What is Dominican Republic known for?

[ticklishdog612]

Dominican Republic

• Dominican Republic, country of the West Indies that occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, the second largest island of the Greater Antilles chain in the Caribbean Sea.
• Haiti, also an independent republic, occupies the western third of the island.
• The Dominican Republic’s shores are washed by the Caribbean to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north.
• Between the eastern tip of the island and Puerto Rico flows the Mona Passage, a channel about 80 miles (130 km) wide.
• The Turks and Caicos Islands are located some 90 miles (145 km) to the north, and Colombia lies about 300 miles (500 km) to the south.
• The republic’s area, which includes such adjacent islands as Saona, Beata, and Catalina, is about half the size of Portugal.
• The national capital is Santo Domingo, on the southern coast.

Dominican Republic has so much to offer, here are some of the things Dominican Republic is known for.

Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial

Take a walk through history in the oldest European city in the New World. With its cobblestone streets and beautifully restored mansions, churches and forts, many converted into evocative museums, hotels and restaurants, it’s easy to imagine the landmark quarter in Santo Domingo: as the seat of Spain’s 16th-century empire. But the past and present coexist rather gracefully here: follow in the footsteps of pirates and conquistadors one moment, then next pop into a 4D movie theater or shop selling CDs from the latest Dominican merengue star.

Bahía de Las Águilas

The remoteness and loneliness of the country’s most far-flung and beautiful beach adds savor and spice to the adventure of getting to Bahía de Las Águilas:, a stunning 10km-long stretch of postcard-perfect sand nearly hugging Haiti in an extreme corner of the Península de Pedernales. The fact that you take a boat that weaves in and out through craggy cliffs and sea-diving pelicans to get here – and you'll only share it with a few other tourists – only adds to its allure.

Sun, Sea and Sand at Playa Rincón

Consistently rated one of the top beaches in the Caribbean by those in the know – people who courageously brave heatstroke and sunburn in a quest for the ideal – the 3km of pitch-perfect sands at Rincon: is second in the DR only to Bahía de Las Águilas. It's large enough for every day-tripper to claim their own piece of real estate without nosy neighbors peeking over the seaweed and driftwood. A thick palm forest provides the backdrop, and fresh seafood can be served upon request.

Descending the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua

A short drive from Puerto Plata, a hard-won slosh to the far side of the river and then a trek through the lush forest lead to these falls:. Experiencing this spectacular series of cascades involves wading through clear pools, swimming inside narrow, smooth-walled canyons, hiking through dripping tropical forest, and climbing rocks, ropes and ladders through the roaring falls themselves. The adrenaline-pumping fun culminates when you can leap and slide down the falls, with some jumps from as high as 10m.

Las Terrenas Cafe Culture

Mellow out in this cosmopolitan beachfront town: where French and Italian accents are as common as Dominican. International camaraderie is contagious when every day begins and ends with espresso among baguette-toting foreigners at open-air cafes and restaurants overlooking the ocean. The relaxed vibe of this former simple fishing village is a marriage between water-sports adventurers swapping tips and tales after an exhausting day and the more sedentary set, content to admire their exploits from afar, while relishing the town's European flare.

Santo Domingo Nightlife and Dancing

Get dressed to the nines, do some limbering up and get your dance moves on. Nightclubs in the seaside resort hotels host some of the best merengue and salsa bands this side of Havana. Downtown: has trendy, sceney clubs for the fashionable set, while the Zona Colonial is chockablock with drinking holes, from sweaty corner stores and boozy bohemian hangouts to upscale restaurants, hipster-y craft cocktail bars and hideaways with magnificent colonial-era courtyards.

Winter Baseball

Dominicans don’t just worship at Sunday Mass: baseball makes a solid claim for the country’s other religion. Hometown fanatics cheer their teams on with a passion and enthusiasm equal to bleacher creatures in Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park, but with better dancers and possibly a wider selection of stadium fare. The Dominican league’s six teams go cabeza a cabeza several nights a week – Estadio Quisqueya: in Santo Domingo is home field for two longtime rivals – culminating in a championship series at the end of January.

