t Altos de Chavón, a replica of a 16th-century town, near La Romana
t Altos de Chavón, a replica of a 16th-century town, near La Romana
This coastal port town is the republic’s principal center for sugar production. Although modern, it retains many colonial structures centered on Parque Central, which is studded with wrought-iron sculptures in the shade of Iglesia Santa Rosa de Lima. El Obelisco, at the juncture of Avenida Libertad at Calle Francisco del Castillo, shows the nation’s history. The main draw is Altos de Chavón, a fantastical 1970s re-creation of a Tuscan hill town complete with a “Roman amphitheater” that is used as a music venue by its owners, the nearby Casa de Campo resort. Its St. Stanislaus Church is named after Poland’s patron saint, whose ashes were brought here by Pope John Paul II during his visit in 1979. It is one of the most beautiful churches in the Dominican Republic, with a terracotta roof and wide stripes of stone comprising the upper walls. The church also houses the Regional Museum of Archaeology, which displays pre-Columbian Taíno artifacts.
About 5 miles (8 km) to the southwest of La Romana is Isla Catalina, a small island with great beaches. On the main road to San Pedro de Macoris is Cueva de las Maravillas, an underground cave-cum-museum with natural dripstone formations and over 500 pictographs.
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# 9am–5pm Tue–Sun ∑ cuevadelasmaravillas.com
Dominicans attribute all manner of cures and medicinal qualities to their favorite home-made drink, a concoction of rum, red wine, and honey that is steeped for weeks with herbs, bark, and secret ingredients. A variation is made of rum with seafood, but there is no single recipe for it. This drink is considered to be an aphrodisiac and is drunk as shots in bars.
t Parque Nacional los Haitises
This national park protects a region of rugged limestone terrain studded with mogotes (ancient limestone plateaus) and riddled with caverns. The dense forests are home to at least 112 bird species, including swallows that swarm Cueva de las Golondrinas and seabirds nesting on Islade los Pájaros. The easiest access is on guided boat trips arranged by Paraíso Caño Hondo, an activity center.
t Home to over a hundred species of bird
⌂ 7 miles (11 km) W of Sabana de la Mar ∑ paraisocanohondo.com
Renamed in 2014 for a Taíno cacique (chieftain) who resisted the Spanish, the park formerly known as Parque Nacional del Este protects 307 sq miles (796 sq km) of tropical humid and rare seasonal deciduous forest, plus various marine ecosystems. A rugged limestone plateau, at the Republic’s southeast extreme, is pockmarked with cenotes (sinkholes) and caverns daubed with precious pre-Columbian pictographs. The forests teem with wildlife: rhinoceros iguanas; the endangered solenodon (resembling a shrew on steroids); the jutía, a rabbit-sized, herbivorous rat; as well as 122 bird species, including the Hispaniolan parrot, red-footed boobies, and frigatebirds.
The park’s main entrance is at Guaraguo. A coastal trail leads to lovely Playa Tortuga and Cueva de Panchito, the entrance of which is guarded by a Taíno figure with raised arms. Ranger-guided hikes lead to Cueva de Jose María, with the best galleries of Taíno pictographs. You can also access the park to the east via Boca de Yuma. Nearby is the fortified Casa Ponce de León, built in 1505.
Boat excursions zip over to picture-perfect Isla Saona, which offers gorgeous beaches, a lake full of flamingos, and Piscina Natural – a turquoise lagoon cusped by a sandbar with sea stars.
This coastal zone is the setting for the majority of the country’s all-inclusive resorts. Stunning beaches, from snow white to gold, unspool along some 31 miles (50 km) of picture-perfect coconut palm-lined coast. Resort development concentrates around Punta Cana and Playa Bávaro, but other resort areas by Uvero Alto are evolving to the north, where the virginal Playa Lavacama and Playa Los Muertos are great places to escape the crowds. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park & Reserve protects a pocket of endangered flora and fauna, and you can swim in rejuvenating freshwater lagoons by arrangement.
