Cabarete

Cabarete is a beach town on the Atlantic (north) coast of the Dominican Republic, in Puerto Plata province within the Western Cibao region. Once a sleepy fishing settlement, it reinvented itself in the 1980s as the watersports capital of the Caribbean and has been drawing windsurfers, kitesurfers and surfers from around the world ever since. The town is small and unpretentious — essentially one long main road tracing the curve of a wide, palm-fringed bay — but its beaches, schools and rental shops make it one of the best places on the planet to learn or progress in wind- and wave-sports. After dark, the beachfront restaurants and bars give it a lively, international, barefoot-cosmopolitan feel.

What makes Cabarete distinctive is the wind. The town averages around 300 days of wind per year, the product of reliable trade winds reinforced by a daily afternoon thermal effect off the bay. That consistency is why roughly 33 windsports schools cluster along Cabarete Bay, Bozo Beach and Kite Beach, and why nearby Playa Encuentro counts about 300 days of surfable waves annually. Even if you never touch a board, the constant sails and kites in the bay make for a spectacular backdrop.

The climate is tropical and warm year-round. For wind- and kitesurfing the strongest, most dependable breezes blow through the northern-hemisphere summer (roughly June–September), while the winter months tend to bring bigger swells better suited to surfing at Encuentro. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June–November, so check forecasts if travelling then. The town's geography is simple: a main road about 800 m (½ mile) long runs parallel to the beach through the centre, with Bozo Beach at the northwestern end of the bay and Kite Beach a little further west of town.

By Plane

The nearest and most convenient gateway is Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata (POP), about a 20-minute drive west of Cabarete. A taxi from the airport costs roughly US$35 per trip (not per person). The airport is very small, so arrivals and departures are quick — but plan to be there about two hours before departure, and it's wise to call your airline on the day to confirm the time hasn't changed.

Alternatives, in rough order of convenience:

• Santiago (STI) — about 1½ hours by taxi, roughly US$100 for the whole trip (split among up to 10 passengers; beware drivers who try to charge $100 per person — the fare is per trip). If arriving at night, ask the driver to route through Puerto Plata rather than over the mountain road, which is dangerous after dark. Cheaper still: from Santiago's Caribe Tours station in the Jardines neighbourhood, take a bus to Sosúa (about RD$160 as of 2012; departures around 20 minutes past the hour, ~2 hours), then flag any gua gua heading toward Cabarete (about RD$25 as of 2012; ~20–25 minutes).
• Santo Domingo (SDQ) — about 3½ hours by road; a taxi runs around US$200. Fares into Puerto Plata can be expensive, so compare airfares across POP, STI and SDQ — the airfare savings can far exceed the longer transfer cost.
• Punta Cana (PUJ) — often shows the cheapest fares into the country, but avoid it for Cabarete: it's roughly a 6-hour drive and a taxi can cost around US$400.

Always agree the fare before getting into any taxi.

By Train

The Dominican Republic has no intercity passenger railway, and there is no rail service on the north coast — the country's only urban rail is the Santo Domingo Metro, far from Cabarete. Arrive by air plus road, or by bus.

By Car / Road

Cabarete sits on the coastal highway between Puerto Plata (~30–40 minutes west) and Sosúa (~20 minutes west), continuing east toward Río San Juan and Samaná. From Santiago it's about 1½ hours and from Santo Domingo about 3½ hours by car. Intercity buses (e.g. Caribe Tours) serve Sosúa and Puerto Plata; from there you transfer to local gua guas or a taxi for the final stretch into Cabarete. Roads along the coast are generally fine; avoid the mountain route between Santiago and the coast at night.

