Puerto Plata Cable Car — Attraction in Puerto Plata

Let me paint you a picture of this extraordinary journey in the cable car – a place where magic and beauty collide. But first, let's talk business. For the foreign wanderers among us, a round trip will cost you a modest ten greenbacks – not too shabby, right? But hold your horses; if you're one of the lucky local residents, you get a sweet deal – half the price! Just make sure to bring your trusty Visa or Mastercard; sorry, American Express won't cut it here. Now, here's where things get a little tricky. I know some of you are itching to capture the breathtaking vistas with your beloved drones. Unfortunately, no drones allowed on the regular, my friends. But hey, don't despair just yet! If you plan ahead and apply for permission two days before your flight, you might get the green light. No same-day approvals, though – it takes a couple of days for the bureaucratic wheels to turn. Head to the information desk and seek out the drone permit maestro who will guide you through the process. Trust me; the effort is worth it! Let me tell you about this gem of an experience up on those Puerto Plata mountains – but there's a catch. Mother Nature can be a bit moody up there, so choose your day wisely. Clear, beautiful weather is your key to unlocking the full splendor of the view and snapping some insta-worthy photos. But be warned, the wind can be quite the wild beast in these lofty heights. Keep a tight grip on your hats and any valuables; you don't want them flying off into oblivion. Now, let's talk about those friendly faces you'll meet. They're scattered around the vicinity of the statue – oh, yes, there's a stunning statue up there – ready and willing to lend a hand with your perfect photo op. Trust me when I say, they've got some real talent! So, show them some love with a well-deserved tip. I caught them in action, spreading joy with hilarious photoshoots for different groups, these guys are professionals. Alright, let's get down to brass tacks about timing. You'll need to budget around an hour for ticket buying, lining up for the cable car, and the ride itself. Time management is key here. The last cable car makes its descent from the mountain at 5:30 pm, and you don't want to miss it. Getting stuck up there when the cable car shuts down is no joke. You'll be faced with two choices – paying a king's ransom for a taxi back or embarking on a 3-hour mountain descent on foot. Trust me, you'd better keep that return plan in check! Last but not least, pack some essentials for your mountain adventure. A trusty water bottle and some munchies will be your faithful companions while waiting in those lines. Puerto Plata's mountain escapade is an absolute must-do, but plan smart, fly wise, and make memories that'll last a lifetime. Bon voyage and...

CAUTION: They will rip you off if you do not pay attention. Be wary. Details below.

The view is absolutely incredible, it’s where I proposed to my fiancé. I do recommend visiting this location as there is a lot of beautiful things to see here. The tickets are worth the money.

Be careful, however, for anything that ISNT a ticket for the ride. A guy will offer a tour guide which is okay if you’re interested in information in EXCHANGE for moving at your own pace + 2000 pesos. He does know a lot and is very informative but I ended up paying him off early because I wanted time to myself.

Here’s the real rip-off though. The tourguide offered at one point to have another dude conveniently passing by to take pictures of you with the Jesus statue. They are good pictures, don’t get me wrong (see images), but then he pulls this whole “the pictures are free but come support me at my shop” thing. That’s fine, but he literally meant right NOW. In the middle of us having fun with the view and the statue we got guided into a small shop with a guy who claims he made everything himself. I promise you he did NOT make these things as I saw 50% of the items there in another shop in Puerto Plata from another guy who claimed to make them himself. Be careful. Out of kindness and honestly AWKWARD tension with him literally 6 inches behind us as we look through things in the shop, we ended up buying three small things that wouldn’t cost much more than 10 bucks in the US. Because we were tourists and he wanted us to buy more, he charged us an incredible 1,500 pesos for this. I don’t know why I didn’t say no, probably because the situation was so insanely awkward. For comparisons sake, 1,500 pesos is about $40 USD in trade value, but for actual worth in DR, it’s about $300-$400 in value. Absolute rip off, especially with the tour guide combo. Ended up spending like 8,000-10,000 pesos.

The view is incredible and you can get to the top of the mountain without the ferry, but I do recommend the ferry, awesome...

Our family decided to get off our cruise ship and do our own cable car trip and not through an excursion. We left the cruise port area and grabbed a taxi from one of the many green shirts. We paid roughly $50 one way for the taxi ride to the base station (not sure if that was too much). We arrived right at opening 8:30am to avoid the large buses loaded with cruisers. We entered the station and were greeted by a guide ( Jose F) employed by the national park. If you want to walk around solo, you don’t need a guide, however you may miss out on a LOT of interesting information, stories and explanations. Jose also took family photos at about every scenic spot. Expect the walking tour to take 1.5 to 2 hours. At the top, another employee will take some creating and actually good photos for you. He doesn’t need tips, but will request you visit his small shop. We figured his photos were worth a few trinkets, and bought some. Prices are negotiable, and there is more leverage with cash. I dislike haggling, so that was mildly unpleasant but not too bad. We then resumed the 2nd part of the tour with Jose and ended at the restaurant for some good coffee (the have meals, alcohol, sodas, water, etc). Small bills will come in handy. In summary, well worth the 3 hour adventure with amazing views and jungle garden tour. Our party was aged 18 to 73, and all enjoyed it. Mobility challenged folks may feel it is too strenuous. Get there early to beat the crowds and afternoon heat! We took a taxi back into town and wandered around before walking...