Can I Drink the Water in the Dominican Republic?

A Guide to Clean Drinking Water in the Dominican Republic

This is one of the first questions on everyone’s mind when they get here. It was definitely on mine when I arrived. The short answer is no, but don’t worry, I’ll tell you exactly what the process for getting clean water is here if you decide to venture off the resort.

The tap water in the Dominican Republic is generally not safe to drink. (But let’s be honest, you probably shouldn’t be drinking the tap water in the US either) It is clean enough for washing hands and washing dishes, but often has microorganisms that will make you sick if you drink it. Even the locals don’t drink the tap water here.

So what do you do?

The Dominican Republic is has really great systems for making sure clean water is available and it’s not hard to access.

So What Water Can I Drink Here?

Every corner market (called a Colmado) and grocery store sells large 5 gallon jugs of filtered water and that is what is used by locals and tourists alike for their drinking and cooking water. We have ours on a water cooler that does hot and cold water and you can also get inexpensive pumps that fit right over the top of the jug. The water is clean and very neutral tasting. I’m not a big fan of a lot of the filtered water in the US; I find it bitter, so I really appreciate that the water here has a very neutral taste.

How Do I Get Filtered Water To My Apartment In The Dominican Republic

There are a couple ways to get clean drinking water to where you’re staying in the Dominican Republic. If you’re staying at a resort, you will want to check with them directly as they all have their own systems to make sure you have what you need during your stay. If you’re staying off a resort you’ll need to take matters into your own hands, but don’t worry, it’s not difficult.

Option 1: Go Get it Yourself

As I mentioned above, every colmado and grocery store has water for sale. If you have an empty jug to exchange, water costs 65 pesos (Approximately $1.25) for 5 gallons. Bring your empty jug to the counter and they will switch it out for a full one. If you don’t have a jug to exchange, you can buy a new one for 300 pesos and then when you’re finished with it return it to the colmado and let them switch it out for a full one.

Option 2: Get it Delivered

If you’re not super excited about the idea of lugging around 5 gallon jugs around town you can have them delivered to your house. Here in Dominicus and in Bayahibe, delivery is super common. Employees of the colmados will ride motos with baskets on the back and bring water and groceries. Delivery doesn’t cost extra but we recommend you tip your delivery driver.

All deliveries here are run through WhatsApp. You get the WhatsApp number of your local colmado and you can call or text them. Here in Dominicus, we use a colmado called Mini Market Caribe for our water deliveries and most of our grocery shopping. Their WhatsApp is +1 (829) 291-0962.

If you would like to text them, you can copy and paste this message:

Hola, buenos días. Quiero un delivery de cambio de botellón de agua, por favor.
Dirección: [Your Address Here] Gracias!

Sustainability

I appreciate this method of water distribution because it provides clean water without as much environmental impact as buying water bottles. Plastic water bottles are single use and therefore so harmful to the environment. The water jugs are not single use. They are cleaned and refilled over and over which is far more sustainable.

Now you know how to get clean drinking water to where you’re staying in the Dominican Republic. Let me know how it goes in the comments below!