Dominican Republic: Batey Life
-
Arrival Day: ¡Bienvenidos a Dominican Republic!
Arrive into Santo Domingo and spend your first night in the Colonial Zone, a historic walled quarter of the city with famed food and music. Take a guided walking tour or wander on your own with some recommendations from our team - this is a great introduction to Dominican culture and hot island weather. Bienvenidos!
Lodging: Hotel Nicolas de Ovando
Day 2: Service in Batey Communities
Drive to Juan Dolio and settle into the apartment in a private complex with a pool and beach access. Your apartment will be stocked with potable water, coffee, fruit and basic breakfast foods. Have lunch at Parador Mama Lala for a typical Dominican lunch of rice and beans cooked by Mama Lala herself.
Your guide will take you to Batey Monte Coca for a hands-on community infrastructure project cementing floors in a family home. Many families in batey communities live in improvised housing with dirt floors, and this project has immediate impact for families to keep their living spaces clean, dry, and flat. Your guide will introduce you to the beneficiaries of the project and give some background on the community and family, serving as a translator and cultural liaison as well as project-managing and collaborating with local professionals either prior to or during the visit to ensure a successful, efficient, and impactful project. If they can, families will usually participate on the projects as well; projects usually consist of mixing cement for the masons who will be laying the floor - it is skilled work and requires many hands to be done quickly and effectively, to start the drying process and ensure the shortest displacement of the family from their home.
After the project, return to the apartment in the late afternoon and choose one of the restaurants in the area for dinner on your own or some evening beachtime.
Lodging: Private Apartment in Juan Dolio
Day 3: Service in the Bateyes
After breakfast in the apartment, head back to Monte Coca to continue work on the service projects from the previous afternoon. Go back for lunch at Mama Lala's, and after lunch head over to our non profit partner ASCALA, a religious organization dedicated to supporting underserved communities in the region. Work with ASCALA to host children from nearby bateyes for an afternoon of educational enrichment activities, preparing content and organizing students through small, fun projects and cultural exchanges.
When the students head home, meet the leadership team at ASCALA to learn about the socio-political issues facing the bateyes. The word batey comes from the long barracks that many families live in, which were originally built for migrant sugar cane workers, and now used as permanent settlements for multiple families. Many families in batey communities are faced with substandard housing, unsafe and low-wage working conditions, and limited access to health care or social services. Many community members also face social and institutional discrimination as a result of their ethnicities or immigration status, since many families have migrated from Haiti to look for work or to follow family members. Your guide will translate if needed and give context to the projects, history, and barriers to success.
In the evening, head back to the apartment in Juan Dolio for free time.
Lodging:Paraiso Caño Hondo
Day 4: Los Haitises National Park
Drive north for a two-hour ride down a bumpy road towards the bayside town of Sabana de la Mar, and finally down a long wooded stretch Los Haitises National Park. Nestled just outside of the park is Paraiso Caño Hondo; a stunning eco-lodge built into the hillside with river-fed pools, trails, and a magnificent view of nearby Samana Bay.
After lunch at the lodge, you will tour the bay by speedboat, visiting caves that contain Taino pictographs that are over a thousand years old and stopping for a swim in remote beaches before navigating the mangroves back towards Caño Hondo. Back at the base, enjoy the pools and relax in the quiet of the canyon.
Lodging: Name or Type of Hotel
Day 5: Samana Bay
Cross the Samana Bay by ferry, keeping an eye out for dolphins or manatees as you head to the country’s largest peninsula on the northern coast of the island. You will arrive at your eco-hotel by mid-afternoon, so take some time to enjoy the beach and relax in this new ecosystem and beachside accommodations.
Day 6: Samana Peninsula
Pick your adventure today: hike to a waterfall, horseback ride to a hidden beach, or relax by the oceanside hotel. Samana is known for its coconut-scented dishes and laid-back culture, so enjoy this corner of the island and the natural resources that make it a national treasure.
Lodging: Unique Eco Hotel
Day 7: Return to Santo Domingo
After one last swim in the ocean, head back to Santo Domingo. Visit the cenote caves at Tres Ojos National Park or explore the Colonial Zone’s local watering holes, chic modern restaurants, and galleries of Afro-Caribbean folk art.
Lodging: Hotel Nicolas de Ovando
Day 8: ¡Buen Viaje!
The Offbeat team will escort your group to the airport in private transport. We hope you enjoyed your stay in the Dominican Republic!
-
Offbeat Travel local guide on call throughout.
All community service materials, and donations
Breakfast and Lunch
All transportation
7 nights of accommodation
All activities as detailed in your itinerary
Interested in booking or customizing this trip for your group? Click below to schedule a call.
