Traveling to Cabarete

Best Airports and How to Get Here

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• Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata – POP
• El Cibao International Airport in Santiago – STI
• Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo – SDQ
• Punta Cana International Airport in La Altagracia – PUJ

You are probably here because you have been Googling “Traveling to Cabarete.” Glad you found us because that is what we are talking about in this post. Although this country might seem small, there are eight International Airports in the Dominican Republic. Four have a consistent flight schedule coming from N. America and Europe. The closest airport to Cabarete is Puerto Plata (POP), but the one that you will find advertised the most is Punta Cana (PUJ). Below we will help you determine which airport you should fly to for your trip to Cabarete.

Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata
Airport Code: POP

• Distance to Cabarete: about 18 km or 12 miles
• Time to Cabarete: about 20 minutes
• Cost for a taxi: $35 USD

Gregorio Luperón International Airport, also known as Puerto Plata Airport, is the closest airport to Cabarete. This airport is super small. So you will be through the gate and out of customs very quickly. Unfortunately, it might very well be the most expensive airport in the Dominican Republic. We aren’t sure why, but it is what it is, and that is why we have taken the time to provide you with information on the other international airports in the Dominican Republic. Although after you consider the cost and time of travel from the other airports in Cabarete, it might be worth flying into POP.

Ways to save money if you fly into Gregorio Luperón International Airport:

Take public transportation to your hotel only if you are traveling light. You will have to walk about 500 meters to the road, then hail a guagua (public bus) or carrito (public car). These modes of transport will be jammed full of people but will only cost between RD$75 – RD$100 (around $2 USD) to get you to Cabarete. The time to get to Cabarete doubles to about 40 minutes, depending on how many stops the driver has to make. A carrito will be faster than a gugua.

Pro Tips for taking public transportation from POP to Cabarete:

• Pay for another seat if you want more room for yourself or your luggage.
• Make sure you have small bills since sometimes drivers “don’t have change.”
• Have an idea of where you are heading (at least the name of the hotel), so you can tell the driver where you want to get off.

El Cibao International Airport in Santiago
Airport Code: STI

• Distance to Cabarete: approximately 70 km or 44 miles
• Time to Cabarete: approximately 1.5 hours
• Cost for a taxi: $100 USD

El Cibao International Airport in Santiago is the second closest airport to Cabarete. Flying into STI can save you money even after the $100 taxi ride to Cabarete. This airport is small-medium sized, so it might take you 30 minutes or so to get through the gate, luggage, and customs. The drive is about 1.5 hours if you take the mountain route. If you take the road through Puerto Plata, the ride will be smoother, but it will take about $45 minutes longer, and taxi drivers will probably try to charge you more for this.

Ways to save money if you fly into El Cibao International Airport:

If you are on an extended vacation and have a little more time for travel, you can save a ton of money by hopping on the bus. The trip will cost about $60 USD and take about 3 hours. Two equally capable and comfortable carriers are Metro Tours and Caribe Tours. Each bus depot is located about 15 minutes away from the airport, so you will need to take an $18 USD taxi ride to get there. Once at the depot, you will pay RD$100 to get to Sosua. Once you arrive in Sosua, you can grab public transportation like mentioned above, costing you RD$35 – RD$50.

Pro tips for taking the bus from Santiago to Cabarete:

• You can hail a cab easily at the airport (this is true for any of the airports, in fact). Just look for drivers wearing/carrying an official transportation card. The taxi industry is one thing that is pretty highly protected by the local drivers, so you don’t have to worry too much about getting ripped off as long as you know your prices.
• Bring a sweater! For some reason, it is always freezing on the bus.

Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo
Airport Code: SDQ

• Distance to Cabarete: approximately 230 km or 140 miles
• Time to Cabarete: approximately 3.4 – 4 hours
• Cost for a taxi: $200 USD

Las Américas International Airport, located in the capital city of Santo Domingo, is the third closest airport to Cabarete. SDQ is another airport that could potentially save you money if you have extra travel time. But we think that the money/travel-time balance is getting a little iffy unless you will be here for a few weeks. Las Américas is a little larger than the airports mentioned above, so it could take you 30 minutes to an hour to get out of the gate and through customs.