The centre is compact and walkable by day — the whole strip is only about 800 m long. At night, stick with the crowds, use common sense and avoid dark, empty stretches alone. Beyond walking, four options cover the town:

• Motoconcho — a motorbike-taxi, the local favourite: cheap and fast. About RD$50 before sunset, RD$100 after, covering the east end of Cabarete to the first main stoplight in Sosúa on the main road. Going further off the main road costs more — negotiate first. Some drivers drink and drive, so use your judgement; if you find one you trust, save their WhatsApp number.
• Guagua — a white passenger van, usually packed, daytime only. Flag it from anywhere along the main road. Locals pay RD$25; as a tourist you'll often be quoted RD$50 — you can hand over RD$25 and hop off at your stop. Carry change, as the cobrador (fare collector) may claim to have none.
• Carrito público — typically a Toyota Corolla with a roof topper. Faster than a guagua (fewer stops): about RD$35 (≈US$35-equivalent figure in the source) by day, double after dark. (Treat the exact figure as approximate.)
• Taxi — the most comfortable and most expensive option, usually a Toyota Previa or similar with a taxi topper. The union is strict, so look for a topper and ID card. Fares are set for set destinations but not always posted — agree the price before you get in.

Watch-outs: confirm every fare in advance, expect tourist pricing on guaguas, and don't ride with a motoconcho driver who seems to have been drinking.

Beaches

• Cabarete Beach (Playa Cabarete) — the main bay and the heart of town, lined with beachfront restaurants and bars and busy with windsurfers. Great for a swim, a meal with a sea breeze, and watching the sails.
• Bozo Beach — the northwestern half of Cabarete Bay, a kitesurfing zone with a wide, open playground as the reef sits further out (the water is a touch choppier).
• Kite Beach — a short way west of the centre, the main kitesurfing beach; flatter water than Bozo, though the play area is smaller because the reef lies closer to shore. The reef on both beaches creates good waves for wave-kiting.
• Playa Encuentro — about 6 km (4 miles) west of the centre, the region's premier surf beach with around 300 days of waves a year and 5 main breaks suiting all levels.

Nature

• El Choco National Park & Cabarete Caves (Cuevas de Cabarete) — a protected area of limestone caves with freshwater pools and a lagoon, just inland from town; a popular guided-tour outing on non-windy days.

Cabarete is its watersports — this is the reason most travellers come.

• Windsurfing — Cabarete Bay is the classic windsurf spot, with the afternoon thermal building reliably across the bay.
• Kitesurfing — head to Bozo Beach (open, slightly choppy playground) or Kite Beach (flatter, more compact). Around 33 schools operate across the three beaches.
  • Dare2fly Kiteboarding School — at Agualina Kite Resort, in the centre of Kite Beach (park at the resort and walk the path to the beach). Daily 10:00–18:00. Full-service centre with IKO-certified instructors. ☏ +1 809-858-0936, [email protected].
  • Kite Club Kiteboarding Center — Kite Beach, Calle Principal (main road, beach side, between Ocean Point and Kite Beach Inn). 09:00–19:00. Beginner lessons, rentals, IKO instructor training and advanced private lessons; bar/restaurant, free wifi, showers, changing rooms, sunbeds, equipment lockers, beach access and an air compressor on the beach. From about US$60. ☏ +1 809 571-9746, [email protected].
• Surfing — at Playa Encuentro, with several qualified schools offering lessons and equipment rental across its five breaks.
• Standup paddleboarding (SUP) — ideal on non-windy days: paddle the flat water inside the reef or SUP-surf the reef waves at Cabarete Bay, Bozo, Kite Beach or Encuentro.
• Nightlife — the beachfront bars and discos along the main strip come alive after dinner (see the Drink section).

Dominican home cooking is hearty and inexpensive. Look for staples like pica pollo (fried chicken), guisado (chicken or beef stew), mangú (mashed plantains) and sancocho (a rich meat-and-vegetable soup saved for special occasions). The national lunch standard is La Bandera Dominicana ("the Dominican Flag") — rice, beans and meat. Most local plates run around RD$150, and you'll find them on the street side of the main road and in the neighbourhoods rather than on the beach; the beachfront spots are scenic, often foreign-owned, and pricier.

