You have to do this tour with our guide, Juan! - Wow!!! Do this tour if you are in Puerto Plata! Worth every penny! Our tour guide Juan (spoke in three languages fluently) took us to a cheese factory, then a chocolate factory, then in the hills to see how the poor people live in their homes, then to see cigars being made, then a patisserie, and we even had a wonderful lunch. Juan gave us so much local information about the lives of people living in the DR. SO WORTH IT!!

Great cultural tour - should be required - This tour was excellent. It was well-priced compared to similar ones I had seen. The guide, Alberto, was excellent. He speaks a ridiculous amount of languages and made sure everyone had the best time. You stop at a chocolate place, a cheese factory (this sounded really boring to me but ended up being one of my favorite parts of the tour), an authentic farm house (where a family actively lives), a small tobacco plantation/gift shop, a small bakery where they make a traditional cookie, and a buffet lunch. I felt like I got to see a more real side of the DR on this tour by zero bc products that locals produce and use, plus you get to see the countryside and what the small towns here look like. I feel like this should be a required tour for anyone who goes to Puerto Plata and stays on a beach resort. Super interesting tour. And I didn’t feel like any of it was rushed (I usually like to take my time places). Highly recommend this tour with this company.

Alberto is the best guide! - The cultural escape excursion was so amazing, and Alberto our tour guide made the entire day even better! The places you visit will truly immerse you into the Dominican culture, and let you see how hard working everybody is. Met so many local people who welcomed us into their homes/places of work. Alberto was so knowledgeable about everything and shared so much with us. He called us his “familia” the entire day, which really put a smile on our faces every time. Thank you for such a great experience! Would definitely recommend.

A look at local life in Dominican Republic - My husband, son and I made our first visit to Dominican Republic last week via Sunwing and we chose this tour halfway through our time there. It was reasonably priced (as exclusions go) and we booked through the Sunwing rep with Nexus Tours/Camel Safari Exploring. It was a full day; we were picked up at 7:15 in an open air truck for a wind-blown fast trip to pick up other guests in different hotels. Our tour guide was Junior; our driver Odeli. Junior was fun, friendly, well versed in all the details about each place we visited as well as lots of information about the country and its people. Odeli was friendly and helpful. We learned a lot at the cheese factory and had a fascinating walk-through. We went to a cacao farm/store and sampled a variety of things made with the cacao bean (also an opportunity to buy) We stopped at store with two men rolling cigars. Of course, part of the visit was to shop for local items, the iconic larimar stone and Mamajuana drink. We bought some larimar bracelets from granddaughters and earrings (rather than from the sellers on the beach where we couldn't be sure of quality). The store owner assured us the silver was real (however, my ears were burning from nickel allergy an hour after wearing earrings, but buyer beware!) Back to the tour: there was a stop for lunch at a wonderful little cafe and the food was excellent. I'll dream about the fried chicken! One of the best parts of the tour, aside from Junior's commentary, was the ability to see local life along the streets as we drove from place to place. If you're quick with your camera, you can capture a lot of everyday life. We took some backroads to see a replica of an old farm (not sure where the people live, but what we saw was probably original buildings). The family was lovely; the daughter (in law?) made coffee over a traditional outdoor firepit. Gramma/Abuela Catalina (Carolina?), 86, sat with us as we watched a son make a broom with palm leaves. Goats, chickens and a friendly dog. On one stop, there was demonstration of pressing sugar cane and a young woman made a batch of molasses cookies (which was nice, but didn't live up to the 'bakery' advertised. And we did not see a 'secluded' beach as advertised. The visit covered a lot of sights and despite some obvious poverty, people were welcoming and friendly. That applied to ordinary people on the street, not just those scheduled on the tour. Be prepared for a full day and take water; we got back to our hotel about 5:30 pm. Be sure to check for any belongings you bring with you in the open truck; we left an umbrella behind and despite immediate reports to our hotel (Viva Tangerine), a report to the Sunwing rep, and an online report to Nexus, it disappeared. We recommend this tour for anyone who wants to have a better look at life in DR. Junior and Odeli were wonderful and Junior provided so much more than the scripted tour info. Both helped our son who has a disability throughout the day and included him in the fun and banter during the tour. We definitely recommend this tour; just relax a bit and accept a few differences from the advertised tour.

The informative tours to... - The informative tours to the cheese and chocolate factories. There was a little too much stress on buying items… but the shared narrative was very interesting . Very nice guide and driver

Save Your Time and Money! - 03/26/2020 We just returned on the 19th of March after being in the DR for 2 weeks. We bought the tour while on the airplane on the way to Puerto Plata. We read the description in the brochure, in depth, and thought what a great way to see and learn about the country and culture. We tend to gravitate more towards this sort of thing versus the 'adventure adrenaline junky' tours. Boy, were we wrong! The only positive, other than being picked up in a covered, windowless truck with bench seating (which was quite comfortable considering it was quite hot that day) and truthful thing about the description in both guides, was the tour of the cheese factory. It was insightful, informative and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone...but it went downhill after that and we were not the only ones to say that on the tour. After leaving the cheese factory, we were driven, for which seemed like miles, but was probably only 5 or 10 miles, into the countryside to a little village to visit this little old lady who served us coffee and we were made to bang on drums...oh ya, and leave a tip! We couldn't understand what that stop was all about other than to show life in the countryside...which coincidently, was not on any brochure! The next stop was a visit to where they supposedly made organic oils and such and given the opportunity to purchase overpriced herbs and oils. This was supposed to be the 'typical artisans house' and place where they supposedly made bread, but we didn't see any artisans or bread being made. But you could definitely purchase Vanilla for $6 US where we purchased the same product 2 days previous in Puerto Plata, at the market, for under $1 US. Shameful! On we went to the Cacao plantation/factory where the tour took us in a small circle through the Cacao trees. Took all of 5 minutes or less. Again, on to the visitor centre where they had you sit on chairs, watching a 'sales pitch' for the products that were produced at the centre, but here you could taste the cacao which they served hot. We didn't get to go into the factory and see how everything was made, although you could see workers going about their jobs. Informative, somewhat, but again trying to sell you something. The tour, if you can call it that, of the 'cigar factory' was a total deceitful farce at best. You get dropped off at this store front location where you're herded in and given a demonstration of cigar rolling, along with a history lesson of cigar leaves and such. You have the option to go into the walk-in humidor or peruse the store where you can buy made elsewhere trinkets to take home and collect dust! We weren't shown a tobacco plantation. We weren't shown a 'factory' where you would see the leaves drying and the whole process of what it takes to get leave from the field to the table where the cigars are eventually made. We were shown into a store, plain and simple! And the final visit of the tour...the 'hidden beach'! Which really wasn't hidden as we could see it from our resort! Again, what a complete farce and waste of our time and money! Top it off, the tour description in the brochure on the plane said nothing of this beach, nor were we given notice of being taken there when we made the booking. The only saving grace of this tour was the lunch they served. My wife and I, and others gave the lunch a 9/10. Fried chicken which was crispy, not greasy. Rice that wasn't clumpy and vegetables which were a perfect al dante. And they served us Rum if we wanted, no extra charge! We cannot endorse this tour as we felt it was a deceitful sham in every sense of the word! Would we recommend this tour - NO!