Is it possible to go to the Dominican Republic now. Is it safe to fly to the Dominican Republic now? Walk through a tropical fruit plantation

If the Dominican Republic has become the purpose of your vacation, the dangers for tourists should not interfere with your vacation in any way. Here, as in other popular tourist countries, there are things to watch out for. The information below will help you avoid trouble and fully enjoy your vacation in an exotic country.

What to fear in the Dominican Republic

Street robberies or pickpockets are quite common, as well as fraud and car theft. The most attractive object for criminals is the passport, in their opinion it is the most valuable. You should also keep an eye on your pocket money, credit cards, driver's license, airline tickets - all this is best left in a hotel safe. It is better to make photocopies of documents, they will be enough to perform any actions.

Do not count cash while on the street.

Street robberies are committed at night and even during the day. At the same time, robbers commit crimes alone or in a group, on foot or on two-wheeled vehicles. Watch out for motorcyclists or cyclists passing by, do not hold a mobile phone or camera in your hands or on a lanyard. A mobile phone is best carried in an inside pocket.

Do not leave valuables in cars, as theft or theft directly from the car is not uncommon here. It is better to leave money in small bundles in different places. So in case of theft, you will have at least some funds left. Leave large amounts in the safe, and take with you as much as you need. Try not to pay with large bills in bars and do not show the contents of your wallet.

Do not leave valuables unattended on the beach, it is better not to take them with you at all.

Exercise caution when using ATMs.

After drinking alcohol, it is better to go to your room, as tipsy tourists are a close target for scammers. Do not travel around the country alone, it is better to travel in groups.

If you have a credit card, then also be careful. Use only those ATMs that are located in bank branches and in serious institutions. Keep an eye on your credit card balance after you leave the country for a while, as scammers can delay their scams until the owner leaves.

There were cases when counterfeit banknotes were slipped to tourists, so currency exchange should be done only at exchange offices.
2. Natural hazards. Dangers in the Dominican Republic can wait in nature. Jellyfish that are found near the shore can leave burns. More poisonous individuals are not found off the coast, but they can be found while diving. Under no circumstances should they be touched.

Be careful when swimming, sea urchins can be found at the bottom.

Sea urchins also pose some danger. The thorns, which can be stepped on, do not break and dig into the foot, after which they resolve only after a few weeks. However, they cause severe pain. Therefore, for walking on reefs, put on shoes, and if needles hit your foot, immediately pull them out.

The eight-pointed star, which can also be found, is very poisonous.
3. Weather features. Some weather events are quite serious dangers in the Dominican Republic. From July to August, tropical cyclones, powerful heavy rains, squally winds and hurricanes often walk across the country. At this time, tour operators sell tours very carefully. In order to avoid trouble, listen to the media for news about the weather and recommendations that you will be given.
4. Road traffic.

On the roads of the Dominican Republic, be extremely careful and attentive.

If you rent a car or drive around the country in your car, then be careful on the roads. At the sight of tourists driving, locals can deliberately throw themselves under the wheels in order to receive material compensation later. You need to stop only at the request of the traffic police (distinctive inscription AMET on the car), as there is a chance of being stopped by scammers in police uniform. Remember how dangerous the locals behave on the road, be extremely careful.
5. Health. When traveling to the Dominican Republic, purchase an insurance policy to avoid additional costs. Bring your sunglasses and sun cream as there is a high level of solar activity.

In the Dominican Republic, do not try to drink tap water.

In the Dominican Republic, infections are not uncommon: dengue fever, yellow fever, malaria, tetanus, and others characteristic of a tropical climate. Observe personal hygiene and do not buy questionable food in cafes and shops.

If you happen to be in the Dominican Republic, make the most of your vacation! Do everything to make your Dominican vacation unforgettable.

