North America
Dominican Republic
Continent
Best States to Visit
- Cayo Arena
- Buen Hombre
- Monte Cristi
Best Cities to Visit
- Puerto Plata
- La Romana
- Punta Cana
- Santa Domingo
- Cabarete
Size
48,671 KM2
Population
10,878,246
GDP
$215,000,000,000
Spending Budget
$760 - $1,300
Famous For
- Rich History and Unique Culture
- Lake Enriquillo
Best Time to Visit
- April
- May
History
The native Taíno people had inhabited Hispaniola before the arrival of Europeans, dividing it into five chiefdoms. They had constructed an advanced farming and hunting society, and were in the process of becoming an organized civilization. The Taínos also inhabited Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. The Genoese mariner Christopher Columbus explored and claimed the island for Castile, landing there on his first voyage in 1492. The colony of Santo Domingo became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas and the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which became the independent state of Haiti in 1804. After more than three hundred years of Spanish rule, the Dominican people declared independence in November 1821.
Present Day
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with Haiti. The Dominican Republic is the most visited destination in the Caribbean. The year-round golf courses are major attractions. A geographically diverse nation, the Dominican Republic is home to both the Caribbean's tallest mountain peak, Pico Duarte, and the Caribbean's largest lake and lowest point, Lake Enriquillo. The island has an average temperature of 26 °C and great climatic and biological diversity. The country is also the site of the first cathedral, castle, monastery, and fortress built in the Americas, located in Santo Domingo's Colonial Zone, a World Heritage Site. Baseball is the de facto national sport.
Future
Over the past 25 years, the Dominican Republic (DR) has experienced a remarkable period of robust economic growth. The economy continued its rapid expansion in the years leading up to now, and between 2015 and 2019 the DR’s annual GDP growth rate averaged 6.1%. Tourism, remittances, foreign direct investment, mining revenues, free-trade zones, and telecommunications have helped make the DR one of the fastest-growing economies in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, and as of 2019 the country was on track to realize its ambition of achieving high-income status by 2030.
Monte Cristi
Monte Cristi is a province in the northwest of the Dominican Republic. The capital city is San Fernando de Monte Cristi (usually simply Monte Cristi). The spelling Montecristi is also seen. The Montecristi province is located in the Cibao frontier region, on the north coast of the country and borders the nation of Haiti. The land area of the Montecristi province is 1,924.35 square kilometres. The Montecristi province is fundamentally an immense plain with many hills. El Morro, with an approximate height of 237 meters, is one of the characteristic symbols of Monte Cristi relief. The Montecristi province has one of the most diverse and numerous systems of protected areas in the country, six in total, which include national parks, underwater national parks, wildlife refuges and scientific reserves.
Buen Hombre
One of the best places in the world for kitesurfing is the Dominican Republic, especially the flat water lagoon paradise in Buen Hombre. Buen Hombre is a hidden gem. A rustic, non-commercial, non-touristic fishing village surrounded by mountains and 15 km away from the windiest beach in the Dominican Republic. Buen Hombre has preserved rustic real Dominican Culture unspoiled by tourism; surf-style, fresh seafood, rum and living right at the spot on the beach. In the perfect conditions, you can learn to kiteboard a lot faster saving you time and resources which is what this location provides.
Cayo Arena
Cayo Arena is an exceptional place to learn diving, especially for beginners. The turquoise waters are filled with schools of tropical fishes, making it a snorkeling paradise. Additionally, a variety of sponges, coral, and a multitude of indegenous fish call the area its home. It is a truly relaxing area to sit back on the pastel, sandy beaches and observe the marine life and the glittering waters.
Bahía de las Aguilas Beach
Bahía de las Águilas (literally "Eagles Bay"), is an 8 km long beach along the southwestern coast of the Dominican Republic in the province of Pedernales near the southernmost part of the border with Haiti. The bay is part of the Jaragua National Park, and it is considered by many Dominicans as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The bay is a protected area as is the surrounding park, hence there is an abundance of sea life just feet off the beach within its waters. The thing that visitors like the most about this beach is that it is totally isolated. 323 km from Santo Domingo and approximately 25 km from Pedernales (the nearest town), this beach is a true oasis in the middle of the deserted steppe of the park.
Los Pozos de Romeo
On the way to Bahia de las Aguilas, just on the side of the road are Los Pozos de Romeo (Romeo’s puddles). They are a series of beautiful natural pools formed from underwater/open-air caves. Here you can go on a day hike visiting each beautiful pool one by one.
Barahona
Barahona, also known as Santa Cruz de Barahona, is the main city of the Barahona Province, in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. It is one of the most important cities on the island, with a very active port and many ecotourism attractions. The city is also a centre of sugar production and industry. The main economic activity of the province is agriculture; the main product in the municipality is a very good coffee ("Barahona Type Coffee"), grown in the mountains of Eastern Bahoruco.
