After our trip to Egypt, it was time to move to wintering across the ocean. We have a goal and gradually also a habit of dividing the nomadic life year so that we spend the summer in Europe and the winter somewhere a bit more tropical. This winter, the destination chosen was the Caribbean and Latin America, with the first country being the Dominican Republic. In this post, we will recap the first weeks of the trip, which we spent first as pet sitters in Dominicus Bayahibe and then vacationing for a couple of days in Bayahibe and visiting the paradise island of Isla Saona.
Pet Sitting in Dominicus Bayahibe
The idea of starting the winter season specifically in the Dominican Republic came quite simply from the fact that we found cheap flights from Brussels to Punta Cana. It was a TUI holiday flight, similar to the one we booked for Cuba in a very affordable way. The price of this flight, booked about three weeks before departure, was under 300 euros per person, including checked luggage and meals. Of course, the Dominican Republic was on our list of interesting destinations for reasons other than just a good flight deal; it was a new country for us and also a potential base to explore other Caribbean islands.
As soon as we booked the flights, we set up a search alert on Trusted Housesitters, the pet-sitting platform we use the most, for opportunities in the Dominican Republic and a few other islands. To our delight, a ten-day gig as pet sitters opened up near our arrival point in Punta Cana. We got the place, and the start date was agreed to be our flight day, so we were able to settle in as pet sitters right away, and we even got a ride from the airport, which was fantastic.
Our pet cat Spencer and his Canadian owners lived in Dominicus Bayahibe, a small village in the southeastern part of the island. It is not an authentic fishing village but rather a resort town established by Americans, with many residents from North America and Italy, or those who live there part of the year, as well as numerous hotels and resorts for shorter stays. It was just the type of place that we, as backpackers, would normally not choose, but it was really nice for pet-sitting. We got to live in a really nice apartment and enjoy the complex’s beautiful pool area. However, to be honest, lounging in the sun chairs was once again quite limited, as we utilized the good working conditions to clear the workload and writing tasks accumulated during our trip to Egypt. Spencer was great company and a very low-maintenance cat.
During the ten days, we naturally also got to know the village itself and its beaches as well as the more natural beach landscapes of the nearby Cotubanamá National Park. We also took a shopping trip to the nearby city of La Romana using local minibuses, known in the Dominican Republic as gua-gua, as there weren’t many large stores in the village, and prices were quite high. Unfortunately, the prices in the small shops often included a small or larger tourist surcharge. Surprisingly, the price level in the larger supermarkets was actually quite high, as even though it is a Caribbean island, the Dominican Republic is a large country that produces a lot of food, and the general wealth level is not very high. Nevertheless, this pet-sitting opportunity was a great way for us to start our trip in the Caribbean.
Where to get travel insurance for a longer trip?
Over more than eight years of nomad life, we’ve searched for cost-effective and reliable solutions, especially for travelers’ health insurance.
In the article Nomad Travel Insurance: 3 +1 Easy Options, we present international insurance options suitable also for extended trips.
Mini Vacation in Bayahibe
As our pet-sitting assignment was coming to an end, we decided to stay for a couple more days in the area and booked accommodation in the neighboring village of Bayahibe. In this busier village than Dominicus, we had already been for some jogging and wanted to explore it a bit better. Additionally, we wanted to take a trip to Isla Saona, known for its beautiful beaches and untouched nature.
We stayed at a guesthouse called Caribbean Stay / Bayahibe Village*, which was quite nice but slightly expensive for our usual budget, around 40 euros per night (including a simple breakfast). The hostel, located right in the center, made it easy to go jogging or take evening walks to the beach at sunset. Bayahibe is a very pleasant little town, known for its beautiful beaches and charming waterfront restaurants.
However, the highlight of this mini vacation was the trip to Isla Saona. This is a very popular activity, which we rarely prefer, but after seeing pictures of the island and the tour’s offerings, we decided to book a tour. On the recommendation of the pet-sitting hosts, we headed to Captain Gringo‘s office, where we booked a full-day tour for 55 dollars (about 50 euros) per person. The price included boat transportation and (Spanish-speaking) guidance, a few stops along the way, lunch, and non-alcoholic drinks and rum.
Day Trip to Isla Saona
We set off for Isla Saona in the morning on speedboats—we hopped on right next to the office at the beach in Bayahibe, while a large part of the group came from the beach in Dominicus Bayahibe. These tours bring people from at least Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, so only a small portion of visitors actually start the trip from the designated departure point. The group consisted of three boats, totaling about 60 people. The boat trip to the island was an experience in itself, as the coastal scenery of Cotubanamá National Park and Isla Saona looks stunning from the boat. The beginning of the trip was somewhat cloudy, but fortunately, the weather soon turned sunny.
Isla Saona is a protected area and is almost uninhabited—there is one small village on the island where all tour tourists are taken for lunch and strolling. However, we first went to Canto de La Playa beach at the eastern tip of the island. This is just the kind of classic paradise beach you can expect from Caribbean islands—beautiful white soft sand, gently swaying palm trees, and incredibly turquoise water.
We were given an hour and a half before the boat’s departure, and everyone used it in their own way—sunbathing, swimming, or sipping rum drinks. We took a walking trip along the beach to the tip of Isla Saona, snorkeled (with gear borrowed from the pet-sitting hosts), swam, took photos, and enjoyed a couple of rum cocktails. The water was wonderfully warm, but the snorkeling didn’t offer anything world-class, although we did see some colorful fish and corals.
The journey from Canto de La Playa continued to the village of Mano Juan, which is the only inhabited place on Isla Saona, and a very small one at that. The streets lined with colorful houses are beautiful, and the village also has a couple of lodges, hostels, and restaurants. Tourists can buy cold drinks and jewelry from small stalls. The included lunch was a rather modest buffet, consisting of chicken or pork with warm side dishes and salad. It was quite good food, though. After the meal, we took a guided walking tour of the village, but unfortunately, due to our limited Spanish skills, we didn’t understand much. Surprisingly, almost all participants in the tour were Spanish-speaking—undoubtedly, another operator offers English-speaking tours as well.
In the afternoon, we hopped back on the boats and left Isla Saona behind. The next stop was a brief introduction to the area’s mangrove forests and the Piscinas Naturales, “natural pools,” a sandy shallow area known for its starfish, located off the coast of La Palmilla. We did see starfish, but the water was quite murky due to all the boats and swimmers present. At this stop, rum drinks were served from the boat, and the guides raised the mood with various cheers.
The return trip to Bayahibe was made on a catamaran, which is also known as a “party boat.” However, no wild parties were happening, and the upper deck of the boat was a calm area for those who didn’t want to participate in dancing and drinking rum. We certainly contributed our share to the destruction of the giant rum bottles, and after landing back in Bayahibe before sunset, the atmosphere was quite cheerful. We continued the evening with a sunset walk and a night swim at Bayahibe beach, from which we were however chased away—later I read somewhere that swimming is prohibited on many Dominican beaches after dark. Overall, the trip day was a great experience and definitely worth the price.
Our next destination in the Dominican Republic was the capital city, known for its old colonial center, Santo Domingo. More on that in the next post!