A short distance inland is the regional capital city, Higüey, renowned for its Modernist concrete cathedral, Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia. This is the nation’s largest church, designed in 1950 by French architects André Dunoyer de Segonzac and Pierre Dupré.
⌂ Ave. Juan XXIII & Sánchez § 809 554 2291 # 6am–7pm daily
t The Lighthouse Beach Bar at sunset, in Playa Bayahibe
Considered one of the best places to dive in the country, the Bayahibe area has endless white-sand beaches, notably Playa Dominicus and Playa Bayahibe. The original fishing village is diminishing with the spread of all-inclusive resorts.
This compact beach area, a 30-minute drive from the capital, gets packed on weekends and holidays when people spill out of the bars onto the narrow streets. Be aware, though, that Boca Chica is known for its brazen sex tourism industry.
Palm-fringed sands dissolve into peacock-blue shallows, good for snorkeling. Wade out to the Isla La Matica and Isla Los Pinos, where mangroves harbor a wealth of birdlife. Divers can head out to the Parque Nacional Submarino La Caleta, where 28 excellent dive sites include the wrecks of the Hickory, El Limón, and Captain Alsina.
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⌂ 5 miles (8 km) W of Boca Chica n Tropical Sea Divers; www.tropicalseadivers.com
EXPERIENCE Dominican Republic
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Stay Casa de Campo A luxury resort renowned for its three Peter Dye-designed golf courses. ⌂ Carr. Higüey, La Romana ∑ casadecampo.com.do \\\ Puntacana Resort This sumptuous resort offers upscale lodging and a sublime spa. ⌂ Punta Cana ∑ puntacana.com \\\ Boutique Casa Colonial A relaxed beach resort with spacious rooms and infinity plunge pools. ⌂ Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata ∑ casacolonialhotel.com \\\ |
Jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, this slender peninsula is lined by white-sand beaches along its north and east shores. On the southern shore, rivers cascade down from a thickly forested mountain to the Bahía de Samaná, a favored wintering spot for humpback whales.
The regional capital, Santa Bárbara de Samaná, is a good base for exploring. Just north of town is Salto El Limón waterfall, which makes for a great day-trip on horseback. Nearby, at Samana Zipline Tour, visitors can tackle a choice of ziplines and take a safari truck trip.
Tucked away at the delta of the Río Yaqui del Norte, little-visited Parque Nacional Monte Cristi protects a sprawling expanse of cactus-studded semi-desert, lagoon-pocked marshland, and pristine ocean. Its seven ecosystems include almost half of the nation’s mangrove forests, which are home to more than 160 bird species.
From the park entrance, a trail leads to the tangerine sands of Playa Detras del Morro, in the shadow of El Morro clifftop. Offshore, a necklace of coral surrounds the Cayos de lso Siete Hermanos, popular with marine turtles for nesting, and with American oystercatchers and boobies. “Pipe Wreck” – an 18th-century merchantman that sank with its load of clay pipes – lies 3 miles (5 km) down off Isla Cabras. Excursions, plus diving, are offered from Marina del Mar, including a chance to spy manatees in the lagoons.
The park spreads north and south of the town of San Fernando de Monte Cristi, surrounded by saltpans from which much of North America’s table-salt is derived.
t Charming Victorian-era gingerbread houses in Puerto Plata
Founded in 1502, this port town is replete with historic buildings, notably in the Zona Victoriana with its cluster of 19th-century wooden gingerbread houses. At its heart lies Parque Independencia, which has the Catedral San Felipe Apostól on the south side, and, two blocks east, the popular Museo del Ambar, housed in a 1919 mansion. Also worth visiting is the 1577 Fortaleza San Felipe, one of the oldest colonial forts of the New World.
Beyond the historic core, the modern city is an ungainly sprawl. Boutique hotels are clustered on Playa Dorada, named for its palm-shaded golden sands, while locals gather at Playa Cofresí, a laid-back beach with few watersports but some restaurants. The Monte Isabel de Torres lures visitors to its trail-crossed summit. A cable car to the peak, accessed from Avenida Teleférico, provides stupendous views of the city.
