Cable car · Puerto Plata
Puerto Plata cable car: the Caribbean's only aerial tramway (currently closed)
A cabin on the climb to the summit of Mount Isabel de Torres.
- The activity
- An aerial tramway climbing Pico Isabel de Torres, the mountain behind Puerto Plata. It opened in 1975 under the Balaguer government and is the only cable car of its kind in the Caribbean.
- Location
- Calle del Teleférico, on the southern edge of Puerto Plata, a short taxi ride from the Malecón and the cruise terminals at Amber Cove and Taíno Bay.
- Duration
- When running, roughly 8.30am to 5pm, at about $10 for adults and $5 for children aged four and up. Access to the mountain itself is free.
- Best time to arrive
- First thing. Cloud settles on Pico Isabel de Torres as the day warms, and the summit view is most reliable in the morning.
- Admission cost
- When running, roughly 8.30am to 5pm, at about $10 for adults and $5 for children aged four and up. Access to the mountain itself is free.
- Important: it is closed
- As of 2026 the Teleférico is out of service for repairs. Operators list it as subject to availability, and reviewers report arriving to find it shut. Confirm directly before booking any tour built around it.
- Hours and price
- When running, roughly 8.30am to 5pm, at about $10 for adults and $5 for children aged four and up. Access to the mountain itself is free.
- At the top
- A Christ the Redeemer statue standing on a fortress dome, roughly half the size of the Rio original; a botanical garden; viewpoints over the coast; caves and streams; and a few souvenir and food vendors.
- Getting up while it is closed
- Cars and taxis can drive to the summit. There is also a walking trail, which is not recommended. Allow two to three hours at the top to do the gardens and the viewpoints properly.
What to expect
The ride is short and the reward is the view rather than the journey: Puerto Plata laid out below, the Atlantic beyond it, and the Cordillera Septentrional running away inland. The summit is cooler and often cloudier than the coast, and reviewers repeatedly warn that a hot day in town can mean cold mist at the top.
The top is more than a viewpoint. The botanical garden is genuinely good, the Christ statue sits on the old fortress dome, and the paths take longer to walk than most people expect. With the tramway out of service the summit is still open, reached by car or taxi, and admission to the mountain costs nothing.
The honest takeaway
Reviews praise the view and the novelty, and criticise the queues, the rushed tour schedules and the unreliability of the tramway itself.
What visitors praise
- The view is the best in the region. On a clear day the whole north coast is visible from one spot.
- The mountain is free. With the tramway closed, a taxi to the summit costs less than the old ticket for two people.
- The gardens are worth the walk. Most tour groups skip them entirely.
- Cheap when running. About $10 for adults made it one of the best-value attractions in the country.
What visitors find difficult
- Closed for repairs. This is the headline problem: as of 2026 the tramway is not operating, and reviewers report turning up to find it shut.
- Cloud. The summit sits in cloud often enough that an overcast day can mean no view at all, and it is genuinely cold up there.
- Twenty minutes at the top. Packaged city tours allow far too little time for the gardens and the viewpoints.
- Queues when it runs. Cruise days concentrate hundreds of people at the base station at once.
Drawn from the recurring themes in public visitor reviews of the activity and the tours that reach it. We do not reproduce individual reviews or aggregate scores; for current ratings, check Viator or another booking platform directly.
Getting there
The base station is on Calle del Teleférico on the south side of Puerto Plata, a short taxi ride from the Malecón or Playa Dorada. While the tramway is out of service, taxis and rental cars drive the paved road to the summit instead.
Half-day and full-day city tours from Puerto Plata, Sosúa, Cabarete and the cruise ports include transport and combine the ride with Fortaleza San Felipe, Parque Independencia, the Amber Museum, the painted Umbrella Street and often a chocolate or rum factory.
How to make the most of the day
- 1Confirm the tramway is running before you pay. It has been closed for repairs, and a tour sold around the cable car may deliver a taxi ride instead.
- 2Go early and on a clear day. Cloud and fog build on the summit through the morning and can erase the view entirely.
- 3Drive or take a taxi up while it is closed. The road reaches the summit and access to the mountain is free.
- 4Allow two to three hours at the top. The botanical garden is the part the tour groups miss.
- 5Take a warm layer. Reviewers consistently warn that a hot day in town means cold mist at altitude.
A little more background
The mountain is protected as a scientific reserve and natural monument covering part of the Cordillera Septentrional above the city. The Christ statue at the summit was inaugurated alongside the tramway in the mid-1970s, both built under the Balaguer government as part of a push to develop Puerto Plata for tourism.
Some links to tours and activities are affiliate links. If you book through them, Sargazo Watch may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.