Cabarete, Dominican Republic
Fly to Puerto Plata Airport (IATA: POP). Be prepared to pay $10 for a tourist card. Check it out on the info page pasted on the glass of the tourist tax collection desk. Take a taxi (approx US $35 per trip, not per person) to Cabarete - approx 20 minutes. Departure is fast and easy, as Puerto Plata airport is very small, but make sure you are there 2 hours before your flight. It is always a good idea to call the airline on the day of your flight to make sure the departure time has not changed.
Another option is to fly into Santiago airport, and take a taxi from there. The taxi ride is about 1.5 hours, and the cost is about $80, but you can divide that by up to 10 passengers. Beware of taxi drivers that want to charge $80 per person. Fare is for trip regardless of number of passengers. If coming at night, ask the driver to drive through Puerto Plata, not on the mountain road (too dangerous at night).
Puerto Plata is a expensive airport to fly to. Check your options by flying into or out of Puerto Plata, combining with Santo Domingo or Santiago in your way in or out. The difference in fare is substantial at times. A taxi cab from Santo Domingo could cost you about $150 but you may save several times this amount in your airfare. Trip from Santo Domingo takes about 3.5 hours depending on the time of the day.
Fun in Cabarete
The Caribbean's most fun place, Cabarete. Rumor has it that Cabarete is the most cosmopolitan small town in the Western Hemisphere, because there are people from all over the world living in this small surf village. All are drawn to the fantastic nightlife and variety of actions sports and things to do.
The primary draw is the wind and waves, popular with kiteboarders, surfers, and windsurfers. There are good trade winds, waves, nice weather, excellent value for money, and a night life that doesn`t seem to stop.
Wind & Climate
The trade winds and seabreeze give Cabarete consistent wind almost all year round. The prevailing wind blows in an Easterly direction, affording Kite Beach perfect side-onshore conditions for kite and windsurfing.
During the months February until August the wind is almost perfect every day. In June the wind can be really strong up to 30 knots. This is also the time that all the best kiteboarders in the world amass for the PKRA world tour.
Kitesurfing in Cabarete
The kiteboarding in Cabarete is world class. Warm water and various surf breaks, a fun crowd and an abundance of people to kite with all add to the mystique. Adding to this are the local kids who are often experts themselves
If you are looking for a kite school you don`t have to look very far. Cabarete boast no less than 10. Ideal conditions attract beginners from all over the world.
Kitebeach is the center focal point, and is about around 4 km from Cabarete town; it has sandy beaches and areas to launch your kite, perfect conditions and a reef 300 meters from shore. Beginners don't kite on the reef, but as a more experienced kiter it can be a lot of fun. They are the only ones with a rescue boat should you run into difficulty.
Cabarete has several other places to go kitesurfing as well.
Next to downtown Cabarete is Bozo Beach, a 5 minute walk from Cabarete centre. It often has a bad shore break and slightly more onshore wind, and kiting on the reef can be dangerous, as it is about 2 km out should you run into trouble.
When you are ready for big waves and proper kite surfing, go to Encuentro beach. Normally this is a wave spot for surfing, but when the wind is on the surfers don`t head out, allowing the kiters a chace to hit the fantastic waves This is a place for advanced kitesurfers only, but everyone should go there to try normal surfing, that is really nice.
6 km east from Cabarete is a place called La Boca. This is a river mouth with really flat water. Just be careful of any submerged obstacles and also be aware the river is very narrow. Afterwards you can go out of the river mouth and do a long down winder back to Cabarete.