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⌂ Calle Duarte 61 # 9am–6pm Mon–Sat ∑ ambermuseum.com
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⌂ Av Gregorio Luperón # 9am–5pm daily
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⌂ Av Manuel Tavárez Justo # 8:30am–5pm daily ∑ telefericopuertoplata.com
Graced by cottony sands that shelve gently into azure waters, this remote beach is a favorite of day-trippers who arrive on boat excursions from Puerto Plata. Most trips include a visit to Cayo Paraíso, an idyllic cay with crystal waters colored by a kaleidoscopic palette of fish.
A dirt track leads to Refugio de Manatís Estero Hondo, a mangrove-fringed lagoon protecting manatees. Farther east is Parque Nacional La Isabela, which preserves the ruins of the New World’s first permanent settlement, established by Columbus in 1492.
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⌂ El Castillo # 9am–5:30pm daily
This clifftop beach town is laid out on either side of the long Playa Sosúa. The town itself is divided into two areas: Los Charamicos to the west and El Batey to the east, where German and Austrian Jewish refugees settled during the 1940s. Fine wooden architecture, including the synagogue and adjoining Museo Judío Sosúa, can be seen here. A coral reef nearby offers scuba diving, and dive operators offer trips to the wreck of the Zingara, scuttled in 1993.
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⌂ Calle Dr Alejo Martínez § 809 571 2633 # Timings vary, call ahead
t Kiteboarders catching some early evening waves off a beach in Cabarete
With a vibrant nightlife, Cabarete is both the Republic’s party beach resort and its watersports capital. The wind-whipped beaches are among the best in the Caribbean for kiteboarding and wind-surfing. Small hotels and colorful bar-restaurants edge up to the sands of this beach village.
Just east of Cabarete is an entrance to the Parque Nacional El Choco, which has trails, caves, and a lagoon with a waterfall. Another popular excursion from Cabarete is to the 27 Charcos De Demajagua Natural Monument to the south. Visitors can hike along a riverbed to a series of cascades and natural waterslides.
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⌂ Callejón de la Loma § 829 779 1975 # 9am–4:30pm daily
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⌂ Imbert # 8am–3pm daily ∑ 27charcos.com
EXPERIENCE Dominican Republic
Plaza de la Culture
With museums covering art, history, and geography, you could spend all day at this Santo Domingo gem.
Dive Bayahibe
Escape the rain via full immersion, at the 1724 Guadalipe Underwater Archaeological Preserve.
ChocoMuseo
Sate your sweet tooth at a “Bean to Bar” workshop (chocomuseo.com).
Cueva Fun Fun
Exploration meets adventure in this underground cavern, complete with subterranean grotto pools.
Founded in 1562, La Vega is a sprawling, chaotic city on the banks of Río Camú in the heart of El Cibao Valley. It is renowned for its lively Carnival and for its Catedral de la Concepción de la Vega, a post-Modernist, industrial-style design that visitors either love or hate. The dramatic exterior, with Gothic elements, offers a garish counterpoint to the sparse interior with a simple altar. The city’s other sights of interest include the Neo-Classical Palacio Municipal and Palacio de Justicia.
Northeast of La Vega lies the Santo Cerro (Holy Hill), where an annual pilgrimage is made every September 24 to Iglesia Las Mercedes. The simple church is considered to be the site of a miracle during the colonial days. Nearby is the original settlement of La Concepción de la Vega, founded in 1494 as a base for gold-mining but destroyed by an earthquake in 1562. The ruins are preserved within Parque Nacional Arqueológico Histórico La Vega Vieja.
