Teleférico: Puerto Plata Cable Car

The only aerial tram in the Caribbean is located in Puerto Plata.  It is a 8 minute ride up to the top of Pico Isabel de Torres, which is a 2500 ft. high mountain within the city. 










We took a taxi from our marina to the tram.  Toby, our taxi driver, dropped us off and we asked him to come back 2 hours later.  He charged us $50 round trip from the marina, a 30 minute one-way ride. 









While we were waiting for our turn to board the tram, a local Dominican band played for us... for tips, of course!  

The cable cars were packed! There were local Dominicans as well as tourists. We paid 350 pesos to ride.. which is about $8.50 USA. The local Dominicans paid 250 pesos.










View from inside the tram on the way up. Heads were bobbing up and down and cameras and cell phones were snapping. It was hard to take photos.

Susan and her not-so-welcoming Bee

As soon as we exited the tram departure area, LA asked me to pose next to some tropical plants, and soon after, I was stung by a bee! (see the photo for the little stinker!) It hurt! I wasn't about to let my trip get ruined by a little bee!  I asked a tourist to give me his cigarette butt when he finished.  He looked at me like I was crazy.  I took the tobacco and moistened it, and applied it to my bee sting.  Immediate relief!  It pays to know home remedies!

The view from the top was spectacular. Clouds drifted in and out. The white house in the background is where the tram lands. It was a short hike up to the top of the mountain.






The top of the mountain had trails that led to botanical gardens.  Before the trip started, there were guides hawking around trying to convince people that they would get lost exploring the top of the mountain. For a nominal fee, they would provide a guided tour of the mountaintop.  No, thank you! If we could get to the DR on a boat, we sure didn't need a guide here!

The top of the mountain features a 52-foot high replica of Christ the Redeemer statue, the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro. It is similar to, but smaller than, its' Rio de Janeiro counterpart.  Many photos are taken here showing the statue in different photo-ops. Yes, we were typical tourists!






Our spectacular view of city of Puerto Plata, the Atlantic Ocean, and the countryside! 










We had a beautiful day to take photographs and enjoy the stunning views.

Our boat is located at Ocean World Marina, which on the left side of the photo near the ocean. Click on the photo to get a close-up view.

The top of the mountain features a botanical garden with beautiful tropical plants.   We took an hour hike along the pathways and it was lush, green, and cool at the top of the mountain. 




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We enjoyed our cable car ride.  It gave us a chance to check out all of the beautiful scenery around us.  It left us wanting to see more of this beautiful country!  Until next time...