How NOT to get from Las Galeras to Santiago de los Caballeros
Posted: March 25, 2025 | Tagged: Dominican Republic
This turned into an epic 360 km journey instead of the 220 km I had in mind. Keep reading to find out the reason why I covered so many kilometres on my travels from Las Galeras to Santiago de los Caballeros.
Waiting for the guagua in Las Galeras:
It started well. I took the guagua from Las Galeras to Samana. The ride took 55 minutes, and the fare was 150 pesos. I arrived at the Parada Samana-Las Galeras in front of the public market.
I had already checked things out in true Boy Scout fashion. There were buses to Santiago de los Caballeros 11 times a day. There was a schedule posted on the wall:
And the fare was 450 pesos.
But, for whatever reason, I got the infamous NIET treatment that was so common in Russia, except here it was Hoy, No. Not today. They weren't big on offering advice. No suggestion of, "you must take a bus to X and then change".
So I went with what I knew. Take a bus to Santo Domingo and then take another to Santiago, which is why I ended up travelling 360 km instead of 220 km.
But, for whatever reason, I got the infamous NIET treatment that was so common in Russia, except here it was Hoy, No. Not today. They weren't big on offering advice. No suggestion of, "you must take a bus to X and then change".
So I went with what I knew. Take a bus to Santo Domingo and then take another to Santiago, which is why I ended up travelling 360 km instead of 220 km.
The best-laid plans of mice and men oft' go awry - Robert Burns
The Sprinter Van from Samana to Santo Domingo:
We crawled along for the first 2 hours, not even making it out of 3rd gear. I felt they were taking the piss, but after the junction of the road that goes to Sosua, we cruised at 95 kph and made up some time, arriving at the Enriquillo Park at around 12:45.
The Caribe Tours terminal was 25 minutes away, on foot. I took a cab to save me the trouble. I used the baño, bought a ticket for the 1.30 pm Caribe Tours: Santo Domingo to Santiago de los Caballeros, arriving at the bus terminal at 4:15 pm.
The Caribe Tours terminal was 25 minutes away, on foot. I took a cab to save me the trouble. I used the baño, bought a ticket for the 1.30 pm Caribe Tours: Santo Domingo to Santiago de los Caballeros, arriving at the bus terminal at 4:15 pm.
I had already checked the distance to my hotel. 1.8 km. I was happy to stretch my legs.
