Our normal advice to visitors to Cabrera is to not consider driving in the Dominican Republic for a variety of reasons not least of these being that the general standard of driving in the country is possibly amongst the worst in the world! Many drivers do not have a license and even those who do posses one fail to adhere to the accepted “rules of the road” Many roads are in poor condition with large potholes and road signs, where they exist, are generally ignored. If you are vacationing in Cabrera your villa concierge or hotel reception will happily arrange a transfer from your airport of arrival to your accommodation ensuring you begin your holiday in a relaxed way and arrive safely.
However, we appreciate that for some visitors a car is both useful and enables greater flexibility during your stay so if you really want to hire a car here is some advice we hope you will find useful:-
From the Airport.
Several international car hire companies, Avis and Europcar for example, are represented at all the major airports in the Dominican Republic so you can arrange car hire in advance over the internet and collect your vehicle from the company’s desk on arrival. We recommend you consider a larger car or a 4 x4 to cope with the road conditions. Small cars or those with limited road clearance can be easily damaged if you hit a pothole or one of the “sleeping policeman” speed bumps found in towns and before check points which are not always signed or clearly marked.
We recommend you fully understand the insurance cover provided and if items such as tires and windscreens are not covered you upgrade the cover if possible. Punctures and windscreen damage are common place and if you have to pay for these it could work out expensive.
Carefully check the car for any existing damage before leaving the airport, report any items to the company and ensure it is recorded in their records and your copy.
Ensure you fully understand the procedure to follow if you are, unfortunately, involved in an accident. Many Dominican’s do not have insurance and will expect you to pay for any damage done to their vehicle whether it is your fault or not! You may well have been stationary at the time and struck by another car but the very fact you were there makes it your fault!
Whilst driving be aware that other drivers are likely to ignore Stop signs (“Pare” here) as well as One Way Streets, this particularly applies to motorbikes who will also drive on the wrong side of the road.
If you are driving at night be very careful. Many vehicles, and particularly motorbikes, have no lights especially rear ones and others have “blue tail lights” instead of red. Headlights can be either non-existent or excessive and incorrectly aligned so that they blind you. Don’t assume the one headlight you see coming towards you is a motorbike it could well be a large truck with only one headlamp working!
Whilst on your way from the airport to Cabrera do not take notice if someone comes from behind you indicating you have a flat tire or other problem with your vehicle. Unless it is obvious to you, as the driver, that there is a problem continue until you reach a gas station or a town where it is safe to stop and check. It is not unknown for hire cars to be followed from an airport and drivers persuaded to stop for some reason and robbed.
Car Hire in Cabrera
If you have not hired a car for the whole of your vacation you may wish to do so for a short period of time to allow you the flexibility to explore some of the beaches or places of interest around Cabrera. There are a number of businesses in the town where a car can be hired either on a daily basis or for a set number of days or for a week. You will get better rates on a weekly basis and again we recommend a 4×4 rather than a saloon. You will see Car Hire signs outside some business premises and also adverts in local shops and cafés but we suggest you discuss your requirements with your villa concierge or hotel reception who can recommend a reliable car hire business and probably arrange for the vehicle to be delivered to where you are staying.
