FAQ Dominican Republic and tours

Questions and answers related to the topic of Dominican Republic vacations, Puerto Plata, Sosua and Cabarete area and Pepino Polaco local tours

The Dominican Republic is a country located on the Caribbean island of Haiti / Hispaniola, with beautiful sandy beaches, quite a number of coconut palms, azure-colored water and constant warmth :). The locals are generally open and smiling, and there is an atmosphere of island laid-backness all around, despite the rather moderate affluence. The landscapes are varied but rather unindustrialized, most of the country is green and nature is lush. Connoisseurs of historical sites can head to the colonial capital Santo Domingo, and there are a few gems in Puerto Plata as well. All in all, if you're looking for sunshine, warmth, nice beaches and cheerful people, fly to the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean! 🙂 🙂

The Dominican Republic is warm and sunny all year round 🙂 In summer we will feel the heat more strongly, both during the day and at night. In winter it will still be very warm - about 27-28 degrees Celsius (about 80F) during the day, but the night will bring us a pleasant refreshment. Precipitation can occur at any time of the year, but most often the rain passes quickly. September and October are considered "hurricane time", but in recent years there have been no major disasters - and let's hope it stays that way! 😉 So even in these "uncertain months" you can have a beautiful vacation in the Dominican Republic. 🙂

For a vacation in the Dominican Republic, we do not need much to be happy ;). Light, airy clothes, preferably outdoor shoes (flip-flops and sandals), swimsuit, hat or cap, one or two outer garments (they will probably be most useful on the plane, air-conditioned rooms, and in winter, also in the evening). I would also throw in an umbrella or rain cape to chase away the rain 😉. It's worth taking an efficient sunscreen - depending on your complexion, preferably 30-70 SPV, as they are more expensive on the spot. If you have fair or somewhat sun-weaned skin, it's a good idea to bring with you panthenol or a decent aloe vera gel. Mosquito spray is also a must have, and green or red Mugga usually works well. It's a nice concept to complete a handy first-aid kit, as medicines tend to be more expensive in the Dominican Republic as well. Something for pain, to beat a fever, for a cold, for a sore throat, for indigestion and diarrhea, ladies might think about furagin, or another urinary tract inflammation drug. It may not be useful, but it's better to have ;). Finally, think about electronics and related topics. A sports camera, a drone, or at least a waterproof phone case will definitely do a good job. A powerbank for longer trips. Maybe an extra memory card? Or at least some respectable cloud ;). For the waterfowlers, snorkeling gear and water shoes. Well, that's a bit of it after all ;). But it's important to leave yourself 5-8 kg of slack in your suitcase, for souvenirs, especially fine rums, coffees, cocoa and the like.

Shopping in the Dominican Republic is a complex topic, but it can be roughly divided into souvenirs-handicraft items, and groceries-spirits 😉 . The first group includes, for example, sculptures made of local wood "guayacan" - animals, human figures and inspired by the art of the pre-Columbian Taino Indian culture. Another example is jewelry with larimar and amber from the Dominican Republic. Larimar is a semi-precious stone of azure color, whose only mine in the world is located right in the Dominican Republic! ! So it is undoubtedly an unusual souvenir and a unique gift. Lovers of naive art, rural landscapes and full-color Caribbean art will find the paintings at an inexpensive price. I would also include handmade cigars made from front tobacco among handicrafts - a price range like in the world of wines or perfumes, from 2 to over 20$ per piece, depending on the quality and on the seller😉. Finally, in terms of groceries-spirits articles, I'll start with the legendary Caribbean rum 😉 . It's definitely worth bringing this coveted beverage back home, for yourself or for friends and family, there's always someone it will make happy.... Legally, without having to pay customs duties, to most countries you can only bring 1 liter of strong alcohol per person. Because of such a small limit, I think it is worth targeting the more expensive, and therefore harder to find elsewhere, variants of rum. Another Dominican product is coffee - usually medium roast, non acid nor bitter, with a balanced taste. And finally, organic cocoa products: cocoa balls and nibs, cocoa powder, chocolates, cocoa butter for cosmetics.... The topic turned out to be very long, so soon there will be an article in the blog on these matters - I promise! 🙂

The official currency of the Dominican Republic is the Dominican peso, or DOP :). Most often, you'll get about 58 pesos for 1 US dollar, about 44 pesos for 1 canadian dollar, and about 66 pesos for 1 euro. On the coast and in tourist places Dominicans are also happy to operate with US dollars. Dollars are also easily converted into pesos almost everywhere in the country. Euros and other currencies are already more problematic for them and often have unfavorable exchange rates when exchanged. Hence, it is best to take US dollars and payment cards to the Dominican Republic, which are increasingly accepted (but still much less common than in highly developed countries !). During a payment card transaction, there is usually a single or double currency conversion, which usually comes out similar to an exchange operation at an exchange office.