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⌂ Carretera Moca, Santo Cerro # 8am–5pm Mon–Sat
EXPERIENCE Dominican Republic
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Eat Jellyfish Great ambience and superb seafood cuisine make this on-the-sands restaurant an unforgettable dining experience. ⌂ Playa Bávaro, Punta Cana ∑ jellyfishrestaurant.com \\\ Sam’s Bar & Grill This long-running institution, now located at L’oase Resort, serves up classic dishes alongside movie screenings. ⌂ 21 Playa Real, Puerto Plata ∑ samsbardr.com \\\ Lax Have dinner with the sand between your toes at this lively beach bar, which serves burgers, tapas, and other finger food-style favorites. ⌂ Playa Encuentro, Cabarete § 829 745 8811 \\\ |
Built on the banks of the Río Yaque in the center of El Cibao Valley, the Republic’s second-largest city thrums with energy and traffic. The hub of agriculture and commerce outside Santo Domingo, this wealthy city also boasts fine attractions, including an easily walked colonial core and many monuments that recall its past status as a tobacco boom town. Cigar manufacture remains its most important industry; deft hands can be seen rolling fine cigars at Fábrica de Cigarros La Aurora, part of Centro León, a cultural institute with a contemporary art gallery and an anthropology museum.
Any tour should begin at Parque Duarte, surrounded by an eclectic assemblage of colonial structures, including Catedral Santiago Apóstol. Nearby, Fortaleza San Luís has been restored and displays pre-Columbian artifacts.
The soaring Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración was erected in 1940 by the dictator Rafael Trujillo (1891–1961). The Museo Folklórico Don Tomás Morel offers an introduction to the city’s vibrant Carnival culture.
Around 45 miles (72 km) east of Santiago, Reserva Científica Loma Quita Espuela has trails into rainforest, where the Hispaniola parrot and other endemic birds can be spotted. Another interesting place to visit is Casa Museo Hermanas Mirabal, in Salcedo, 30 miles (48 km) east of Santiago. It is where the sisters María Teresa, Minerva, and Patria Mirabal, who opposed Trujillo, grew up in a middle-class home, and is now maintained as a shrine.
t The towering Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración in Santiago de los Caballeros
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⌂ Av 27 de Febrero 146 # 10am–7pm Tue–Sun ∑ centroleon.org.do
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§ 809 588 4156 # 8am–4pm daily
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⌂ Carretera Salcedo, Tenares § 809 587 8530 # 9am–5pm Tue–Fri, 9am–6pm Sat & Sun
t A lone trekker approaching Salto de Jimenoa waterfall, in Jarabacoa
Deep in the Cordillera Central, at a height of 1,750 ft (533 m), this agricultural town attracts those escaping the heat of the lowlands for a crisp alpine climate. Parque Mario Nelsón Galán, the small town square, is a good spot to watch life go by. The town nestles in the valley of the Río Yaque del Norte and is a base for whitewater rafting, horseback riding, and for hiking, including to three local waterfalls: Salto de Baiguate, Salto de Jimenoa, and Salto de Jimenoa Alto. Jarabacoa is also the gateway to Pico Duarte, the tallest mountain in the Caribbean.
The Cordillera Central forms a rugged backbone here, rising to 10,164 ft (3,097 m) atop Pico Duarte, accessed from the mountain hamlet of La Ciénaga. The hulking mass is a popular, albeit challenging three-day round-trip hike to the summit, where the Dominican flag flutters above a bust of Juan Pablo Duarte (1813–76), father of the nation. This mountain terrain of razorback ridges and plunging gorges is known as the “Dominican Alps,” and is enshrined within the Armando Bermúdez and José del Carmén Ramírez National Parks. Rainforest smothers the lower flanks, while trails lead up through the mist-shrouded cloud forest and then pine forest above. Birding is particularly superb here.
EXPERIENCE Dominican Republic
The towns of El Cibao, and specifically Moca, are known for making ceramic muñecas sin rostros (faceless dolls), meant to symbolize the nation’s multi-ethnic make-up in which no racial group is favored. The tiny, brightly painted dolls purposefully have no facial features and come in various skin tones. The dolls usually portray country women wearing headscarves or straw hats, and holding flowers or tinajones (earthenware jars). They were first created by Dominican artist Liliana Mera Limé in 1981.
