Dominican Republic Summer Service and Spanish

Day 1: Newark

The group flight takes off and the trip officially begins!

Days 2 - 6: Community Service Project location 30 minutes from Santo Domingo

Travel for Teens has partnered with an underfunded school just outside of Santo Domingo. With our help, the school will have the resources to fix crumbling walls, paint dilapidated classrooms, and/or fix up a run down building on the property to turn it into a kindergarten classroom. We'll be staying in a safe, clean and comfortable community center right across from the school where we'll have a quick but useful Spanish class in the morning before beginning the day's project.

Day trips after class and service projects

Each afternoon we'll take private bus rides to nearby sights. Explore la Cueva de las Maravillas (the Cave of Marvels) where more than 500 pre-Columbian pictographs adorn the walls then check out the nearby iguana exhibit; see the sites of Santo Domingo and learn about the city's rich colonial history; and spend an afternoon on the beach at playa Boca Chica.

Days 6 - 8: Bayahibe

After 5 days of community service, we’ll say goodbye to our new friends at the school and head east to a tiny town just outside el Parque Nacional del Este. Here we’ll spend our first full day on an eco-safari adventure that includes zip lining, kayaking, and a stop at a river with a Tarzan rope swing! You’ll also have the option of horseback riding.

Our second day we’ll sail through the bright blue Caribbean waters to an island with white sand beaches where you’ll snorkel over coral reef and see colorful marine life all around you. We’ll then walk inland a short ways to meet with a rural community of 300 people who will show us how they live their daily lives. We’ll eat lunch with them in the village before hopping back on our boat and sailing to our next snorkeling destination. After our full day of snorkeling, sailing and sun, we’ll board a private bus bound for Santo Domingo.

Days 9 - 11: Puerto Plata Region (North Coast)

For the last 2 days of the trip we'll head to the beautiful north coast where we'll stay just a few hundred meters from the beach. From our base just outside of Puerto Plata we'll take a day trip to the 27 Charcos, a gorgeous series of waterfalls and pools in the jungle that you jump and slide down. The natural beauty around you is breathtaking and the water is cool and bright blue. Next we'll head back to town where you'll have the option of (weather permitting) shopping in town, or heading to the beach to kick back and soak up the sun. For our final night, we'll eat a delicious dinner and reflect on all of our amazing experiences.