All Trips > Dominican Republic > Dominican Republic Surfing, Canyoning, and Beaches Dominican Republic Surfing, Canyoning, and Beaches Choose Your Dates AT A GLANCE Dominican Republic 12 Explorer Chicks Hotel Canyoneering, International, Multisport, Surfing, Tropical, Water Sports, Yoga 8 Days 2 - Moderately Active Physical demand level for this trip Overview Itinerary Optional Adventures Photo Gallery What's Included Travel Arrangements Difficulty Level Choose Your Dates Share Overview This isn’t your typical Dominican Republic vacation. Heck no! Enjoy surfing, yoga, rafting, trapeze lessons, and more! It all takes place from your own beachfront accommodations. The soul-filling hospitality of the Dominican Republic goes so much deeper than the bottom of a tiki glass. Encounter lush jungles, sandy beaches, dramatic mountains, friendly locals, and authentic farm-to-table food along the north shore of Hispaniola Island. Join other adventurous women on our multi-sport Dominican Republic Adventure Vacation! Your vacation in Cabarete begins the second after arriving at our beachfront home away from home. Sink your toes into the sand for the very first time that week. Read a book by the pool with a view. Go ahead and exhale away every ounce of chaos back home. Then, spend the next week stirring up all the FOMO from your friends who opted for the beach vacation at a mundane, ubiquitous All-Inclusive. Your vacations never looked (or felt) this adventurous before! Take to the waters at Encuentro Beach to learn how to surf. (Yes! You could be that rad chick flashing the hang loose on a surfboard in two hours’ time!). Fly like an acrobat swinging from a trapeze with a crowd of Explorer Chicks cheering you on from the ground. Hike from the countryside down into a river canyon to LEAP FROM WATERFALLS. Such epic payback for the days you couldn’t climb a rope in gym class. Zipline across a sinkhole before dropping into the crystal clear waters. Get acquainted with the real Dominican Republic on a home visit in the countryside including a tasty lunch. Think to yourself new body, who dis? as you become a stronger version of yourself every day in the Dominican Republic—all while on vacation! Besides your outdoor playground, you’ll have included access to evening open-air yoga classes overlooking the ocean. No Post Malone is necessary as the waves crash beside your mat. You’ll have plenty of rest and recovery time as you dine on meals sourced locally and kick back happy hour mojitos from the beachfront bar. Itinerary Expand All Days Day One Welcome to Cabarete! ¡Bienvenida to your Dominican Republic vacation! You’ll meet your Explorer Chick Guide in the lobby at our Eco-Hotel right on the beach. She’ll show you around your digs for the next week, and then the afternoon is yours to enjoy. Might we suggest an sunset Yoga practice before we meet in the evening for our official Welcome Dinner. Meals: D Day Two Surfing Encuentro Beach You are jumping right into the adventure after filling up on a yummy breakfast with a view of the ocean. Your surf lesson starts on land as our instructors teach you proper form. Then it’s your turn to hop on the “surf simulator” to practice your pop up. Afterwards, we warm-up on the beach before splitting into small groups to take to the water. Your instructors will be with you out in the ocean coaching you the entire time and helping you catch your first wave. Will you wipe out? Heck yes! We all do. Will you scream your face off when you finally ride out a wave? Hell yes! (And we’ll be on the beach cheering you on!). The afternoon is your’s to enjoy! Hang by the pool. Read a book on the beach. Explore the town of Cabarete. Your Explorer Chick guide can direct you to tasty places to grab lunch too! Meals: B, D Day Three Run off to the Circus (Trapeze Lessons) Today you give new meaning to the phrase: Trap Queen. Yes, you will be soaring through the air with style and grace hanging from a trapeze. Our experienced instructors will walk you through all the steps and make the calls from the ground below. Next thing you know, you’ll be dangling from your knees and flying through the air like a pro. Nail the knee hang, and you’ll be doing your first release into the arms of a catcher! It’s another free afternoon for you to enjoy! You can fill on your own or if you opt for any optional excursions our Explorer Chick Guide will send you out on your adventure. Meals: B, D Day Four Countryside Farm Tour and River Swimming After breakfast, we head to the countryside to experience the Real Dominican Republic. We’ll visit the home of a local family who will show us around their farm and feed our hungry bellies with Sancocho – a traditional Dominican Soup prepared for special occasions. There will also be plenty of time to swim in the river. Once we dry off, we’ll sit down for a true farm-to-table lunch prepared exclusively for us. Trust us, when we say it’s lip smacking good! Meals: B, L, D Day Five Canyoneering This is your biggest day yet and the most challenging! We’re talking some real, backcountry canyoneering in lush jungles through a turquoise river. You’ll emerge out of the canyon a whole new woman. Tired, bruised, and stronger than ever! We’ll depart after breakfast to base camp and then it’s time to