Cabarete
Cabarete is a small town on the north coast of the Dominican Republic . It belongs to the province of Puerto Plata and is located about 40 km east of the city of Puerto Plata . Cabarete achieved fame as a Caribbean water sports center.
According to Oficina Nacional de Estadistica (ONE), Cabarete had 14,606 inhabitants in 2010.
founding
Cabarete was founded in 1835 under the name "Cabaret" by the plantation and large landowner Zephaniah Kingsley from Florida, who is said to have bought very extensive land (35,000 acres , that is approx. 14,000 hectares ) in the north of the Dominican Republic because it was after him Under the US race law at the time, it was forbidden to marry a black woman. He is said to have married a total of four women, including Anna Kingsley, who was thirteen at the time of marriage and who later managed his estate.
Cabarete was made famous as a meeting place for surfers in 1984 by a windsurfer named Jean Laporte from Canada, who passed on information about the excellent surfing conditions in the bay of the previously small and insignificant fishing village to US and Canadian windsurfing magazines, whereupon it quickly spread formed a surfing community. Over time, more and more windsurfing schools and restaurants have gathered on a narrow band along the beach, later also other shops, banks and, since the late 1990s, kitesurfing schools.
location
Cabarete is located about 25 km east of the international airport of Puerto Plata directly on "Autopista 5", the main road from Puerto Plata to Río San Juan that runs parallel to the coast . Since two lagoons extend just a few meters behind it (Laguna de Cabarete, Laguna de Goleta), the street in the center of Cabarete has the character of an eye of a needle. The lagoons are a nature reserve and therefore not developed for tourism.
The infrastructure for water sports enthusiasts
Cabarete is considered the best spot for windsurfers, kitesurfers, wakeboarders and surfers in the Caribbean. World Cup races are held there regularly, for example the Kitesurfing World Cup (Copa Mundial Kitesurf) . Once a year the Master of the ocean is chosen in Cabarete , in a competition lasting several days from the sports of windsurfing , kite surfing and surfing . Since July 2006 the Cabarete Classic has also been taking place here, which includes the categories "Slalom" and "Freestyle" in windsurfing.
The windsurfers can be found on the main beach, which is located right in the center of the village. There are several surf schools under German and French management.
Kite surfers can be found about 1 kilometer west at the kite beach. There are a number of kite surfing schools there. The river mouth of the Río Yásica, called "La Boca" (at the eastern end of Cabarete) is also ideal for kitesurfing due to the shallow water and the wind from the sea. However, this is only recommended for experienced kiters, as the conditions on site demand the highest technical standards.
Surfers can be found at Playa Encuentro , about 5 kilometers west of Cabarete. There are three schools there where you can learn to surf.
Wakeboarders can be found at the mouth of the Río Yásica, called "La Boca". The spot is clean and free of unpleasant flora and fauna. It is ideal for wakeboarding, as it meanders through the tropical landscape at a depth of about one meter and is therefore as smooth as a mirror even in windy conditions.
Cabarete is considered a world-class spot for all four sports. In the meantime, not only numerous professional film teams have taken advantage of this.
tourism
In addition to the surf freaks, Canadian and US tourists as well as Europeans travel to Cabarete. The place has a youthful, 'hip' image because of the surfers. In addition to water sports, activities such as mountain biking, horse riding (on the beach or in the mountains), diving, golf, paintball or canyoning can be undertaken in Cabarete . The infrastructure of the small town is good, there are restaurants, cafes, bars, discos, banks, supermarkets, boutiques and surf shops.
Both called on the main beach of Cabarete, as well as at the mouth of the river Yásica (Access via, Camino del Sol 'or' Jardín deportivo '), "La Boca", one meets especially on Sundays tourists and local weekend tourists from Santiago de los Caballeros , the about 70 kilometers away, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic.
The dark side of tourism
Since around 2005, many apartments have been built in small closed resorts directly on the beach in Cabarete and sold at prices of around US $ 250,000 to 500,000. The customers are often North Americans, Russians and Dominicans (mostly from Santiago de los Caballeros). Much of the original infrastructure has to give way.
According to Law 256-97, it is forbidden in the province of Puerto Plata to build buildings with more than three floors. Some of the z. T. still under construction, z. Some apartment projects that have already been completed, however, have four floors. Surf schools complain that the wind is diverted by the ever higher and closed construction directly on the beach. In the past, however, the wind was Cabarete's main capital.
Many also fear that Cabarete will more and more transform itself from an idyllic surfing town with a very high proportion of local population to a resort for a few wealthy people, where it is not possible for most of the local residents to own or buy property for financial reasons.
Natural Park "El Choco" and "the Cabarete Caves"
Approx. One and a half kilometers from the center of Cabarete (access via the street "Callejón de la Loma") on the edge of the nature reserve "El Choco" there are underground caves where you can swim. In addition to the four touristically developed caves, there are further caves up to 700 meters long that are not used by tourists.
Others
- On February 6, 1996, a Boeing 757-225 of the Turkish airline Birgenair crashed into the sea ( Birgenair flight 301 ) and all 189 people on its way to Frankfurt am Main shortly after take-off in Puerto Plata due to an instrument failure as a result of a maintenance error off Cabarete Board died.
- Windsurfer Tony García from Cabarete won the renowned Aloha Classic windsurf competition in Hawaii in 2001 .
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ ONE: Perfiles Estadísticos Provinciales, Provincia Puerto Plata ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (As of 2010)
- ↑ Master Of The Ocean
Coordinates: 19 ° 45 ′ N , 70 ° 25 ′ W