ATV & Buggy Tours
Off-road through Puerto Plata's backcountry — sugarcane fields, mountain dirt roads, river crossings, and small farming villages. Half-day guided rides on either single-rider ATVs or 2-seat dune buggies. The dustiest, muddiest, most fun half-day you'll have on the trip.
If you want the fastest way to actually see the Dominican countryside, this is it.
Puerto Plata's hinterland — the rural countryside south and east of the resort strip — is where the real Dominican Republic lives. Sugarcane fields, small farming villages, banana and plantain plantations, mountain dirt roads, river crossings, and the occasional cattle herd in the road. Tourists rarely see any of it. ATV and dune buggy tours are the standard way to actually experience it: a guided convoy of 8–15 vehicles led by a local driver who knows every back road, with stops at a typical Dominican home for coffee or rum, sometimes a beach finish, sometimes a swim at a freshwater spring or river pool.
Two vehicle options. Single-rider ATVs are the classic — quad bikes that you drive yourself, usually 250cc Honda or Kawasaki sport quads, more athletic and slightly more challenging. Minimum age 16 with valid driver's license. 2-seat dune buggies are easier — open-frame side-by-side machines that families can share (one parent driving, kids in the passenger seat with seatbelt + helmet). No license required, age 5+ welcome as passenger. Both options follow the same trail circuits.
What the day looks like
Pickup at Cofresí around 8:30 AM. 30-minute transfer to the operator's base outside the city. Safety briefing, helmet and goggles fitted, a 10-minute test ride in a flat practice area, then convoy departure into the countryside. Most tours run 90 minutes to 2 hours of riding, with 2–3 stops along the route — a typical Dominican home or farm visit, a freshwater swim spot, a small beach for the photo finish. Lunch (basic Dominican plate of rice, beans, grilled chicken) at the operator's base before the drive back. Total: 3.5–4 hours, back at Cofresí by 1:00 PM.
Mud, dust, or both
The trip changes character with the weather. Dry season (December–March) means dust — your face, hair, and clothes will be brown by the end. Pack a bandana or buff for your nose and mouth. Wet season (May–October) means mud — sometimes deep, sometimes river crossings up to the wheel hubs. Either way, you're getting dirty. Wear clothes that can be ruined. Many guests bring a change of clothes and a plastic bag for the return ride.
See the off-road experience
Practical tips
Photo gallery
Photo placeholders — real images dropping soon.
Stay at Cofresí. Get muddy.
ATV and buggy tours are 30 minutes from Cofresí. Resort tour desk books pickup, transfer, equipment, lunch, and the return — typically $90–$120 per person. The dirtiest, most fun half-day on the menu.
See the Cofresí Resort Package