suit up in wet suits, harnesses, helmets, and life jackets. We’ll hike down into the canyon! Canyon is the operative word. Go down and come up! It’s steep in both directions and can be challenging. Remember, you’re not in Disneyland, but in the backcountry. Once in the river, you’ll enjoy a mix of swimming, trekking, and scrambling. Depending on the weather, you’ll have up to 15 jumps from waterfalls from as tall as 35 feet. (Some jumps will have the option for a rappel if you second guess yourself). You’ll have your group of Explorer Chick sisters with you the entire time encouraging each other throughout the entire journey down river. The hike out is probably the most challenging as it steep (Remember, you’re in a canyon!) We’ll take our time hiking out with frequent rests. BUT, the pay off is a yummy, home cooked, authentic Dominican lunch waiting for you back at base camp. (And bring a few extra pesos to buy a celebratory cerveza!) Meals: B, L, D Day Six Sink Hole Swimming and Beaches Following an epic day of Canyoning, it is time for a rest day! Pack your swimmies and a day bag as we take a little road trip east. Our first stop is an enchanting sink hole. With it’s crystal clear waters, it’ll be a no brainer to jump right on in. If you’re feeling extra brave, head to the top to zipline across and then make a splash dropping about 30′ into the pool. After playing in and exploring some of the other caves, we’ll make our way to new beach. Here, you can play in the waves while our lunch is prepared for our beach lunch. Oh, and there will be boozy concoctions served in pineapples. Meals: B, L, D Day Seven Free Day Today is completely yours to enjoy! Perhaps end your trip with a massage, an extra surf lesson, or another go on the trapeze. Or maybe you just want to relax on the beach enjoying the waves crashing. It’s a good day to shop for souvenirs in town like some Larimar jewelry – a rare blue stone found only in the DR, or a bag of coffee to share with family back home. In evening we’ll head out for one last special dinner together! Feeling feisty? Stay out late to dance Bachata and Salsa at LAX! Meals: B, D Day Eight Departures It’s time to trade beach life for real life. Hug your Explorer Chicks tight, and take home unforgettable memories and bad jokes from our untamed, wild paradise. Meals: B *Explorer Chick reserves the option to modify trip itineraries at the discretion of your tour director as necessary due to weather, conditions, illness, injury, group dynamics, availability, or other unforeseen incidents. Optional Adventures Throughout your week of adventure, you’ll have plenty of free time to relax by the beach, read a book by the pool, explore Cabarete, or grab a mojito at the bar. Some Explorer Chicks want to fill every second of their trip with adventure, so we have hand-selected optional excursions to fill your free time. Massage: Enjoy a massage at our hotel in your room, on your patio, or on the sun deck. Cost – $65 Horseback Riding: Enjoy an easy 1 hour ride on the beach. Cost – $65 Sunset SUP: Watch the sun set over the ocean from your SUP board in Sosua Bay. Cost – $65 Trapeze: Spend more time swinging and flying through the air on the trapeze. Cost – $40 Surfing: Get back out on the water and catch more waves. Cost – $40 You are welcome to book as many activities as your adventurous heart desires! We will squeeze your options into our itinerary. We will let you know your schedule once we are in the Dominican Republic. The weather can change fast in the tropics and so can our itinerary. If we must cancel one of your optional excursions, we will issue you a refund in the same manner that you paid. You will be able to book your Optional Adventures at check-out or during your trip in the Dominican Republic with your Explorer Chick Adventure Leader. *Price does not include Tips for your Optional Adventure Guide. Tipping is not mandatory, but our Explorer Chicks enjoy the opportunity to thank their guides. Recommended 10-20% Photo Gallery What's Included 8 days/7 nights of shared occupancy accommodations at a Beach Front Hotel. The rooms have an ocean front view with a mini fridge, drinking water, A/C, a private balcony, and safe. Accommodation amenities include a pool, Wi-Fi, restaurant, bar and on the Beach location. Two-hour Surf lesson including transportation, surf board, reef shoes and all other necessary gear on Encuentro Beach. Canyoning, hiking, and cascading including transportation, helmet, wet suit and all other necessary gear. Plus, an authentic Dominican lunch. A Bachata dance lesson. A trapeze or aerial silks lesson. Zipline and Sinkhole swimming with a beach lunch. Countryside Home and Farm Tour with an authentic lunch. 