International Arrivals

Bienvenidos a la República Dominicana (welcome to the Dominican Republic)!

Individual airport transfers from Puerto Plata International Airport (POP) will be arranged today based on your arrival time. A representative will welcome you in the arrivals hall and connect you with your driver, who will transfer you to the hotel in Cabarete, approximately 30 minutes away.

Check in to your hotel, the beachside Velero Beach Resort, and take some time to settle in before this evening’s Welcome Dinner.

Overnight: Velero Beach Resort

Full Day with DREAM project

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel this morning before departing for your first grantee visit with the DREAM Project! After breakfast, you will drive through Cabarete to DREAM’s flagship center, which opened in 2009. Over the next two days you will learn and see firsthand how the organization’s literacy, early childhood education, youth leadership, and community programs provide quality education and resources to at-risk children and youth. Through DREAM’s Única program that Together Women Rise provided funding for, the organization seeks to dismantle traditional gender norms and develop girls’ and women’s skills in leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication. This project aims to improve knowledge about sexual and reproductive health, equip women and girls with skills to make healthy decisions, and foster gender-equitable attitudes.

Today’s visit will start with a tour of the center to learn about programs that empower young men and women through sports, games, and peer-to-peer leadership. You’ll then have the opportunity to experience their work in action by participating in activities with the youth at their center.

In the afternoon, you will have lunch at a seafood restaurant that overlooks the Rio Yasica, a river that flows from the mountains outside of Cabarete. Afterwards, return to the center for a conversation on what it is like to be a girl/woman in the Dominican Republic in all areas of daily life including education, employment, entrepreneurship, healthcare, reproductive rights and governmental policies.

Return to your hotel this evening to rest and relax. Then join the group for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Overnight: Velero Beach Resort

Full Day with DREAM project

After an early breakfast, set out for your second full day with the DREAM Project. Today you’ll tour DREAM in Charlie; a newer site located in an adjacent community called La Ciénaga. Here, the DREAM Project has its Young Stars after school academic reinforcement program, which includes English, literacy, STEAM, arts, and sports. DREAM en Charlie also houses a Montessori classroom. You’ll have a full day to learn about the program, observe classes and participate in a workshop led by youth leaders at the center.

In the late afternoon, return to the hotel. The hotel offers different evening activities such as a sunset meditation that you are welcome to join on your own, or relax at the beach before tonight’s group dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Velero Beach Resort

Half Day with The Mariposa Foundation

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel, then drive to The Mariposa Foundation’s Center for Girls for a half day visit at their center where you will tour the center and engage in activities with the girls, including their classes or morning circles. Through these activities you will experience firsthand how their programming empowers young girls in the community through life skills, education, and mentorship.

Mariposa Foundation requires that all visitors sign their various waiver forms and codes of conduct before visiting their center. You must sign and send their forms prior to the trip to be permitted into the center. Please download the forms here and email them to Dana (dana@elevatedestinations.com) by February 3, 2025.

In the afternoon, enjoy lunch at a local cafe, Cabarete Coffee Company, that benefits The Mariposa Foundation. After lunch, visit local female entrepreneurs at Corito Sostenible, an environmental education program that teaches participants about sustainable gardening practices focusing on composting techniques. They will explain their waste management programs being carried out by the local communities in Cabarete.

Return to your hotel and enjoy free time before having dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Overnight: Velero Beach Resort

Half Day with The Mariposa Foundation

After breakfast, drive to El Choco National Park. Explore the park’s famous, 5-million-year-old, natural cave system, and learn about the local ecosystem here as you swim in the fresh spring waters. The tour will be led by one of the national park’s local guides. Wear comfortable clothes, walking shoes, and a swimsuit as this tour will be at least one hour of walking and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to swim in the beautiful water.

Afterwards, have lunch by the beach in Cabarete, then return to the Mariposa Foundation to spend the afternoon with the older girls in their community. During the afternoon visit, you’ll have the opportunity to join their classes and engage in conversations about the bigger life questions they’re moving through, facilitated by the Mariposa team.

Return to the hotel to freshen up before this evening’s group dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Overnight: Velero Beach Resort

Puerto Plata

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel, then head into town for a day in Tenares, which is about a 2 hour drive south from the hotel. First you will visit the Casa Museo Hermanas Mirabal. The museum is a tribute to three of the Mirabal sisters who were assassinated on November 25, 1960 because of their resistance against the dictator, Rafael Trujillo. The Mirabal sisters have been honored by female activists worldwide and in their honor, November 25 has been declared the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The museum is the Mirabal sisters’ mother’s house, and during your visit, and you will hear their stories as you step into their world.

Their story has been produced into many books and films, listed below.

• Book & Film: “In the Time of the Butterflies” written by Julia Alvarez (featured as one of Rise’s Book Club selections; watch the Book Club event with author Julia Alvarez here)
• Documentary: “Code Name: Butterflies,” by Chilean filmmaker, Cecilia Domeyko
• Film: “Tropico de Sangre,” produced by Michelle Rodriguez
• Book: “The Feast of the Goat” by Mario Vargas Llosa

After the museum, visit the Chocolate Jungle, run by a local family, to learn about the DR’s cacao industry. Have a traditional Dominican lunch, then take part in a cacao workshop to discover the process and history of a female-based local cacao cooperative. At the end of the workshop, delight in the fruits of your labor by tasting the chocolate you have made.

This evening, come together for a farewell dinner to reflect on the momentous week you’ve had.

Overnight: Velero Beach Resort

Departures

After breakfast this morning, check out of your hotel and meet your driver for your transfer to the airport. Safe journeys home or onward to your next destination!

For more information about this incredible journey to the Dominican Republic with Together Women Rise, be sure to visit the following pages:

Pricing & Registration
Pre-Departure Information
Health & Safety
Destination Information
Extend Your Travel
About Elevate Destinations