Cabarete

Cabarete is a small town on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. It belongs to the province of Puerto Plata and is located about 40km east of the city of Puerto Plata.  It is famous for its water sports center.

Until the eighties of the 20th century there was no tourism, and then it was discovered. Over time, stacking up on a narrow strip along the beach there were more and more windsurfing schools and restaurants, and later shops, banks, and since the late nineties there has been kite surfing schools.

Cabarete is located about 25km east of the international airport of Puerto Plata, next to the “Autopista 5″, the main street running parallel to the coast from Puerto Plata to Rio San Juan.  Only a few yards behind are two lagoons (Laguna de Cabarete, de Laguna Goleta). The lagoons are protected and therefore not accessible to tourism.

Cabarete is considered the best spot for windsurfers, kite surfers, wakeboarders and surfers in the Caribbean.  There are regular World Cup races, for example, the Kitesurfing World Cup (Copa Mundial kite).

Once a year in Cabarete they choose the Master of the Ocean, in a multiple-day competition of windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing. Since July 2006 there have also been the Cabarete Classic including the categories “Slalom” and “Freestyle” for windsurfing.

The windsurfers take to the main beach, located right on the center. There are several surf schools in German and French leadership.  Kite surfers can be found around 1km to the west at Kitebeach too. There are a number of kitesurfing schools.

The estuary of the Rio Yasica, called “La Boca” (at the eastern end of Cabarete) fits through the shallow water and the wind from the sea, is ideal for kite surfing. This is recommended only for experienced riders, however, as the conditions require locally, highly technical requirements.

Surfers (wave rider) you meet at Playa Encuentro, about 5 kilometers west of Cabarete. There are three schools in which one can learn to surf.  Wakeboarders can be found at the mouth of the river Rio Yasica, called “La Boca”.

The spot is clean and free from unpleasant flora and fauna. It is ideal for wakeboarding, since it is in water about a meter deep, and winds its way through the tropical landscape even in windy conditions.  Cabarete is considered a world-class spot for all four sports. This has now been taken advantage of by numerous professional film crews.

Tourism

In addition to the Canadian travel Surf freaks and American tourists, a lot of Europeans come to Cabarete. The place has a young surfer, hip image. Besides water sports there are other activities such as mountain biking, horseback riding (on the beach or the mountains), scuba diving, golf, paintball, or canyoning.

The infrastructure of the village (about 10,000 inhabitants) is good, there are many restaurants, bars and nightclubs right on the beach and a lot of internet cafes and surf shops are well-stocked.   Santiago de Caballeros is approximately 70 kilometers away and is the second largest city in the Dominican Republic.

Dark side of tourism

Since about 2005, built directly on the beach of Cabarete, are many apartments in small closed Resorts and sold at prices of typically about 250,000 to 300,000 U.S dollars.  These must adhere to the law however.  By the law 256/97, it is prohibited in the province of Puerto Plata, to build buildings with more than three storeys. Some are still under construction.

However, there are apartment projects which have been completed that have four, and in some cases five floors.  Surf schools complain that they are getting ever higher and enclosed structures on the beach, and it diverts the wind.
Many fear that Cabarete is converting further and further from the idyllic surfer town with a very high proportion of indigenous people coming to the resort, and well-heeled North Americans for purely financial reasons.
Natural Park “El Choco” and “The Caves of Cabarete”

Approximately a mile away from the center of Cabarete is a nature reserve “El Choco” which has underground caves where you can swim.