The best hurricane hole in the Northern Caribbean
Located on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, Luperon is the safest haven for cruisers since the days of Christopher Columbus.
With it’s fertile ecosystem, secure mangroves, surrounded by rolling hills, Luperon is one of the best harbors in the Caribbean to survive a major storm.
A unique experience as you wait for your weather window
Many cruisers have come to Luperon and fell in love with the place. Learn why many have sold their boats and setup homes in this little paradise.
A place where visitors become residents
Many cruisers come to Luperon and end up retiring here. Luperon as vibrant ex-pat community and the real estate is affordable for those on a budget.
Welcome to Luperon, Dominican Republic
Welcome to luperon.info a guide for cruisers and travelers to Luperon and the Dominican Republic. Many cruisers spend hurrricane season here before they continue their voyage of the Caribbean Islands. Spanish is the native language however you’ll find many friendly English speaking locals to translate. Due to low land prices and construction costs, several sailors have dropped their anchors ashore and live in beautiful houses that have great views. Cruisers communicate via VHF radio Channel 68 and Channel 72 for the Wednesday and Sunday Cruisers net at 8:00 AM local time.
Location
Transportation
Amenities
Haul Out Facilities
Location
Luperon town on the north coast of the Dominican Republic is the perfect hurricane hole of the Caribbean for cruisers. Puerto Blanco Bay has never had a direct hit from a hurricane as the mountains to the south break up the hurricanes. The locals consequently call the harbour Gracias de Dios (Thanks to God).
Transportation
The Dominican Republic has an expansive system of public buses and cars that can get you practically anywhere on the island. There are also private cars and taxis that can also accommodate trips throughout the island.
Since Luperon is in a remote location, there are two main ways to get out of Luperon and into other parts of the island.
First, there is a large public bus operated by a company called Transporte de Cibao. They have two buses leaving daily from Luperon. The first leaves at 4:30am and operates service from Luperon to Santo Domingo. The second bus arrives in Luperon at 1:00pm and leaves at 1:30pm. This bus operates on a local service. This means that you can request that the driver let you off the bus along the route.
Your second option is the public cars. They begin service at 5:30am and run between Luperon and Imbert until 8:30pm. Once you arrive in Imbert there are buses and cars that you can transfer to that can take you to other destinations throughout the island.
If you are interested in a taxi or rental car, please contact cliff@luperon.info and he can help to arrange a taxi or rental car.
Amenities
Luperon was basically countryside (campo) but is has grown throughout the years. There is now a thriving businesses community operating throughout the town and you can basically get most of what you need without venturing too far away. You can change your money from US dollars to pesos in a few places. The best exchange rates are found at the Western Union office located near the Supermarcado Payero. There are two local hardware stores, which carries a vast array of goods. There is a marine story, Repuestos Freddy, which carries some new an used boat parts. They can also help you to source items that they may not have in stock.
There are several small restaurants and bars in town, in case you want to come ashore and blow off a little steam.
Haul Out Facilities
Need to get on the hard to make some bottom repairs?
Luperon Marina is the only full service marina located in Luperon, Dominican Republic. Their facilities include a Haul Out Facilities, Stern to docking and an entire array of services. Marina Docking, Dry Docking, Haul Out Facilities. Their facilities include showers and restroom, Laundry facilites, Free WIFI, electricity and water.
For more info visit there website at LuperonMarina.net 
This place is primed for a big boom. They have some of the cheapest real estate prices in the entire Caribbean.
Sailor
Before our trip we read all sorts of terrible things about Luperon. We are so glad we didn’t take any of that nonsense to heart and came anyways. What a great experience. We stayed for hurricane season and rode out two major hurricanes without a scratch. We met some amazing people.
Cruisers
Affordable costal living is scarce. But it still exists in undiscovered Luperon
What to expect upon arrival by boat.
For years this has been a topic of discussion that has never been properly addressed. We are here to clear up the myths and rumors.
Cruisers Net: VHF channel 68 Sunday & Wednesday: for local help and knowledge, fuel etc.
The Tourism office are also happy to help with any problems, complaints or advice on local information.
Dealing with the Authorities
Spanish is the official language of the Dominican Republic. Learning a basic understand of the language tends to made everything an easier experience.
Whilst the authorities in Luperon have received many negative reports in the past, it does appear as of 2016 that they are showing greater compliance with the official rate list posted here. Most of these complaints were made by people who could not read the rate list posted outside of the Portuaria office because it was in Spanish. However, everything listed is the law.
In an effort to clear up this confusion, Luperon.info has translated this document to English so there should no longer be any confusion about the rates that are charged.
Upon arrival, anchor anywhere and hoist a Q flag and wait for Dominican entry officials. You will likely be visited by 3 officials: the Military, Immigration and Drug Control. It is customary to offer them a cold soft drink.
After the inspection on board, take your dinghy to the government dock and walk into town to complete paperwork ashore. At the outskirts, to the left is a path leading to a small bridge and the hilltop naval outpost. The commandante will record your presence, giving you legal permission to land.
All officials are situated in a group of temporary portacabins at the end of the pier next to the dinghy dock. Visit Immigration first where you pay for your vessel and number of passengers and get your tourist cards. Then the Port Authority who just want vessel information. Finally the Department of Agriculture where there is a small fee to cover garbage disposal etc.
Obtaining an international zarpe here is reported to take some time, so visit the authorities 2 days before departure to ensure you get the zarpe the day you need it.
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