We had the opportunity to walk through their home to see what a typical Dominican home looks like. They live there along with their 3 kids and adorable puppy. Our next stop was at the home of Chapi and his wife Aracelis in the small village of Palo Amargo de Anamuya. You can also use a bathroom at one of the resort pick up points on the way to the mountain (unless you’re the last pick up then go before you board.) Tip: If you’re wondering about bathrooms on this tour, there are bathrooms at the lunch stop and at the next stop I will tell you about. Rum, beer, bottled water and sodas were the choices of drinks. Fried chicken, rice, beans, salads and other items were served, it was delicious! If you’re a vegetarian, they have vegetarian dishes too. Lunch was served “family style” and the view of the lush mountainside was very beautiful. Not to mention the fragrant flowers and other plant life. I don’t think I had ever seen such beautiful greenery until we visited the Dominican Republic. They were made locally by the demonstrator we had just seen. I wanted to take a bottle home but we bought a box of cigars to give to some friends. We also tasted the popular Dominican drink mamajuana, rum and chocolate wine. We each were given one to sample (or you could just smell it!) A lot of work goes into making each cigar and it is all done by hand. The cigars come in different sizes and even flavors such as vanilla and mango. They even had iguanas, flamingos and a crocodile! We took a tour around the ranch and saw the cutest farm animals. I think we take simple things like these for granted and remember: you never know what kind of struggle a stranger is going through so try to be kind!Īfter a bumpy and adventurous ride (we didn’t mind!) we arrived at our first stop for lunch, a cigar demonstration and a little shopping at some local shops. It’s a struggle for the parents who are doing their best to send their kids to school so they may have a chance of living a better life when they grow up. The donations to the schools go directly to the teacher (we know because we witnessed it!) tourists used to give it directly to the students who would chase after the tour bus but it became a distraction from their learning. We knew about school donations prior to the trip and brought some with us thanks to reading Trip Advisor reviews. They said the resort agent did not tell them about the opportunity to make donations to the schools. A lot of the people in our group booked through their resort’s excursion desk. Also, if you know someone visiting a Punta Cana resort and they want to book this tour through their resort, please let them know about the donation opportunity prior to their trip so they can bring supplies along. Tip: Please donate useful items, not candy. The schools are in constant need of school supplies, uniforms and other useful items in the classroom. They are active in giving back to the community and committed to educating visitors about the Dominican Republic.
This is one of the reasons why we love Outback Adventures. We had the opportunity to stop by a couple of schools in the villages El Caño and Isleño. From the server at your resort’s restaurant to the housekeeping staff for your room – these are the very people who go home at the end of each day, many living in conditions like these. I found myself breaking into tears as we drove through some of the villages. Tourism has a huge impact on the economy there.ĭuring our drive through El Salao and La Ceiba, we learned that many are living in less fortunate conditions while working hard to provide for their family. We were told the bus was actually transporting workers to some of the resorts as transportation is hard to come by for many.
There was a school bus following behind us at one point and I thought there were kids on it.
What we saw along the way was an eye opening experience.
Yes, the Dominican Republic has many beautiful resorts and beaches, but I recommend taking the time to get off the resort for a day and see how most of the Dominicans are really living. We were the first stop for pick up on the covered, open-air bus and stopped at a few other resorts on the way to the countryside. By the way, you will not go thirsty on this tour! Each tour has a cooler filled with bottled water, sodas, rum and beer which you can have any time on the tour.
#OUTBANK TRADE REPUBLIC DRIVER#
Outback Adventures Full Day Safari Tour delivered that! We were picked up from our resort around 8am and greeted with a smile by the wonderful guide, Angel and our driver for the day, Papi. When we visit a destination, we like to experience and learn about its culture. There are many tours you can take while visiting Punta Cana, but Outback Adventures stood out to us among the rest. On our recent trip to the Dominican Republic, we had the opportunity of venturing through the countryside in the Anamuya Mountains.
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