Founded in 1802 by Haitian general Toussaint L’Ouverture, Barahona, at the head of Bahía de Neiba, evolved as a center for sugar production in the 20th century and is today a port city. It is the gateway to a little-visited region of huge natural beauty. Palm-fringed beaches unfurl south along a roller coaster road named Vía Panorámica, a scenic drive framed by the turquoise ocean.
South of the city, Playa San Rafael is a popular beach with its cool pools fed by natural spring waters. And west of Barahona is Polo Magnético, an optical illusion in which the road, sloping in one direction, appears to slope the other way. Also worth visiting is Reserva Científica Laguna de Cabral, to the northwest. It has boardwalk trails from which to spot waterfowl and wading birds.
t A swimmer sampling the crystal waters of a deserted pool in Barahona
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⌂ Cabral # 8am–6pm daily
One of the least visited in the country due to its remoteness and rugged terrain, this park is a must for bird enthusiasts – it has over 100 species. Its landscape ranges from dry deciduous lowland forests to cloud forests and pines at higher altitudes. White-necked crows and narrow-billed todies can be seen around Laguna La Charca and near the visitors’ center at Hoyo Pelempito. The park’s rich vegetation includes 180 orchid species.
Insider Tip
With over 300 species of bird, the Republic is an ornithological Eden. The best way to experience the rich birdlife of the Sierra de Bahoruco is with an eagle-eyed expert guide – try Tody Tours (todytours.com).
Nestled beside the Río Yamu, in the mountains west of Bonao, the Complejo Ecoturístico Río Blanco is a great place to stay for travelers who want varied activities nearby. Organized tour options include horseback rides, guided hikes to local coffee- and cocoa-growing farms, and a visit to a bamboo furniture workshop.
There are nine comfortable cabins, while other options include a large dormitory-style room or a campground.
t The bustling main square of San Cristóbal
Founded in the late 16th century, San Cristóbal is a city steeped in historical significance. The capital of the province of the same name, this sprawling, busy city was originally named Trujillo after the dictator, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. The name, however, was changed after he was gunned down in 1961. During his dictatorship, he built many monuments in the town to honor himself. One of them is the domed, mustard-colored Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación. This church also had a tomb intended for Trujillo, but he was eventually buried in Paris. The interior is decorated with murals by Spanish artist José Vela Zanetti. His work also adorns Trujillo’s hilltop mansion, Castillo del Cerro, which was once embellished with gold leaf and murals. It is now a police academy and is closed to the public. Other noteworthy buildings include Casa de la Cultura, on the south side of Parque Cristóbal Colón, the city’s main square. On Parque Duarte is Iglesia Parroquial, a pretty church, built in 1946 to honor Trujillo’s hometown.
Located just 2 miles (3 km) northwest of the city is Reserva Antropológica El Pomier, which protects 55 caves adorned with pre-Columbian pictographs. More than 6,500 ancient pictographs and petroglyphs have been identified, most being spiritual symbols and animal figures. Paved paths lead through the major caverns, populated by harmless bats. There is a museum, shop, and café at the reserve.
⌂ Av Constitución # 8am– 5pm daily
The nation’s largest national park, Jaragua offers great wildlife viewing, although most of this semi-arid terrain is off-limits. Endangered Ricord’s and rhinoceros iguanas inhabit the park, accessed by trails from Fondo Paradí. Flamingos and roseate spoonbills can be seen in Laguna Oviedo, where the visitors’ center has a lookout tower. Marine turtles nest at Bahía de las Águilas, accessible by boat or jeep.
With an exquisite location surrounded by mountains at 4,000 ft (1,219 m), this town is set in a broad valley that is the breadbasket of the nation. A quiltwork of fields produce much of the nation’s fruit and a variety of flowers. With crisp mountain air and splendid scenery, Constanza is a good starting point for hikes, though it has been bypassed by tourism. Mountain drives by jeep guarantee great scenery. Colonia Japonesa, a hamlet on the northern outskirts of Constanza, was founded in the 1950s by Japanese farmers lured here by dictator Trujillo. Several structures here are in traditional Japanese style.
