Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rancho Mirabal
( 809-912-5214)
The fully equipped Rancho Mirabal riding stables are situated right on
Playa Encuentro. A one-hour ride on the beach is US$25, two hours US$40 and a longer
half-day ride in the mountains is US$75 including food.
TOUR
Rancho Montana
( 809-739-0733;
www.ranchomontana.com
)
Located near Sabaneta de Yasica, this operation
conducts trips into the mountains around Gaspar Hernandez, to the east of Cabarete.
TOUR
WHERE TO SHACK UP
Cabarete's beaches are its main attractions, and not just for sun and sand. They're each home to a dif-
ferent water sport, and are great places to watch beginner and advanced athletes alike.
Playa Cabarete
Main beach in front of town, the best place for watching windsurfing, though the
very best windsurfers are well offshore at the reef line. Look for them performing huge high-speed
jumps and even end-over-end flips.
Bozo Beach
On the western downwind side of Playa Cabarete, and so named because of all the begin-
ner windsurfers and kiteboarders who don't yet know how to tack upwind and so wash up on Bozo's
shore. There are more kiteboarders at Bozo than at Playa Cabarete, and the surf here is better for boo-
gie boarding.
Kite Beach
Two kilometers west of town, Kite Beach is a sight to behold on windy days, when scores
of kiters of all skill levels negotiate huge sails and 30m lines amid the waves and traffic. On those
days there's no swimming here, as you're liable to get run over.
Playa Encuentro
Four kilometers west of town, this is the place to go for surfing, though top wind-
surfers and kiteboarders sometimes come here to take advantage of the larger waves. The beach itself
is a long, narrow stretch of sand backed by lush tropical vegetation and palm groves as it curves east
toward Cabarete; strong tides and rocky shallows make swimming difficult. To find the beach, look
for the fading yellow archway and sign that says 'Coconut Palms Resort.' Definitely not safe to walk
around here at night.
Courses
Cabarete Language Institute
( 809-713-5002;
www.cabaretelanguage.com
; ProCab Calle B, Cabarete)
Conversational Spanish
lessons for all levels. Expect to pay around RD$900 per hour. It's two doors down from
Ali's Surf Camp.
LANGUAGE SCHOOL