• Luis Parilla (the Chicken Shack) (budget) — at the entrance of the callejón de la loma. BBQ chicken and ribs, rice and beans, and yuca.
• Nativo's Café (budget) — on the main road across from Ocean Dream Plaza. Local Dominican dishes including pica pollo and fried fish.
• Gordito's (budget–mid) — popular Tex-Mex run by a family from Florida; burritos and bowls around RD$110 (≈RD$128 with the 16% tax).
• Vitamin D Café (mid) — at Agualina Kite Resort; beachfront and mostly vegan/vegetarian, with a robust raw and plant-based menu (plus a few meat options), made in-house with local ingredients; free fast wifi. Tu–Su 08:30–15:00. ☏ +1 809-858-0936.
• Yamazato (mid–upscale) — at Ocean Dream; fresh sushi from a Japanese chef now living in Cabarete.
• Blue Moon (special occasion) — Indian-Dominican, about a 20-minute taxi ride out; tiny (30–40 people), romantic, with a fine sunset and dishes eaten by hand. Reservations essential, and they generally require a group of 8 (or will seat you with a larger party).

Other options: Alis Surf Camp (Cabarete beach hostel) is known for churrasco steak as well as curry chicken and creamy shrimp with rice, and the Belgian Bakery (next to Banco Popular, west of the centre) does homemade pastries plus breakfast and lunch. Beyond these, the strip offers Italian, German, Chinese, French, BBQ, seafood and vegetarian kitchens — vegans and vegetarians are well catered for, Vitamin D Café especially.

The local beer is Presidente, the local rum is Brugal, and Mamajuana is the after-dinner aperitif served at many restaurants. Cabarete has a broad spread of bars, restaurants and discos, most strung along the beachfront in the centre.

• Mojito Bar — a busy happy-hour hangout.
• Voy Voy — karaoke on Monday nights.
• Lax / Ojo — a well-known beachfront spot on the main strip.

Water safety: tap water is not considered safe to drink. Stick to bottled or purified water, and you can ask for it when ordering.

Cabarete's lodging ranges from surf hostels on the sand to kite resorts and villas; rates swing with the season (highest during the summer wind season and over the winter holidays).

• Budget — Alis Surf Camp — a beachfront hostel in the centre, popular with the surf/kite crowd and with its own well-liked kitchen.
• Mid-range — Agualina Kite Resort — on Kite Beach, home to Dare2fly and the Vitamin D Café; convenient for kitesurfers wanting to step straight onto the beach.
• Upscale —

Cabarete's main road is dotted with gift shops selling crafts and souvenirs to carry a bit of the Caribbean home. A couple of local specialities worth seeking out:

• Mamajuana — a bottle packed with herbs and sticks; you steep it with red wine, pour that off, then refill with rum and honey. Served as a digestif after meals (and locally reputed to aid male vitality), it makes a distinctive addition to a home bar.
• Kitesurfing gear — Cabarete is a worldwide testing ground for kite manufacturers, so lightly used kites often turn up at discounted prices. Renting on the spot is generally cheaper than flying your own gear (airlines typically charge around US$100 each way for boards).

For a lighter souvenir, shops sell branded T-shirts, and schools can supply a photo/video CD of your kiteboarding lesson.

Money & exchange: the currency is the Dominican peso (DOP / RD$). Many businesses accept US, Canadian dollars and euros but at a poor rate, so it's better to pay in pesos. Avoid changing money at the airport (expensive); bring foreign cash and exchange in town if needed. Most ATMs charge a withdrawal fee (Scotiabank did not, as of May 2019) and cap withdrawals around RD$4,000 per day. Exchange houses in town include Wally Exchange Cabarete and Caribe Express (passport required), and Janet's Supermarket, Supermercado La Rosa and Casa de Cambio Luis (no passport required). Banks affiliated with your home bank can also exchange — passport required.

• Sosúa (~20 minutes / ~10 km west) — a livelier beach town with a sheltered swimming cove and good snorkelling.
• Puerto Plata (~30–40 minutes west) — the provincial capital, with the Teleférico cable car up Mount Isabel de Torres, a colonial-era fort and the Malecón seafront.
• Playa Encuentro (~6 km / ~15 minutes west) — the area's top surf beach if you want a dedicated wave day.
• Río San Juan & Laguna Gri-Gri (~1 hour east) — mangrove boat trips and quiet beaches along the coast toward Samaná.
• Santiago de los Caballeros (~1½ hours southwest) — the Cibao's big inland city, with the Monument to the Heroes and a working cigar culture.