A challenging yet beautiful drive south of Constanza leads to Salto Aguas Blancas, a duo of waterfalls cascading into a chilly pool. The highest free waterfall in the Caribbean, it is fringed by pretty ferns and other vegetation that clings to the sheer rock faces of the canyons.
Encircled by mountains, super-saline Lago Enriquillo is the largest lake in the Caribbean as well as its lowest point, at 140 ft (43 m) below sea level. The lake is a remnant of the Caribbean Sea left land-locked by ancient tectonic movements. Hundreds of American crocodiles inhabit the lake and are easily seen on Isla Cabritos. Flamingos tiptoe about the waters, which are home to more than 60 other bird species, including roseate spoonbills. Visitors will find plenty of rhinoceros iguanas around the ranger station at La Azufrada, from where boats leave on guided tours.
Nearby Las Caritas, outside the hamlet of Postrer Río, has rocks etched with pre-Columbian petroglyphs showing human faces. At the western end of the lake is Jimaní, a border town abutting Haiti, known for its bustling market and brightly painted Haitian buses called taptaps.
t The ornate interior of Catedral San Juan Bautista in San Juan de la Maguana
Founded in 1503, this city is now the capital of San Juan province. Although most of the early colonial structures were destroyed during the 19th-century Haitian invasions, it still boasts some intriguing sites, centered on Parque Central. Dating from 1958, the domed, eclectic-style Catedral San Juan Bautista features Baroque and Rococo ornamentation and an exterior spiral metal staircase. On the eastern side of town, Parque Duarte is home to the Neo-Classical Palacio Ayuntamiento and Modernist Palacio de Justicia.
Also worth visiting is El Corral de los Indios, a pre-Columbian site located 4 miles (6 km) north of town. It has a wide stone circle used as a batey (ball court).
Against the backdrop of the magnificent mountain range of Cordillera Central lies the Presa de Sabana Yegua, a popular man-made lake known for its bass and tilapia. However, droughts have reduced the water level to an all-time low.
⌂ 15 miles (24 km) E of San Juan de la Maguana # Ask at military guardpost for entry
The Dominican Republic’s flag is the only one in the world to include an image of the Bible.
EXPERIENCE Dominican Republic
Considered the Caribbean’s undisputed top golf destination, the Dominican Republic is carpeted with dozens of emerald palm-studded fairways laid out by Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and other celebrity golf-pro designers. A major forte of the island, new world-class courses open every year, many of them ocean-fringed beauties associated with premier resort hotels and constructed by the leading names in golf design.
PUNTA ESPADA
t The scenic Punta Espada course, with palm trees swaying in the breeze
The first of three Jack Nicklaus Signature courses at Cap Cana, this magnificent and intricate course (puntaespadagolf.com) opened in 2006 with coast-hugging fairways and ocean views from every hole. The signature 13th hole requires a tee shot over the ocean. GolfWeek magazine ranks it the number one course in the Caribbean.
TEETH OF THE DOG COURSE
t U.S. golfer Max Scodro taking a shot on the Teeth of the Dog Golf Course
Named for the sharp limestone terrain known locally as diente del perro (dog’s teeth), this spectacular championship course is rated the best in the Caribbean. One of three Pete Dye-designed oceanfront courses at the Casa de Campo resort (casadecampo.com), outside La Romana, it regularly gets updated with tricky bunkers that add to its coral-fanged bite.
CORALES GOLF COURSE
t Denny McCarthy playing on the Corales Golf Course beside the ocean
Designed by golf architect Tom Fazio, this beauty at the Puntacana Resort and Club (puntacana.com/golf) is a classic oceanfront course, with holes perched atop cliffs. A must-play for any golfer visiting the beautiful Punta Cana, it culminates with a forced carry over the narrow, bluff-edged Bay of Corales to the 18th green.