1. Meet the sunrise in the Atlantic, and the sunset in the Caribbean

Is this possible? - you ask. Yes, in the Dominican Republic - it is possible! The uniqueness of the island's location lies in the fact that its northern coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and the southern coast by the Caribbean Sea. If you are relaxing in the resort of Punta Cana, be sure to come to meet the dawn by the ocean - on the beach in these early hours it is still quiet and deserted, the sun slowly rises from the ocean, painting the world in soft pink colors.

In the evening, move to the southern coast of the island (the resorts of La Romana, Bayahibe, Juan Dolio, Boca Chica, Santo Domingo). Here on the Caribbean coast you can meet the most romantic and most beautiful sunset in your life. Don't forget to bring a bottle of wine and the right person to share your delight.

2. Ride a motoconcho

Motoconcho is an abbreviated version of "moto con chofer" (it can literally be translated as "motor with a driver"). This is the most common and affordable type of taxi in the Dominican Republic. A smiling driver will take you to your destination with a breeze for just a couple of dollars. And if you are traveling with friends - you can mount a motorcycle with the whole company - it will be very Dominican, because most of the locals move this way.

3. See a real whale in the wild

On the way to the paradise island, boats make a stop in the Blue Lagoon, at the bottom of which starfish live. Remember that these are living creatures, and you need to handle them carefully and carefully, taking them out of the water for no more than 5 seconds. This time is enough to take a couple of photos.

8. Dine at God's Hammock

In one of the central provinces of the Dominican Republic, Jarabacoa, there is an amazing Jamaca De Dios restaurant. It is located almost on top of one of the mountains, and from its veranda you can enjoy a fantastic view of the Jarabacoa valley. The observation deck of the "Hammock of God" restaurant is considered one of the best in the country, here you really feel like you are on top of the world!

You can get to Jarabacoa by renting a car. The road from Punta Cana will take about 4 hours, from the northern coast - about 2.5 hours

9. Try the famous Coco Loco cocktail on Saona Island

Only a very lazy tourist, while relaxing in the Dominican Republic, will not reach Saona Island. But you are not one of those, because you will not miss the opportunity to try the famous "Crazy Coconut" on Saona - this is how the name Coco Loco is translated from Spanish :)

The cocktail recipe is quite simple - take a fresh, freshly cut coconut from a palm tree, cut off the top, add a glass of Caribbean rum inside and drink through a straw. Delicious, colorful and very cool!

10. Go to a concert of a world star

American stars do not often perform in Russia, and even if they come with a concert, it is only in Moscow. But in the Dominican Republic, concerts of world celebrities are held regularly. While on vacation in the Caribbean, you have the chance to see Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Julio Iglesias, Elton John and other world-famous stars on stage. So before you book your tour, don't forget to google the Dominican flyer!

11. Walk through a tropical fruit plantation

The Dominican Republic is an agricultural country where a huge amount of exotic fruits and vegetables are grown. On this island, you can walk in the shade of cocoa trees, in coffee thickets, between mango trees, in a papaya grove, through a cane plantation, as well as see how many other familiar and unfamiliar fruits, vegetables, fruits and herbs grow. You can take photos among the strange vegetation on any of the excursions, including a visit to the Dominican ranch.

Algae invasion in the Dominican Republic

Recently, the Internet is replete with tourist reviews about terrible algae that flooded the beaches of the Dominican Republic (June 2018)

Let's figure out what it is, where it comes from, when it floats away, etc.)))

Algae News

Summer 2019

Mini-info from August 20, 2019: the behavior of algae is not predictable. From mid-July to the present day, there were practically no problems with algae. Algae only rarely sailed once (for one or two days), but immediately the beach was naturally cleaned. At the moment, there is no algae on most of the resort beaches. We'll keep you up to date. We wish you a good rest.

Description: The algae season in the Dominican Republic is over. In September there were still small remains, but now there is no algae on the beach. The video shows the entire line of hotels in Bavaro (this is most of the hotels in the resort of Punta Cana).

Description: everything is as always - the Caribbean Sea without algae. Bayahibe beach, La Romana resort.

