Upstate New York native Tricia Suriel is foremost among these inland guides. But most day rides from Cabarete are less technical, rambling forays into the Cordillera Septentrional. As you pedal, the ubiquitous concrete-block shops selling Coke and lottery tickets thin out. Above shoulder-deep pasture grass, egrets flash white, tending humpbacked Brahman bulls. Slowly absorbing the way life is lived here is what can make riding in the DR so eye-opening.
Curious locals seem willing to entertain the rustiest of Spanish-language overtures.
During an overnight to Armando Bermudez National Park, near the base of Pico Duarte, my small group enjoyed a vegetarian coconut-milk stew with the park ranger's family, and then sneaked our sleeping bags inside park headquarters to escape a nocturnal downpour. Late afternoons, you can try out everything from Hobie Cats to sea kayaks to kiteboards. Mariah Media Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material from any pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.