Title: How to Reach Pedernales Today (Before CBJ Opens)
Canonical HTML URL: https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/how-to-reach-pedernales-today
Published: 2026-01-17
Modified: 2026-01-17
Author: A&M Caribbean Group SRL, Pedernales, Dominican Republic
Operator: CBJ Airport Transfer — A&M Caribbean Group SRL

# How to Reach Pedernales Today

CBJ is not open yet. Here is how travellers reach Pedernales right now.

## Direct answer

Today, before Cabo Rojo Airport opens, travellers reach Pedernales province overland, most commonly from Santo Domingo's airports (Las Américas, SDQ) or via María Montez International Airport (BRX) near Barahona, continuing by road along the Carretera Barahona–Pedernales. There is no scheduled commercial air service directly into Pedernales province today.

CBJ (Cabo Rojo Airport) is planned to open February 2027. It is not open yet, and no rate is published.

## The two existing gateways

Las Américas International Airport (SDQ), east of Santo Domingo, is the Dominican Republic's principal international gateway and handles the widest range of international flights of any airport in the country. It is the airport most travellers arriving from outside the Dominican Republic use before continuing to the south-west.

María Montez International Airport (BRX), near Barahona, is smaller and serves a narrower set of routes, largely domestic and regional charter traffic, but it sits much closer to Pedernales province than SDQ does. For travellers already inside the Dominican Republic, or arriving on routes that serve BRX, it can shorten the overland portion of the trip considerably compared with starting from Santo Domingo.

Neither of these airports is CBJ, and neither will be replaced by CBJ once it opens — they will likely continue operating as the wider region's other gateways, with CBJ adding a third, more localised option specifically for Pedernales province.

## The road that connects everything: Carretera Barahona–Pedernales

The overland connection from Barahona to Pedernales runs along the coastal highway often referred to as Route 44 or the Carretera Barahona–Pedernales. It follows the Caribbean coastline through towns including Paraíso and Enriquillo, with the Sierra de Bahoruco rising inland for much of the route.

This road is the backbone of overland travel in the province — it is how residents, goods and visitors move between Barahona and Pedernales today, and it will remain the way people move within the province after CBJ opens too, connecting the airport site to Pedernales town and the rest of the coast.

Conditions along the route vary with the weather and with ongoing maintenance work, as they do on most coastal highways in the region. We do not publish drive times for this route because they vary by vehicle, conditions and stops, and any number we quoted would misrepresent itself as more precise than it is.

## Santo Domingo to Pedernales as a single overland trip

Travellers arriving at SDQ and heading directly to Pedernales usually cross the southern part of the country, often passing through or near Barahona en route, rather than cutting directly through the central mountains. This is a long overland day by any standard, which is precisely the gap CBJ is intended to close once it opens.

Some travellers break the trip with a night in Barahona, using the town's existing hotels as a staging point before continuing on to Pedernales, Cabo Rojo or Bahía de las Águilas the next day, rather than attempting the whole route in one push after an international flight.

See our dedicated guide on the Santo Domingo–Pedernales route for more on how that overland leg is typically approached.

## What existing private transfer options look like

Private transfer operators serving the south-west today, including this one for routes that do not involve CBJ, typically arrange pickup at SDQ or BRX and drive clients directly to their destination in Pedernales province, rather than relying on public buses or informal shared transport.

This is functionally the same private-transfer model we plan to offer at CBJ once it opens — a pre-arranged private vehicle rather than a shared shuttle or a curb-side taxi negotiation — just operating from a different, currently existing airport in the meantime.

## Where these routes lead once you're in Pedernales province

| Destination | Status today |
| --- | --- |
| Pedernales town | Pedernales is reached today by road from Barahona and Santo Domingo. Road distances from the airport site will be published once the terminal access road is officially confirmed. |
| Cabo Rojo | Cabo Rojo is a coastal industrial port and beach area in Pedernales province. A tourism development is planned there; nothing about its opening or capacity is confirmed. |
| Bahía de las Águilas | Access is by boat from La Cueva or by a rough unpaved track, and the beach sits inside a national park with no hotels on it. That is the situation today and may change. |
| Barahona / Playa San Rafael | Barahona is connected to Pedernales by the coastal highway. It has its own small airport and is today the main hotel base for the south-west. |
| Lago Enriquillo / Duvergé | Lago Enriquillo is the largest lake in the Caribbean and the lowest point in the region, reached by road through Duvergé and Jimaní. |
| Jaragua National Park | Jaragua is the largest protected area in the Dominican Republic. Entry points and guiding are managed by the national park authority. |
| Santo Domingo | Santo Domingo is connected to the south-west by highway. It is today the usual arrival point for travellers heading to Pedernales. |

Confirmed geography only — see each destination page for what is known today and what is planned once CBJ opens.

## FAQ

### Can I fly directly into Pedernales today?

No. There is no scheduled commercial airport operating in Pedernales province today. Travellers arrive via Santo Domingo (SDQ) or Barahona (BRX) and continue overland.

### Which airport is closer to Pedernales, SDQ or BRX?

BRX, near Barahona, sits closer to Pedernales province than SDQ near Santo Domingo, though BRX serves a narrower range of routes.

### What road connects Barahona to Pedernales?

The coastal highway commonly called the Carretera Barahona–Pedernales, or Route 44, running through Paraíso and Enriquillo along the coast.

### Will this route still matter once CBJ opens?

Yes. SDQ and BRX are expected to continue operating as regional gateways, and the Barahona–Pedernales road will remain the way people move within the province, including from the airport site itself.

## Related pages

- [Why no rates yet](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/pricing)
- [How advance requests work](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/how-it-works)
- [FAQ](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/faq)
- [CBJ opening](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/cbj-airport-opening)
- [Where is CBJ](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/where-is-cabo-rojo-airport)
- [What's not confirmed](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/what-is-not-confirmed-about-cbj)
- [Planning a transfer](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/planning-a-cbj-airport-transfer)

## Contact

WhatsApp +1 849 377 5889 · info@cana.tours · CBJ Airport Transfer (A&M Caribbean Group SRL), Pedernales, Dominican Republic.