3 Yoga classes in open air with a beach view. All meals as indicated in itinerary: B-7, L-3, D-7. A commemorative Explorer Chick shirt. All tips for included meals and local guides. A detailed Travel Guide upon booking with everything you need to know for your trip. The freedom to enjoy your vacation and mindlessly wander! One experienced Explorer Chick Leader ensuring your trip is seamless and unforgettable! Small Group experience! Your Explorer Chick Adventure is exclusive and limited to 12 women. *Packages do NOT include your airfare, airport transportation, alcoholic beverages, Explorer Chick Leader Tips, or costs for additional activities. *Does NOT include your Explorer Chick Guide’s Tips – Tipping your Explorer Chick Guide is optional, but customary. If you wish to recognize your Explorer Chick Guide for exceptional service, we recommend you tip them 10-25% of your trip costs. *A passport that is valid for at least 6 months past your arrival date is required. Travel Arrangements Arrival: Plan to arrive anytime on your Day 1. Transportation costs are not included, but we will arrange for shuttles pairing you with other Explorer Chicks to save on the fare. The airports, transfer times, approximate one-way fares are below. Fares are listed for the entire shuttle which can be shared. You will pay your driver directly. • Puerto Plata – Gregorio Luperon (POP) – $35, Road travel time approx. 25 minutes • Santiago – Cibao International (STI) – $100, Road Travel time approx. 90 minutes • Santo Domingo – Las Americas International (SDQ) – $250, Road travel time approx. 2-3 hours Departure: Plan to depart anytime on our final day. You will receive a travel guide attached to your booking confirmation with all the information you’ll need to prepare for your epic trip! *We require a minimum of 4 Explorer Chicks for this trip. Please confirm your trip is guaranteed before booking your airfare. Difficulty Level 2 – MODERATELY ACTIVE We highly recommend training prior to this Dominican Republic vacation. The itinerary is packed full of adventure! To get the most from your trip we recommend having a solid fitness base, otherwise you can expect muscle soreness. Canyoning includes very steep climbs that are taxing on legs. This is your biggest day with hiking into the canyon, trekking and swimming through the river, and then hiking out. It is a single track trail into the canyon that can be muddy and very steep. Once in the river, expect some scrambling and some slippery rocks. Our guides will be quick to point out slick spots and to offer a hand. This should not be under estimated! It is a true backcountry adventure. (And you are rewarded with the best lunch ever!). The next most challenging day is Surfing – it takes a lot to paddle back out after every wipe out. It’s earned, baby! The biggest challenge through out this adventure is mental especially for our Explorer Chicks with a fear of heights. Our founder, Nicki, conquered hers here while jumping from waterfalls and swinging on trapeze. It’s all about learning to trust your body and shutting off your mind and down your fears. You got this, Explorer Chick. (And we’ll be there cheering you on!) Please consider your ability to meet the physical demands very seriously. It is for the safety of both you and our group. All Explorer Chicks will be required to sign an Acknowledgement of Physical Demands as part of their waiver upon booking. Read more about our Activity Levels. More from the DR ? "Thank you for the awesome week! I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to meet each person on the trip. I just got home and I`m sitting in my living rom and my house looks different. I feel different. In a good way. I keep thinking of the song from #Wicked, "For Good" and yeah I am going to quote it . . ."I do believe I have been changed for the better, and because I knew you . . .I have been changed for the good" Looking forward to Peru next year" --EC Bernadette sharing her love for our DR trip and everyone on it! 🥰 We are FEELING the ❤️ Bernadette!The friends you make on these trips end up making the Christmas card list! 🎄👯♀️Have you made a lifelong bestie on an EC trip? Tag her! 👇#explorerchick #ExplorerChickAdventureCo #womenwhotravel #womentravelingtogether #easydoesntchangeyou #weareexplorerchick #adventuretravel #SheIsNotLost #WomenSupportingWomen #Amongthewild #sheisnotlost #womenshikinggroup #dominicanrepublic #cliffjumping #dontgochasingwaterfalls #horsebackriding #girlswhosurf #visitdominicanrepublic #exploredr #beachvacation #surflessons #trapeze #explorerchickdr Open Load More Let's Do This Starting from $2599 Book Now Save $300 with our Early Bird Discounts! Just book at least 6 Months in Advance! Discount is automatically applied. Non-Refundable Deposit: $300 due at booking to secure your spot Single Room Upgrade: $699 Payment Plans are Available! Book with Confidence Your wanderlust doesn’t have to wait. Our payment plans make booking your dream trip easier than ever. The best part? Zero additional fees. Payment Plans We want nothing more than for you join us. However, we understand emergencies do occur that may cause you to cancel your reservation. Cancellation Policy To protect your travel investment and your hide, we recommend purchasing travel insurance. Receive a no-hassle, online quote in less than 2 minutes. Trip Insurance In Her Words Ingrid C. ★★★★★ I was so lucky to have found this page and went with it. I had my very first experience camping with a group of amazing and badass ladies! Amy our guide was just incredible! she went far and beyond to explain everything and make us feel safe every step of the way. I have already booked my next trip! I highly recommend Explorer chick for all the strong and wonderful ladies that would love a wonderful experience !!!Suzanne M. ★★★★★ I went of the Red