Image | Pixabay
To think of the Dominican Republic is to imagine its beautiful white sand beaches, its turquoise waters full of corals where humpback whales and colorful fish live, its exuberant jungle with lagoons, caves and even the highest peak in the Caribbean: Duarte peak.
However, the Dominican Republic is much more. Santo Domingo, the capital of the country, still preserves the impressive colonial-style buildings that were part of one of the first cities founded by the Spanish in America.
Add to all this its great climate and the quality of its people. Hospitable, fun, carefree… You won't want to leave this wonderful country! Do you want to know everything you can do in the Dominican Republic? We will tell you!
Pico Duarte
If you like hiking, one of the things to do in the Dominican Republic is to ascend Puerto Duarte, the highest peak in the Antilles with its 3.087 meters of altitude. It is surrounded by several peaks that exceed 2.600 meters such as Pico del Barranco, Pelona Grande, Pico del Yaque or Pelona Chica but Pico Duarte is the best viewpoint in the country and the star of the central mountain range with its 250 kilometers in length.
The climb to Pico Duarte lasts three days and begins near the Sabaneta dam, about 20 kilometers north of San Juan de la Managuana, one of the oldest cities in the country. The road passes through cultivated fields up to 1.500 meters above sea level and then passes through thick expanses of Creole pine. The first night of the tour takes place in the Alto de la Rosa refuge and the next in Macutico. During the last day of the route, you would reach the top and stay at the La Comparición refuge.
From the top of Pico Duarte you will contemplate some beautiful views of which you will surely take several photographs to take home. In addition, near this place are born Yaque del Sur and Yaque del Norte, the two main rivers of the Dominican Republic. Take advantage of this outing to meet them too.
Los Haitises National Park
In the northeast is one of the most beautiful corners of the Dominican Republic, a virgin territory with turquoise waters, mangroves, migratory birds and wonderful caves decorated by the Taino Indians: Los Haitises National Park. A unique landscape that, due to its wild appearance, was chosen to film some scenes for the movie Jurassic Park.
Los Haitises National Park is a natural gem. A combination of water and rock that unfolds an entire karst system formed 50 million years ago over 1.600 square kilometers. Difficult to explore for the European man, the Tainos did manage to settle in the Haitises. Today, you can enjoy its beauty on foot, by boat or kayak and visit the caves of La Arena and La Línea.
Samaná Peninsula
It is worldwide known that the beaches of the Dominican Republic are some of the most beautiful in the world and a good part of the fame is carried by those of Punta Cana. However, those of Samaná are just as beautiful and have the advantage that they are not saturated with tourists. Some of them that you will want to photograph without Punta Popy beach, Las Galeras beach or Bacardi beach.
In addition, sunbathing and jumping the waves in Samaná you can do other activities such as diving, zip line, horseback riding or hiking. Through a 2,5-kilometer walk through the jungle, you will be able to reach the impressive jacket of the Limón waterfall, a huge waterfall 40 meters high.
If your trip falls between the months of December and March, you will have the opportunity to see the passage of humpback whales in the waters of Samaná Bay, one of the best spectacles of nature.
When you finish enjoying nature in this part of the Dominican Republic, don't forget to visit the markets of Las Terreras or Santa Bárbara de Samaná, the largest towns on the peninsula.
Santo Domingo
Image | Pixabay
The beaches and the jungle of the Dominican Republic become the country's biggest tourist attraction abroad, but among the best things to do in the Dominican Republic is to visit Santo Domingo, its capital, which still preserves the original buildings that were part of a of the first cities founded by the Spanish in America.
These historic buildings are found in the old part of the city known as the Colonial City, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Strolling through its cobbled streets you will see the Alcázar de Colón (residence of Viceroy Diego Colón), the Monastery of San Francisco (the first monastery in the New World, built by the Franciscan order in 1508), the First Cathedral of America (the oldest in America ), the Ozama Fortress (the first defensive construction in the Americas), the Casa del Cordón (the first two-story stone house built by the Spanish in America) and the Puerta de la Misericordia, the first gateway to Santo Domingo.
There are many more churches, convents, fortresses, stone houses and ancient buildings that housed official bodies of the Spanish in the Americas.