Ways to save money if you fly into Las Américas International Airport:

Again, you can take the bus if the flight is cheap enough and you have enough time to spare. Most of the information we provided for STI will apply to SDQ. The difference is time and cost of travel. The overall trip will set you back about $45 USD and take 7 hours. The Metro and Caribe Tours stations are about a 30-minute drive in a taxi, and that will cost you $25 USD. Your bus ticket to Sosua will cost RD$350. Then you can take public transportation to Cabarete as mentioned above.

Pro tips for taking the bus from Santo Domingo to Cabarete:

• Bring a book or your Kindle since this is a long and scenic drive.
• Bring some small bills or change (pesos) since the bus will stop for a snack and a bathroom break along the way.

Punta Cana International Airport in La Altagracia
Airport Code: PUJ

• Distance to Cabarete: approximately 400 km or 250 miles
• Time to Cabarete: approximately 6 hours
• Cost for a taxi: $400 USD

Punta Cana International Airport is the most advertised airport in all of the Dominican Republic. But don’t be thrown off by low prices and the name. PUJ is not POP. Punta Cana is not Puerto Plata. In fact, they are on opposite sides of the country. More than a few times, we have had clients book a flight into Punta Cana, not realizing how far and expensive it is if your final destination is Cabarete. The only way we can see flying into PUJ being reasonable is if it is part of a more extended trip around the country.

Ways to save money if you fly into Punta Cana International Airport:

You guessed it! You can take the bus. The trip will set you back about $50 USD and 9 hours. From the airport, grab a taxi to the Bavaro Express Terminal, where you can purchase your bus ticket for RD$400 to Santo Domingo. From Santo Domingo, you can follow the instructions above to Sosua.

Pro tips for taking the bus from Punta Cana to Cabarete:

Don’t do it! It’s probably not worth it.

More Taxi Info:

Our uncle Jose owns a taxi company. Hit us up on WhatsApp and we will put you in touch.

More Bus Info:

Metro Tours Bus Schedule
Caribe Tours Bus Schedule

Why didn’t we talk about car rental?

Of course, you can rent a car if you don’t want to take a cab or the bus. We didn’t explain this option in this post because we don’t suggest it. Even if you have driven in other developing countries, driving in the Dominican Republic follows its own set of driving rules – and that is putting it nicely.

Getting to Cabarete Kite Point and El Cocotazo Cafe:

We are located at the Agualina Kite Resort, directly in the center of the world-famous Kite Beach.

From Puerto Plata Airport:
Exit the airport and take a left on Highway 5. Head straight for about 17 km. On the left will see Extreme Hotel, then Kite Beach Hotel, then you will see Agualina Kite Resort. If you get to Kite Beach Inn or Kite Club, you went too far. Once you are at Agualina, head toward the big iron gates. Tell the security guard you are here for Dare2fly. Walk to the right of the building and follow the path toward the sea. We are a cute little two-story tiki building right next to the beach. Cabarete Kite Point is downstairs, and Vitamin D Cafe is upstairs.

From Metro Tours or Caribe Tours in Sosua:
Both Metro and Caribe will drop you off on the corner in Sosua, so be aware of that. It’s a straight shot heading northwest on Highway 5 for about 10 km. Then follow the rest of the directions above.

From Cabarete Center:
Take a right on highway 5 and go straight for about 2 km. After you go under the overpass, on the right, you will see Kite Club, then Kite Beach Inn, then you will see Agualina Kite Resort. If you get to Kite Kite Beach Hotel or Extreme Hotel, you went too far. Then follow the rest of the directions above.

From Cabarete Beach:
Walk toward the beach and make a left once you get to the sand. Walk passed Vila Taina Hotel, Millennium Hotel, Viva Tangerine, Ultra Violeta, Sea winds, then around the rocky point to Kite Beach. We are exactly in the middle of Kite Beach, passed Kite Club, passed Kite Beach Inn, passed a huge private house, Watermark Hotel, passed Kites Method school and lodge. We have a raised wooden patio with bean bags and sail to cover the patio. You will see our logo small on the front of the patio. If you get to Kite Beach Hotel or Extreme Hotel, you have gone too far.

Did we miss anything regarding flying to Cabarete? Give us your advice in the comments.