River Gorge backpacking trip with Amy Anslinger as our guide. I can’t say enough good things about it! Amy was incredibly knowledgeable, kind and funny. She created a warm environment that helped foster a strong community between all of us in a short amount of time. This trip reignited my love for backpacking!Sarah M. ★★★★★ Amy Anslinger is an amazing guide! She thought of every detail and made the trip so fun! I loved the Red River Gorge backpacking adventure and plan to do more Explorer Chic trips!Holly A. ★★★★★ I did the Smokey Mountains trip in Sept and I was nervous about meeting new people but it was amazing! I can’t stop browsing the website for my next trip! The women were great and so fun! Anna and Jess were awesome guides, great cooks, super considerate and really quite funny. I would do an EC trip again without hesitation.Laura D. ★★★★★ Had a fantastic time on the Smoky Mountains Boots and Roots Hiking trip!Anna R. ★★★★★ Just got back from a trip (in the Smokey Mountains) with Anna and Jess - the trip was outstanding!!! They were both so knowledgeable of our hikes, extremely helpful, and so fun! The glamping site was lovely! And the food was fabulous! Highly recommend Anna and Jess - they made the trip very memorable!Amanda W. ★★★★★ This was an unforgettable experience. My leads Anna and jessica made me feel completely confident and comfortable while we hiked gorgeous and challenging trails. They showed us with so many fun surprises along the way and created a space for us to be ourselves, together. I will definitely be booking another trip!Sarah C. ★★★★★ I was fortunate to be on EC's inaugural Norway trip - all I can say is GO! The trip was beyond my expectations- from our awesome EC Guide Christina and local Guide Christine to the 6 strong and supportive women I spent 7 days with exploring the stunning and other-worldly beauty of Norway! The accommodations were so cool - lodges and fishing cabins filled with character and very comfy! Hikes were challenging and provided TONS of photo opps - and our Guides took great care of us along the way! Food? Delicious and they accommodate dietary needs super well - and if you are a fish lover, you will be in pescatarian paradise! This was my first group trip - I was nervous about traveling with people I hadn't met and being able to do the hikes, but those butterflies were quickly calmed when I met Christina, Christine and my fellow Explorer Chicks! Thank you, EC, for a memorable, fun-filled and fabulous trip through Norway!!Connie M. ★★★★★ I went on the half dome trip and WOW! Being at the top of half dome for sunset was amazing. Our guide, Kalya, was fantastic. Thank you Kayla and the wonderful ladies in our group for the memories! - ConnieJesse P. ★★★★★ This weekend we spent a couple of days backpacking with Explorer Chick Adventure Co. in the RedRiver Gorge of Kentucky. It was such an awesome experience! It was honestly one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. Those packs weren’t just huge - they were heavy! And the trail was quite aptly named the Rough Trail, haha. Steep inclines and fallen trees were just par for the course along our route. The wonderful guides left me feeling confident and excited about continuing my outdoor adventures. This place was beautiful, and I hope to visit it again someday. Lauren was an incredible guide and Jodi and Amy were awesome.Jeneta I. ★★★★★ Anna & Kara-Great guides and hosts! Went to Smoky Mountains trip. Amazing experience. Thank you for everything you did for our group! 🙏🏼🌸keebler9111231 ★★★★★ Went on the Alaskan adventure with Nicole B and Kayla L as our spectacular guides!! Everything was jam packed-n-top notch adventure fun. Starting off with an exhilarating hike to a few glacial lakes, to ice climbing and sea kayaking. All the event guides we encountered were superb as well. We hiked some more, saw the copper mines and many different cities, a little history, a little dart throwing and dinner. Went to the fish hatchery, saw some sea lions and learned how the salmon is bred to be the best in Alaska. The guide prepared food was excellent every detail was well thought and appreciated and I felt safe the entire trip. Would definitely go on another EC adventure again! LisaLaura J. ★★★★★ What an amazing trip to Alaska. If you have been wanting to go to Alaska, go with them. It’s a huge state with so much to see and do, but this 7 day trip will give you a great overview. The guides were outstanding and handled all aspects of the trip with grace.Victoria C. ★★★★★ I am so excited to start thus new journey and be a part of explorer chick!!!!! Amazing!!Dorianne H. ★★★★★ Wow !!! This trip with Explorer Chicks was truly amazing. We went to Yosemite and backpacked and hiked Half Dome. Such a fantastic trip with so many emotions and thrills of accomplishment. Hats off to our guide Kirstie Mulliken, she is such an amazing guide. She herself, backpacked with 55lbs, 😳😳😳 She made us incredible meals (and wouldn’t even allow us to help her clean up), she empowered us to push ourselves and over all, she is an incredible person at such a young age. She made our trip memorable and we can’t wait to search for another trip, and hopefully have her as a guide !!!! 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