Luperon, Dominican Republic

We arrived in Luperon, Dominican Republic just over a week ago on May 21, 2015.  The check in process for customs and immigration was lengthy, a little costly at just over $150 and the military officials come aboard your boat in groups of 2-4 and they do not speak English.  Luperon is not a tourist town, but a local town with friendly, Spanish speaking people and a number of Americans and Canadians living on their boat or on land.  Everything here is very inexpensive and the exchange rate is 45 pesos to 1 US Dollar.  The cost of a 22 oz. bottle of Presidente beer (nothing smaller) is 100 pesos.  Lunch with chicken, rice, beans, and a salad is 125 pesos.  We are on a mooring ball which costs $2 US per day!  Everyone gets around on a motorcycle – we have seen an entire family of 5 on one motorcycle.  You can rent one or if you don’t drive, you can hire a motoconcho – a motorcycle with a driver and you are the passenger.  We did this on one afternoon with a group to La Isabella Beach. 

We joined another group from one of our favorite restaurants, Putula’s Bar & BBQ, and we were gone the entire day roaming the countryside and stopped for a drink and swim at Agua Verde.  There is a cable chair that will take you to the other side of the river or you could just walk down the steps.  A fresh water swim in a cool river was a treat we haven’t had in a long time.  The school children were pointing at us because there were so many “gringos” on motorcycles – not a usual site here in the Dominican Republic.  Horses and burros are used commonly as well.  Produce is sold on the roadsides everywhere.  We bought 1 pineapple, 1 melon, 1 red pepper, 4 bananas, 2 carrots, 4 mangos, and 1 avocado for 235 pesos (about $4.50).  Our group stopped for a late lunch at a roadside stand that made the best fried chicken and fried plantain for 200 pesos.  There is no place to sit, but we all managed to find a spot.  The countryside is beautiful with lush trees, plants, rolling hills and three mountain ranges.  Luperon is on the north coast of the Dominican Republic and reportedly one of the absolute best hurricane holes.  For you landlubbers, a hurricane hole is the best place to store your boat during a hurricane.