What is this?

The ill-fated algae that darken the beauty of the local, once snow-white beaches are called Sargasso. These are sea brown algae, common in the warm parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They look like this:

Where do they come from?

Algae do not bloom off the coast of the Dominican Republic, but are washed in from outside. Sargassums sail from the Sargasso Sea, located in the ocean. No, this is not a typo. It is in the Atlantic Ocean, not far from the coast of the Dominican Republic, that this miracle of nature is located. Sargasso Sea It is the only sea that has no shores. It was formed many centuries ago, thanks to the circulation of local Atlantic currents, such as the Gulf Stream, the Canary and North Atlantic currents.

The water in the Sargasso Sea is warm. But you won’t be able to swim in it, since its entire surface is covered with sargasso (the unfortunate brown algae), of which there are about 11 tons here. It is there, due to the flow and temperature of the water, that the main accumulation and bloom of algae occurs.

Why is there algae in the Dominican Republic?

So, we have already figured out what kind of attack it is and where it comes from. It remains only to find out why they sail to the shores of the Dominican Republic.

Ocean currents are to blame for such cataclysms. The North Equatorial Current (Northern Trade Winds), which goes around the Sargasso Sea from the south side and goes straight to the local Dominican beaches from Punta Cana. Or smaller currents that carry from one water stream to another everything that they have captured along the way, including the Sargasso.

Here, for example, is one of the hypothetical assumptions (see image below):

What can influence these currents? At the moment, this phenomenon is too little studied, and a number of serious studies are needed to find out the reasons. A number of hypothetical reasons may include: accidents on oil rigs, plate movement, global warming and its consequences, also hurricanes, water level or temperature.

Harmful? Dangerous?

Apart from the ruined view on the beach, there are a couple of other things to be aware of. If algae is NOT removed over time they begin to decompose. This creates two problems:

Bad smell

Decomposing in water, may allow harmful bacteria/germs to flourish, resulting in skin irritation when touched with algae.

We will talk about the fight and cleaning of algae in the Dominican Republic below.

How to be? Everything is lost? When is seaweed season?

This misfortune in the Dominican Republic is a seasonal phenomenon. It is most likely to meet sargasso during the hurricane season (from June to November), when wind flows in the Atlantic Ocean increase and the number of cyclones in coastal waters increases.

Also, it is worth noting that sargasso are not found here every year. For example, such an “invasion” of algae was observed in the Dominican Republic more than two years ago, in October 2016. In 2017, algae began to swim to the shores of the Dominican Republic, but, by coincidence, this lasted no more than a week. Just at that moment, hurricanes Maria and Irma approached the Dominican Republic. The waters raged and all the banks were very well cleaned. Having passed by, they left us fabulous, snow-white beaches 20-30 meters wide, without a single hint of algae.

Now things are as follows: there are algae - this is a fact. Beaches where they can be found: Bavaro, Bibiagua, Cabeza de Toro. These are the beaches of the Punta Cana area. There are many hotels on the coastline and there is a chance to meet them in any of the local hotels. A lot depends on changing currents, the presence of a reef in front of the hotel and, of course, the measures taken by the hotel to eliminate this scourge.

The government and the hotel administration are throwing all their efforts into cleaning the algae. Every day, local services take out tons of algae. They come up with different barriers so that the beaches always remain clean.

Where is there no algae? Where to rest?

At the time of writing (June 18, 2018) the situation is as follows: Algae is present at Belive collection punta cana, Catalonia Bavaro Resort, Natura Park Eco Resort, Melia Tropical, Occidental grand, Paradisus Punta Cana, IFA, Sunscape, Vista Sol , but most hotels take care of their tourists, and install floating barriers and breakwaters in the waters opposite their beaches. There are Sargassums, but they swim 20 meters from the shore. The beach is also cleaned daily. In the gaps between the hotels, unfortunately, things are not so rosy. That is, the situation is Your hotel beach will most likely be clean, but algae can be found walking along public beaches. If you want to know how things are on the beach of your hotel, we recommend that you look at Instagram by hashtag or geolocation (pay attention to the date of the post). You can also ask a question to tourists who are vacationing in the Dominican Republic at the moment. Read their reviews. We also monitor the condition of the beaches, as this is an extremely important point in our activities. So, you can ask our photographers where the best beaches are.

