First get used to the horn; drivers in the DR have one hand permanently on the horn. Don’t get irritated when they use it. The horn is considered a notification devise, not just a sign that the person irritated at you. They will use it when they pass you, at intersections, when passing people or just when they feel they haven’t heard the horn enough that day.

People drive extremely close here regardless of the speed you are going. Cars drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid pot holes and for almost any other reason you can imagine. It’s common to see 3-4 cars side by side on a 2 lane road, when preparing to cross intersections etc. They pretty much consider the lines in the road to be optional, and which side of the road you are expected to drive on to only be a suggestion not a law. Motorcycles use either side of the road about the same, with only a slight preference of being on the right side of the road.

The only way to merge into heavy traffic is to force your way in, if you wait for someone to give you a break it is very unlikely to happen. When you are forcing your way in, or when they are forcing their way in, they will get within inches of your car.
Most of the roads here are pretty bad, so you need to constantly be on the watch for potholes. There are very few street signs to help you navigate.

With all that said, once you get out of the largest cities like Santo Domingo and Santiago, and if you are not trying to drive during the most congested times of the day or at night, then driving here really isn’t that bad. It just takes some getting used to.

Something to be aware of: I have a lot of foreign friends here in the DR. A few have gotten in small accidents. When you are a foreigner, you are considered rich. Therefore, if you get in an accident it is pretty much always considered your fault and it is very difficult to prove otherwise. Court proceedings can take years. When you drive here you drive at your own risk.

That doesn’t mean there are no tour companies in the DR, you just need to make sure of what they are offering before you book. There are some great companies offering excursions and we plan on hitting a bunch of then as time goes on. We’ll be posting reviews of the companies as we try them.

Especially if you fly into Santo Domingo or Santiago, you are likely to take one of these buses to get to your vacation destination. These are the Bus companies to choose from:

• Caribe Tours 809-221-4422
• Expreso Vegano
• Expreso Bavaro 809-682-9670
• Metro Expreso 809-227-0101
• Prieto Tours
• Santo Domingo 809-685-0102
• Puerto Plata 809-586-5280
• Punta Cana 809-221-1335
• Samana 809-240-6417
• Terra Bus

This main North/South bus follows this route Cabarete – Sosua – Puerto Plata – Santiago – La Vega – Santo Domingo and then back again. If you plan on traveling the full route, plan on spending most of the day doing it.

When you get into a public car and want to go to one of these bus stations you get the drivers attention by calling him “Chofer” which sounds kind of like “show-fair” this means Chauffeur. When you have his attention you can then say “Parada de Caribe Tours” substituting whatever bus line you plan on using. All of the public cars know where these are. It really helps if you get a book that will help you with how the vowel sounds are made, this will greatly help having them understand what you say. In the larger tourist towns this is less of an issue many of the people speak at least some English.

Small luggage can be brought into the bus and stored in an overhead compartment. Suit cases and larger items should be stored in the outside compartments below the buses. These compartments are only opened at the main terminals although the bus will likely stop in many other smaller locations. When you get to a main terminal it is a good idea to have someone get out and watch you bags. The bus companies open the terminals and let people take their own bags out. They DO NOT keep track of who owns what, so someone can easily take your bag if you are not watching.

This takes a little getting used to and a bit of knowledge beforehand really helps. There are several forms of transportation here Tour buses, Guaguas (public cars or vans), Motor conchos (guys on motor cycles) and Taxi’s. 

1) Tour Buses: These are large busses that seat around 60 or more people. They travel between the major cities. There are several different companies that you can choose from but they are all rather similar in both price and features so it is easier to just pick the one that is closest to you. You will find them to be pretty comfortable, air conditioned, many have TVs so you have something to watch if you don’t feel like looking out the window.

If you have large bags you can put them under the bus, they only open these compartments at the major stops so your stuff is pretty safe. Smaller items, backpacks, packages etc can be stored in overhead compartments when you get in the bus, rather similar to an airplane.   You first buy your ticket at the station and sometime along the ride you will be asked for this. You can find more information on our Dominican Republic Tour Buses page

2) Guaguas, public cars and small busses and vans: All of these have set routes, usually between the smaller towns and the larger towns, but they also give rides between locations in the larger towns. Typically when I want to get somewhere I’ve not been before I ask a local how to get to my location. Lets say I’m going to a small nearby town. I will be directed to a place where there will be many cars parked and waiting to give people rides. In a future post I will give a little more information on how to identify these cars.

These will be small cars like a Toyota Corrola, expect the driver to pack 4 people in the back seat and at least two more including himself in the front seat. They pack these things tight, and no matter how big the people inside are they will try to reach this maximum number.    The fares are set, so if you get into a marked public car you do not have to worry about being cheated on the price, usually it is around 50 Pesos, but it can be less if you do not plan on going all the way to his final destination.     They pick up new passengers along the way so, if you are on the road going to your destination put your hand out as one goes past and if there is room they will pick you up.

3) Motor Conchos (Guys on motorcycles): These guys are everywhere, but you will usually find more of them near the public squares, parks, and areas where the Guaguas will drop you off. They will take you pretty much any where you want to go, will fit 2-3 passengers on the back of their bike (you and one or two others in your party, not strangers). They are a little more expensive than the Guaguas but are very convenient if you don’t feel like walking, they also know where everything is in town so they can get you there fast.

4) Taxis: This is the most expensive but, also the most convenient. You will see the usual Taxi light on the top of their car and it is marked on that light as a “Taxi”. They will take you anywhere you want to go for a price, including between cities. A 20 minute ride between cities will cost as much as 30 US Dollars instead of the 50 pesos (about 1.5 US Dollars) when you take a Guagua.

Well, that’s a starting point. In future posts I’ll go into detail on each of these methods of transportation and when to use them.