Spend a morning away from your sun lounger and discover the real Puerto Plata! Once a hub for pirates and explorers, the area holds rich culture and history, and you’ll love discovering it with us. We’ll explore the market, visit a gallery and the local museum, learn a little about voodoo, stroll through a local neighborhood and enjoy a freshly prepared traditional lunch with a local family. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in local culture and get a better understanding of the island and its people, this is the tour for you!
One of the best ways to get to know any city is to visit its most popular market. So that’s what we’ll do first on your tour of Puerto Plata. This colourful and noisy place proudly displays the best of Dominican traditions. Here we’ll learn about the exotic fruits and vegetables that grow on the island, the traditional seasonings that are used by locals to give flavour to their dishes and about the raw tobacco that’s been cultivated here for centuries.
Next up, we’ll admire the island’s handicraft credentials at a traditional gallery and you will see jewellery crafted from our national stone, Larimar, which is unique to the Dominican Republic. This is a great stop for a spot of authentic souvenir shopping should you wish to indulge yourself.
We will then move on to discover the religions of our country with a visit to a popular local church. We’ll discuss the continuing practice of the voodoo religion, as well as other religions that were imported from Europe centuries ago.
Next, we’ll get off the tourist trail and take a stroll amongst the locals to explore hidden alleys that hide the true spirit and lifestyle of Puerto Plata. As we walk, you’ll see the local cemetery where many important people have been buried since its inception in 1800. You’ll also see the traditional barbershops, street food stalls that locals love and, in the old market neighbourhood, you’ll learn many unique things about Puerto Plata from your local, expert guide.
We’ll eat a chulito, a deliciously savoury fried treat made with yucca (cassava) that locals just love and you will too!
From here we’ll walk to the historical district, learning about the Victorian-style houses that dot the streets and admiring the typically Caribbean buildings with their bright colours — very Instagram-worthy!
Then we’ll enjoy a refreshing artisanal ice cream at the main square with the pigeons, underneath the beautiful Victorian gazebo symbol of our fair city.
From here we are going to visit the Gregorio Luperon Museum, where you will learn about the everyday lives of the families who lived here 200 years ago, from the point of view of one of our national heroes and former presidents.
After working up an appetite exploring the city and learning about local life in Puerto Plata, we’ll end our tour on a tasty high, with a mouth-watering lunch of traditional local dishes at the home of a local family. Here you will try some specialities of the island, get to know a local family and reflect on everything you have learned during your action-packed morning.
You have definitely earned the right to lounge on your sun lounger this afternoon but if you do want to continue your exploration of the area, don’t forget to ask your local guide for tips on what else there is to see, do and eat in Puerto Plata.
Note that the food samples may vary from tour to tour depending on what is available that day
Pick Up: We can also provide pick-up for an additional fee from Playa Dorada, Costambar and Puerto Plata city hotels. Please contact us after booking for rates.
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Fun walking tour! I enjoyed my tour with Rainer. He did a great job sharing the history and his stories of the... read moreI enjoyed my tour with Rainer. He did a great job sharing the history and his stories of the city. The highlight of this tour for me was seeing the beauty of Los Tres Ojos! read less
A great tour of Dominican life As part of a large group, we hired Jose to give us a tour of Santo Dominica. He was very... read moreAs part of a large group, we hired Jose to give us a tour of Santo Dominica. He was very accommodating and knowledgeable. While we did many tourist things including a trike tour and visit to the caves. My favorite part of the tour was getting to visit where locals enjoyed food and drink. I would definitely recommend this tour!! read less
Great staff who clearly enjoy their work We were part of a large group tour (a couple hundred people organized into smaller, but still fairly large groups... read moreWe were part of a large group tour (a couple hundred people organized into smaller, but still fairly large groups of 40 or so people) that included a walking tour through the oldest parts of Santo Domingo with stops at historic sites along the way, plus a visits to a chocolate museum (which was great), a 4D cinema (which was a bit cheesy), and a slightly-too-long stop at a tourist shop, culminating in a truly lovely lunch buffet in an old colonial hotel, with a rum tasting and visits from Carnival "diablos". Despite that, with such a large group, it could be hard to hear the explanations of the various historical stops, our guide was really warm and friendly, and happy to chat or answer questions, as was the young woman who helped shepherd our group. In all, it was a delightful few hours' easy walking tour. read less
Be a local in Dominican Republic Jose was the perfect guide you could ask for. He came all the way from Santo Domingo to Samana city... read moreJose was the perfect guide you could ask for. He came all the way from Santo Domingo to Samana city to take us on a private tour to the Los Haitises National Park. He arranged a private boat with wonderful crew and took care of us like family. He was very courteous and even took amazing pictures of me and my wife. He knows Dominican Republic like the back of his hands and i would highly recommend him for tours in DR read less
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