Baharuco Mountain Range
The Bahoruco Mountain Range—Sierra de Bahoruco is a mountain range located in the far southwestern region of the Dominican Republic. It is within Pedernales, Independencia, Barahona, and Bahoruco Provinces. The range is a continuation of the Massif de la Selle in Haiti. Part of the area is protected within the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, also a Biosphere reserve. The Sierra de Bahoruco are noted for the blue colored concretions called larimar, which formed in the range's volcanic vesicles. Larimar is the Dominican name for a mineral assemblage of acidic silicate hydrates of calcium and sodium. Larimar is a specific type of pectolite, a pyroxene mineral.
Azua
Azua de Compostela, also known simply as Azua, is a municipality and capital of Azua Province in the southern region of Dominican Republic. Founded in 1504, Azua is one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas. The town is located 100 kilometres west of the national capital, Santo Domingo. The famous conqueror of Mexico Hernán Cortés also resided in the town for several years (1504-1511). During his stay in Azua he used to spend his hours of leisure on the Monte Río beach.
Bani Sand Dunes
The Dunes of Baní are located in Las Calderas Peninsula, between the cities of Matanzas, Las Calderas and Las Salinas, in the Dominican Province of Peravia. The highest dune is 35 m tall and it has specific wildlife. The flora belongs to the subtropical dry forests, although it is characterised by the presence of red, buttonwood, dark and white mangrove red, while the olive tree and the mesquite are some of the trees present in the area. There are some flatlands here, called “vallecitos” (dells) formed by deposits of the sea shore. These places are called “salados” (salted areas) and become flooded by seawater, as it happens in Salado del Muerto.
Jarabacoa
One of the main tourist attractions is the mountains and natural environment of the area due to its location in the center of the Central Range. It is also one of the main accesses to the Pico Duarte and the Ebano Verde Scientific Reserve. Jarabacoa has three large rivers, Baiguate, Jimenoa and the Yaque del Norte, the last two merge in the Confluencia, continuing on as the Yaque del Norte, the second largest river in the country. Some say that the Spanish conquistadors actually made it to Jarabacoa in their search for gold, but later abandoned the expedition. Some reasons include resistance by the natives or as some say, because no large finds were ever made, although to this day gold can be washed from some of the many rivers.
Pico Duarte
Pico Duarte is the highest peak in the Dominican Republic, and in all the Caribbean. At 3,098 m above sea level, it gives Hispaniola the 16th-highest maximum elevation of any island in the world. Additionally, it is 85 kilometres northeast of the region's lowest point, Lake Enriquillo, in the Cordillera Central range, the largest in the country and island. The Cordillera Central extends from the plains between San Cristóbal and Baní to the northwestern peninsula of Haiti, where it is known as Massif du Nord. The highest elevations of the Cordillera Central are found in the Pico Duarte and Valle Nuevo massifs.
Valle Nuevo National Park
The National Park Valle Nuevo is a protected area in the center of the Dominican Republic which has a unique biodiversity in the Caribbean. Created in 1996, it is located on a plateau over 2,200 meters of elevation, with a maximum altitude of 2,842 meters of elevation of the extinct Alto de la Bandera volcano . It is characterized by housing vegetation typical of the Neo- arctic ecozone . Valle Nuevo arose after the melting of the glacier that occupied the Central Mountain Range during the Last Glacial Maximum ; upon the arrival of the Spaniards, the area was covered with shallow lakes.
Cabarete
Cabarete is a town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic, noted for its tourism and beaches. Cabarete Bay is considered a "town" and has hosted many professional kitesurfing competitions like WorldCup/Copa Mundial, Master of the Ocean, PKRA, and WKL. Kite Beach is 1.5 miles to the west of Cabarete Bay and is a kiting beach. It also has a reef break that is visited by stand up paddle surfers. Playa Encuentro is 3 miles to the west of Cabarete Bay and is among the most consistent surfing beaches in the Caribbean.
Playa Caleton
Cozy, crescent-shaped Playa Caletón is a favorite, flanked with lush vegetation and rocky scenery–some of it bearing sculpted faces of Taino Indian chiefs–that gives it a mystical feel. But accessing this beach is easy from the fishing village of Río San Juan. The entrance sits along the highway between Río San Juan and the Playa Grande beach and golf complex, and a stop here is often included on a boat excursion of Laguna Gri Gri and the surrounding coastline.
El Limon
El Limón district has a variety of mountains such as the Ermitaño Mountain, the Sugarloaf Mountain, the Spring Hill, among others. Between the road that connects El Limon with the municipality of Samana is the coffee hill which was paved in 2000. Among its rivers, the most important is the Limon river, whose channel crosses the entire municipal district, dividing it in two, until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Other rivers such as the stream, the spring, among others have been greatly affected by the indiscriminate reforestation of the forests. Tourism, above all nature tourism, is important here because many tourists visit El Limón Waterfall. El Limón is also one of the main producers of yams, sweet potatoes, and good bread in the country.
