization stars.

TO PUERTO ISABELLA

The author’s sit-on-top brought a whole new realm to her boating experience .

At dawn the next morning, we’re up and re-packing the kayaks to avoid the formidable afternoon winds along the coast (most days, a deafening and hair tangling 20-30 miles an hour). As the sun’s first rays touch our backs, a few hours of new shelter. Our ride-on-top kayaks, so soothing in calm waters, are squirrelly in the waves, rolling and twisting as we traverse the surf along the exposed coast.

In Puerto Isabella, Columbus built tiny houses (the foundations remain) for his men to live in while he sailed back to Spain for additional funds. During his absence, the sailors managed to accomplish what centuries of effort had failed to achieve: uniting the warring tribes of the island. The Spanish men treated the natives so brutally that the enemy tribes joined forces, attacked the settlement, and massacred every one.

HORSES ON THE BEACH

Over the next few days we make it to Punta Rusia, a stunning coastal area filled with beaches and coves where a local village sits cheek-by-jowl with upscale resorts. We wander though the village, stopping for fresh chinola juice. There we meet Juan, a tiny, ancient man with a seamed, leathery face brown as a nut. Juan offers us horses at 100 pesos a day. That’s around three dollars. At hotels, a ride can be as little as twenty dollars, so this is a no-brainer. We canter along the beach, surf splashing around us, hair blowing in the wind. Then up the ubiquitous winding dirt roads, where we pass men on burros with fresh-cut sugar cane, and women with enormous bowls of fruit on their heads.

WHITEWATER

We also take a quick trip by guagua (local vans that carry passengers and chickens for $1-2 each—if inclined, you can go all over the country this way) into the interior of the country for whitewater kayaking in Jarabacoa. Here we choose from Class II-III rapids or III-IV. We pick the Rio Yaque, the longest river in the Caribbean, which offers both challenges and easy stretches. When we confess to only one whitewater kayak trip in our pasts, they provide a quick refresher and we’re off. We have a feeling things would be less casual elsewhere. It’s a great and terrifying time getting through cute features like ‘Mike Tyson’, a 12-foot vertical drop, where we both end up hanging head down in the pool below the waterfall and have to be rescued by our guide. We bounce off boulders in ‘The Cemetery’, a stretch of rocks sticking up like tombstones, and gratefully reach some meandering curves of calmer water for easy drifting. Fortunately November isn’t full rainy season, or we’d really have been surprised.

This is as far as we make it, but in Jarabacoa, you can also sign up for waterfall-climbing (complete with guide, wetsuit, harness and lines and lessons for hauling yourself up against the current and rappelling back down), and mountain climbing nearby Pico Duarte, the second highest mountain in the Caribbean. So we’ll be back next year.

With service from major airlines—United, USAir, JetBlue— the Dominican Republic is just a few hours from North America, and with a smattering of Spanish (or a good phrase book), it can offer the adventure of a lifetime.

RESOURCES

• www.dominicanrepublic.com

• www.thedominicanrepublic.net

• Rancho Baiguate: 809-574-4940, kayaking or rafting $95/day, waterfall $65/day, mountain trek $400/person for three days (also offers pleasant rooms for $35/night)

• Franz Lang Adventures: 809-574-2669, kayaking $65/day, waterfall $45/day, mountain trek $300/person for three days

• Colonial Tour Rafting: 809-688-5285, rafting $95/day, waterfall $45/day

• Iguana Mama: 809-571-0908, kayaking or rafting $85/day, waterfall $55/day.