Will there be seaweed on the beaches during your holiday? Again, I repeat that everything will depend on the current. We can say for sure that the further north the beach is, the cleaner it will be. For example, Macao Beach is now clean and beautiful, although it is usually not given much attention as it is a public beach.

If you are going to relax in the Punta Cana area, then choose hotels in the northern zone - from Majestic to Macau Beach

Saona Island(Bounty Island) was not affected by the attack, so there you can definitely enjoy the fabulous beaches of the Dominican Republic. True, only during the excursion, since Saona is a national park, and there are no hotels there. In any case, if you are vacationing in the Dominican Republic, this place is a must to visit.

Conclusion

The Dominican Republic is not all in algae, and this misfortune does not occur every year. The last few times the Sargasso sailed for periods ranging from 2 weeks to 1.5 months. Moreover, this happens mainly in the summer. 90% of the time of the year, the Dominican Republic is beautiful like on the best desktop wallpaper 😀

There are a lot of places in the Dominican Republic where you can relax, and each of these places has its own climate, its seasons, its pros and cons.

If you are interested in temperature or seasonality of natural phenomena, then I recommend.

We want to make your holiday as comfortable as possible. Bright impressions and warm moments!

Motorcycle taxis are popular among Dominicans, when up to three people sit behind the motorcycle drivers. Such transport is very cheap, within the city you can get there for 40-70. But is the cost worth the risk? We think not. It's easier to take a regular taxi, the benefit is acceptable.

Second conclusion - be careful when crossing the road

Dominican drivers do not have traffic rules, and they do not look at the road very carefully. If so, then tourists should look very carefully. It is better to wait and let passing cars pass than risk being run over by them.

Keep an eye on children especially! Do not allow children to play near the road.

In the photo on the left, the sad consequences of one accident in the Dominican Republic, click on the photo to enlarge.

Don't drink tap water

Tap water in the Dominican Republic is not considered drinking water, it can contain pathogens of dangerous diseases, even cholera. Do not brush your teeth with this water. English-language guidebooks do not even recommend washing her hands.

Antiseptic wipes

Arriving in the Dominican Republic, tourists find themselves almost on the other side of the earth. Naturally, not only other people live here, but also their own bacteria and microorganisms, to which the Russian body and its immunity are not accustomed.

It’s a good habit to wipe cutlery, crockery, and even beach chairs with antiseptic wipes. In the early days, it is highly recommended to do this, then optional.

Marine life

Remember that bites and other injuries from marine life are not covered by travel insurance. This applies not only to the Dominican Republic, but to all countries in general. Be careful with the inhabitants of the Caribbean.

Don't use credit cards

The Dominican Republic is one of the leading countries in the theft of credit card data, their cloning and theft of money from bank accounts. Do not risk in vain, use only cash.

Don't attract thieves and robbers

The Dominican Republic has a high crime rate, street theft and robbery of tourists are common. The main thing that will protect is not to attract the attention of criminals.

Do not wear expensive jewelry, hide your wallets in your inner pockets, do not “shine” cash, but rather take the necessary minimum of money with you on excursions. If you took an expensive camera or camcorder with you, then try to hide it in your bag. If you have an expensive phone with you, then try not to get it unless absolutely necessary.

The first rule is that the less your wealth is seen, the better.

Car thefts are very common here. Thieves run up to the car, grab bags, wallets, phones or cameras, and then quickly retreat on mopeds.

The second rule - never leave valuables in a rented car, taxi, or even on a tour bus.