Las Galeras
The region is famous for its beautiful palm beaches. There is a beach at the seafront of Las Galeras itself called Playa Grande, as well as a white sand beach called Javo Beach La Playita which is the main destination for local foreigners. In recent years Las Galeras has been a popular destination for backpackers and travelers in general due to its remote beaches, the possibility of camping and hiking and the fact that it is literally on the end of the road of the peninsula. Humpback whales season is the high season with most tourists visiting from the month of January until mid April.
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo is the cultural, financial, political, commercial and industrial center of the Dominican Republic, with the vast majority of the country's most important industries being located within the city. Santo Domingo also serves as the chief seaport of the country. The city's harbor at the mouth of the Ozama River accommodates the largest vessels, and the port handles both heavy passenger and freight traffic. Temperatures are high year round, with cooler breezes during winter time. The performing arts are very important in Santo Domingo.
Playa Rincon
Ranked by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world, Playa Rincón’s whopping five kilometers of pristine, undeveloped white sand beach lining a bay of calm turquoise waters, peppered with coconut trees, captures every visitor’s eye. A mere 15-minute drive from Las Galeras, or a quick boat ride away, this is one of the most visited stretches on the Samaná Peninsula, boasting postcard-perfect tropical scenery. One side of the beach has docile and calm waters for snorkeling and sunbathing, while the northern side has rolling waves for bodysurfing fun. Enjoy freshly caught fish on the beach from a couple of seafront casual restaurants, or from fire-hearth cook shops, all enjoyed on picnic tables.
Lake Enriquillo
Lake Enriquillo is a hypersaline lake in the Dominican Republic located in the southwestern region of the country. Its waters are shared between the provinces of Bahoruco and Independencia, the latter of which borders Haiti. Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake in both the Dominican Republic and Hispaniola, as well as the entire Caribbean. It is also the lowest point for an island country. There are three islands in the lake: Barbarita, Islita, and Isla Cabritos. Once, when water levels dropped during dry spells, the islands were linked to one another by sandbars.
Three Eyes National Park
The Three Eyes National Park is a 50-yard open-air limestone cave located in the Mirador del Este park, in the Santo Domingo Este municipality of the Dominican Republic. A series of three lakes, or ojos, the site is currently one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country. The site was created centuries ago as a result of tectonic fractures when caves collapsed, forming a bowl-shaped depression which subsequently filled with water. Some of the lakes also have openings on the outside. A staircase cut into the rock gives access to the first cave.
27 Charcos
Puerto Plata’s crown jewel attraction, the 27 Charcos of Damajagua waterfalls offer a day of hiking through thick forest, crossing footbridges and passing numerous flora before eventually reaching a rocky hilltop where you’ll begin making your way down by jumping or sliding down a series of waterfalls–helmets and safety gear on–as you slide down water-cushioned chutes or jump into deep turquoise pools. Most excursions take you only through seven falls, as reaching the 27th is reserved for the most active and physically fit adventurers.
Ciudad Colonial
Ciudad Colonial is the historic central neighborhood of the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the Americas. The area has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is also known as Zona Colonial (Colonial Zone) or more colloquially as "La Zona". The Ciudad Colonial is located on the west bank of the Ozama River, which bisects the city. It is an important section of the city due to the high number of landmarks, including Alcázar de Colón, Fortaleza Ozama, Catedral de Santa María la Menor, and others. The area is the main tourist attraction of Santo Domingo, even though the main sites of governmental and commercial activity are now in the more modern parts of the city.
Altos de Chavon
Altos de Chavón is a re-creation of a Mediterranean style European village located atop the Chavón River in La Romana, Dominican Republic. It is the most popular attraction in the city and hosts a cultural center, an archeological museum, and an amphitheater. Adding authenticity to the project is the charming St. Stanislaus Church (Iglesia San Estanislao de Cracovia in Spanish) with its plaza and sparkling fountain is a popular wedding venue.
Playa Macao
Macao Beach, or Playa Macao, is a public beach located in the province La Altagracia in the east region of the Dominican Republic. It is popular among locals and visitors for its white sands, clear waters and those who seek some adventure since this is a popular destination for buggy and four wheel riders and surfers. This is one of the only beaches of the Dominican Republic apt for surfing. Macao Beach has a Certificate of Excellence in TripAdvisors and is highly rated by this community. Macao Beach is one of the only beaches in the area not directly surrounded by hotels.
La Aurora Cigar World
La Aurora, the oldest tobacco company in the Dominican Republic, leader in the Dominican tobacco market with a presence in more than sixty countries, has opted for an innovative project that is unique in the world:: La Aurora Cigar World. Visit the facilities of the centennial factory and get an inside look at the La Aurora operation. History, tradition and innovation are three elements that characterize every square meter of the facility.