I'm heading to Santiago in a couple of months and would like to tour some factories. Anyone know where I can find a list of factories that would allow me in? Do I need to arrange a reservation first?

Thanks,

Did you get any help on this? I am going to DR in June and looking for some stuff to do.

The big cigar factories in the DR are in a FREE TRADE ZONE and you cannot visit without an invitation.

you guys should check out dr1.com. on the message boards there, there is a guy named hillbilly that does tours. if you type cigars into the search engine it will get you started. centro leon is real cool. they have a small store with some rollers turning our the prefferados line, a museum and art gallery.

Hillbilly (Luis Medences) used to be a member of this forum. He is a very nice guy who traveled 4-hours to show me and MrsDoc Santo Domingo a few years ago.

If you do go to visit him PLEASE let me know. I will give you a few tips.

The only place that is open to the public is la Aurora factory, you can contact Jose Blanco or Manuel Inoa,the visit starts at 8.00-3.00 P.M,its a great tour.

Thanks for the great information! Does Jose Blanco have an email address or anything that you know of? Also what is the actual name of the factory? I was trying to find some information on-line but coming up short.

Actually both La Aurora and La Flor Dominicana are both out of the free trade zones. If you shoot me an email I can get you in touch with Jose.

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