Security is always a fractious topic, and the issue itself is relative. These topics look different in Europe and different in Latin America. So, if we compare the Dominican Republic to Poland, I believe that on the island one should be more on guard, but already in comparison with Mexico or Brazil, the Dominican Republic comes out higher in the safety ranking ;). What does this mean in practice for a tourist? I dare say that the likelihood of an armed attack, kidnapping, rape or other hand-to-hand violence is low or close to zero in the Dominican Republic. One occasionally (or hardly ever) hears of such situations. My impression is that visitors are even more invulnerable than locals. On the other hand, one should be allergic to petty theft and be vigilant about it. Pickpockets and bargain hunters don't sleep 😉 Basic safety recommendations: move freely during the day, at night avoid places where there are no people, keep your valuables always in sight, use a safe or a lockable suitcase in the hotel.

The official position of Dominican authorities is that these diseases have already been eradicated in the country. Sometimes there are sporadic cases in the west part, near the border with Haiti. You don't hear about cases of the disease, there are no infected tourists, so I guess you can believe that there is peace in this regard 🙂

A classic - a question that probably every visitor to the Dominican Republic has asked himself at least once 😉The eternal rivalry between the northern and southern regions... As residents of Puerto Plata, it's hard for us to be objective, but we'll try! Punta Cana's greatest assets, in our opinion, are its wide range of decent hotels, its nice long beach with light sand and its proximity to Saona Island 😊 Puerto Plata, on the other hand, is characterized by a more intimate atmosphere and the authenticity of the town itself, its beautiful location at the meeting point of the mountains and the ocean, and the variety of attractions in the nearby area. The Dominican Republic's north is greener and more mountainous, with less mass tourism.

This question is hard to answer briefly, because there are quite a few places of interest in the Puerto Plata area. Therefore, to begin with, we recommend our blog article: "Puerto Plata tours" https://pepinopolaco.com/wycieczki-puerto-plata/ . However, if one wanted to list the highlights of Puerto Plata, one should point out the tour of the colonial old town and the ascent to the view point on Mount Isabella, a walk through the botanical garden, canyoning in Damajagua Falls, the nearby cocoa and tobacco plantations, the rum factory, the beaches around Puerto Plata and in the coastal towns of Sosua and Cabarete, or a cruise to the famous Paradise Island with snorkeling on a beautiful coral reef full of fish. Those keen on trekking will also have room to explore here 😊.

If you're looking for small-group or private tours and are setting yourself up for an authentic tour with extensive pilots' commentary, welcome! Most groups range from 8-15 people, and we also have an extensive offering of individual tours. We have been operating in the Dominican Republic as Pepino Polaco for almost 4 years now, we have a license to organize tours and travel insurance. We have been involved with package tourism for over 15 years. Most of our clients highly praise the tours they have taken, you can read the reviews left: https://pepinopolaco.com/pepino-polaco-dominikana/😊Thank you!

When you need inspiration for what tour to take, go to the sub-site: "LOCAL TOURS" https://pepinopolaco.com/wycieczki-pepino-polaco/ . Here you can use several filters, the most intuitive filter is "TYPE OF TOUR." You can find tours like "Paradise Beaches," "Sightseeing and Culture," and "Activity and Animals." Each type of tour is further broken down into individual attractions, e.g. Paradise Beaches is Saona Island, Samana Island, Paradise Island, etc. If you prefer, use other filters: "Duration", "Language" or "Suitable or unsuitable for cruise passengers. You can also always browse through all the tours and see which way attracts you the most 😉. If you like to have everything in one place, we encourage you to sign up for the email list to receive the cruise catalog in PDF.

Group tours are organized on specific days of the week and anyone can sign up for them. Groups usually have 8-15 people. This type of tour can mostly be booked and prepaid already in the form on our website, selecting the appropriate date from the calendar next to the service description. When there are no more seats available for a particular group tour, you haven't gathered a group, or simply when you prefer to go at your convenience, on your own, have more flexibility and tailor the program to your needs, we encourage you to use private tours. To book a private tour, write to us to arrange the date and form of payment. Prices for group and private tours can be found at the bottom of each service's description on the website and in the tables at the end of our PDF tour catalog.

For Pepino Polaco group tours, a prepayment must be made at the time of booking on the website (usually about $50 per person), via payment by credit card or PayPal. The remaining amount can be prepaid via online payment: card payment link, traditional bank transfer, PayPal, BLIK, Revolut, or in person by paying the remaining amount for the tour in cash. Payment for private tours is arranged on an individual basis, although by design these are the same payment methods as for group tours.

The customer may cancel no later than 48 hours before the start of the event - the extra charge is then refunded (without advance payment). In situations where the cancellation is made less than 48h before the start of the tour, refund of the surcharge is possible only upon presentation of a document showing that the reason for cancellation is reasons beyond the control of the Participant (e.g. medical certificate, flight cancellation, etc.). In exceptional situations, depending on the specifics of the tour and in consultation with the Pepino Polaco team, the entire payment for the service, including the deposit, may be refunded.
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FAQ Dominican Republic Tours

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