Call Today: 801-683-0123
Menu
June 19-28, 2024
Hosted by Scott & Suzanne Palmer
Tour Includes
Not Included:
Service Projects
Water Filter Manufacturing
The water crisis is a reality that plagues the entire world. In the Dominican Republic alone, more than three million people have no access to piped water. One solution already being implemented is the production and distribution of clay water filters, which mean far fewer children and adults will miss school or work due to water-borne illnesses.
On this humanitarian vacation, you will have the opportunity to work alongside established organizations and local artisans in the entire filter-making process: gathering and mixing the raw materials, working the clay, shaping and firing the filters, testing the quality of the finished product, and distributing the finished filters to needy families. In this family-friendly activity, even smaller children will find ways to do their part.
This is a 1/2 day project. There is a 45 minute drive from the hotel to the factory. After that, we will deliver the filters to families.
Concrete Flooring
As our guest, you will have the opportunity to help improve the lives and health of the Dominican people from the ground up. Literally. In the homes of poorer communities, the common basic dirt floors are a genuine health risk. They pick up dust during the dry season and retain dampness and puddles in the rainy season. And they’re impossible to clean, which means that anything spilled on the floor or tracked into the house, however unhygienic, tends to stay put.
Every month, homes in a different small area of a community will be chosen to be upgraded with new concrete floors. Can’t you see yourself pouring concrete and working alongside the homeowners and other members of the surrounding community, including children and teenagers, helping them create surroundings they’ll be proud to take care of and maintain. The families are so appreciative. The average cost of the new concrete floor is $200. Part of your fees pay for the materials of this humanitarian project.
This is 1/2 day project.
15-45 minute drive from the hotel to the home.
Physical labor incudes: mixing, shoveling, carrying buckets and smoothing out the concrete. bring some work clothes. gloves will be provided.
Women’s Cooperative Chocolate Factory
The poorest half of the Dominican Republic’s population receives less than one-fifth of the country’s annual GDP. But the economic opportunities are there. And so is the willingness to take advantage of them. One local women’s cooperative is actively involved in the cultivation of organic chocolate (cacao) plants, an important source of income for the Puerto Plata region. As our guest, you can participate in the complete production cycle: from planting and cultivating the organic cacao trees, to preparing the raw materials, to producing and packaging the final product for sale. By helping to improve production and increase sales, you’ll also be helping the organization to thrive so it can hire more local women, providing critical income in a region with limited.
This is 1/2 day project.
1 hour drive from the hotel to the factory.
Physical labor incudes: packaging, sorting, and pouring into molds. Wear work clothes, gloves will be provided.
Bring money to purchase chocolate gifts. The proceeds go to the cause.
English Teaching and Activities
On a national level, young Dominicans face almost insurmountable obstacles to academic success. One of the skills in demand by local employers is basic English. However, a shortage of trained English teachers and lack of academic support at home make a formalized English learning curriculum difficult to sustain. You’ll have the opportunity to work with both teachers and students on activities designed to create interest and excitement in the learning process and aid in language retention.
You’ll engage in games, simple vocabulary lessons, and small-group conversations that provide much-needed confidence. And you’ll find that this kind of positive impact on the life of a child is one of the most gratifying experiences a traveler can have. Your humanitarian impact can anticipates that, within five years, more than 2,200 of the students whose lives we’ve touched will have achieved working proficiency in English and will be prepared for jobs that can raise the income levels of their families.
Spend 1/2 the day with the kids or adults.
Travel 30 minutes
Entrepreneurship – Recycled Paper Crafts
Recycled Paper and Crafts Entrepreneurship is another group of enterprising Dominican women have formed an association to create and sell arts and crafts from locally recycled paper. In addition to participating in the entire paper recycling process, you’ll have the opportunity to support all aspects of the association’s program, including creating new products for sale, expanding the association’s distribution network, and helping to establish a more formal process for taking their products to market. This support provides critical income and will ultimately allow the women to expand their association as their business grows. As our guest, you can have a positive, hands-on impact on both programs, not only helping the women benefit from steady sources of income but also contributing to increased English skills that can help them sell their products more effectively.
This is 1/2 day project.
20 minute drive from the hotel to the factory/store.
Physical labor incudes: tearing paper, screening the paper, and gluing strips of the paper.
Payment Terms: $300 pp deposit required at booking. Final payment due 90 days before departure.
**this tour is based off of a minimum of 20 passengers and a maximum of 40 passengers
Recreational Activities
Damajagua 27 Waterfalls
The Damajagua 27 Waterfalls is a popular tourist destination known for its jungle beauty and adventure activities. This attraction offers visitors the opportunity to hike through lush tropical forests and experience the thrill of sliding, swimming, and jumping through a series of stunning waterfalls of varying heights.
The number of waterfalls available to jump and slide are limited due to precipitation levels of the season. Usually we do anywhere between 4 and 7 jumps and slides as a group.
Is there a better way to add some adventure into your humanitarian vacation?
Teleferico
We will have the chance to ride to the top of Mt. Isabel de Torres on the cable car — Teleferico — in Puerto Plata. This cable car ride is roughly 5 minutes and allows you to have amazing views of the mountain, the city of Puerto Plata below, and the beach lining the coast!
At the top of Mt Isabel de Torres are botanical gardens that guests will have the opportunity to wander and explore, as well as see the massive Christ the Redeemer statue (similar to the one in Brazil).
We will also explore other culturally significant sites to Puerto Plata.
Outback Safari
On one of the days we will take a ride as part of an “outback safari.” This will be an open jeep bus ride that we take through the much more rural parts of the Dominican Republic. This will provide us an opportunity to view the amount of humanitarian aid this country really stands in need of, as well as experience the culture at a more face value!
We will take stops along the way to visit locals, learn food and culture, and enjoy a swim in a local river!
This outback adventure changes from year to year so it is always a refreshing view, even when you’ve been on this tour before!
Check out our videos on different service and recreational activities in the Dominican Republic!
Accommodations
Blue Jack Tar Resort
Away from the bustle of Puerto Plata and other cities, Blue Jack Tar makes a lovely addition to our tour. This is one of the things that puts the “vacation” in “Humanitarian Vacation.”
Resort accommodations include breakfast each morning, as well as basic room amenities. For example, fully air conditioned rooms, cleaning services daily, clean drinking water stocked in the fridge, and beach towels provided. This resort also has multiple restaurants to choose from for dinner options.
Another fun addition is the little mall within the resort boundaries. Plus, shops for souvenirs and fun pina colada treats are right on the beach! In fact, the actual Blue Jack Tar beach is beautiful clean sand with many beds and lounge chairs to soak up the sun. Enjoy the tropical paradise that this island is through our wonderful accommodations at Blue Jack Tar.
Legacy Tours & Travel
P.O. BOX 486 Bountiful, Utah 84011
info@legacytoursandtravel.com
Office: 801-683-0123
Toll-Free: 877-221-5161
Copyright © 2020 Legacy Tours and Travel | Site by Rebel Ape Marketing