Leisurely Las Galeras

The sleepy fishing village of Las Galeras: at the far eastern end of the Península de Samaná is an escape from your getaway. Fewer tourists and therefore less development means that the area around includes some of the more scenic locales in all the DR. Swaying palm trees back beaches ready-made for a movie set, and waves crash over hard-to-get-to cliffs. Even more cinematic are the astounding views from a few elevated dining and sleeping options, which take in the surrounding expanses of jungle, mountain and sea.

Kitesurfing in Cabarete and Beyond

Year-round strong offshore breezes make Cabarete: on the DR’s north coast one of the undisputed capitals for the sport of kitesurfing, and the wind-whipped shallows around Las Terrenas and a developing spot called Buen Hombre, just west of Punta Rucia, are also gaining traction. Harnessing the wind’s power to propel you over the choppy surface of the Atlantic isn’t like another day at the beach. It takes training and muscles, not to mention faith, before you can attempt the moves of the pros from around the world.

White-Water Rafting

The Caribbean’s only raftable river, the Río Yaque del Norte near Jarabacoa: in the central highlands of the DR, is tailor-made for those looking to recharge their batteries after too much sun and sand. A short but intense series of rapids will get the adrenaline going, as will a spill in the cold roiling river; fortunately, there are stretches of flat water where you can loosen your grip on the paddle and gaze at the mountain scenery in the distance, or jump in for a refreshing swim.

Whale-Watching

North Americans and Europeans aren’t the only ones who migrate south to the Caribbean in the winter. Every year, thousands of humpback whales congregate in the waters off the Península de Samaná: to mate and give birth, watched (hopefully, from a respectful distance) by boatloads of their human fans. Get a front-row seat to this spectacle, including mothers and their babies trying out their fins for the first time, from mid-January to mid-March.

Lago Enriquillo

Toward the border with Haiti you’ll find Lago Enriquillo:, an enormous saltwater lake 40m below sea level and a remnant of the strait that once bisected the island from Barahona to Port-au-Prince. Several hundred crocodiles call the lake home, and everywhere you’ll see rocks of fossilized coral. Waters have receded somewhat in recent years, unveiling an eerily picturesque sunken forest. Around the lake, colonies of seemingly menacing Ricord and rhinoceros iguanas roam freely and cacti thrive, while swarms of butterflies color the landscape every June.

Mountain Vistas in Constanza

The scenery found in the central highlands of the DR is a surprise to most. Cloud-covered peaks whose slopes are a patchwork of well-tended agricultural plots and galloping forest growth rising from the valley floor are vistas not often associated with Caribbean islands. A stay on the outskirts of Constanza:, truly a world away from the developing coastline, provides tableaus of often spectacular sunsets – a time of day when the temperature begins to dip and the chilly air calls for sweaters and blankets.

Hiking Pico Duarte

Hispaniola has some surprisingly rugged, pine-tree-covered terrain in the Central Cordillera, including Pico Duarte:, the Caribbean’s highest mountain (3087m). You’ll need a sturdy pair of shoes, warm clothing, good stamina and several days, but if you summit when the clouds have dispersed, the views out to both the Atlantic and the Caribbean are more than worth the blisters. Along with the memories of a night huddling around the fire out under the stars, you'll take home a well-earned feeling of accomplishment.

Aquatic Bayahibe

Underwater visibility and consistent ocean conditions make this coastal village:, near La Romana in the southeast, the country’s best diving destination bar none. You’ll find boat services to the islands of Saona and Catalina, and the island’s best wreck dive, the St George, is out here, too. Snorkelers will find themselves equally well catered to, and there’s the unique opportunity to spend a few hours cruising the shoreline in a traditional fishing vessel.

La Vega Carnival

Carnival is a huge blowout everywhere in the DR, but especially so in La Vega:; the entire city turns out for the parade and every corner and park is transformed into a combination impromptu concert and dance party. Look out for the whips when dancing with costumed devils. Garish, colorful, baroque and elaborately and painstakingly made outfits – capes, demonic masks with bulging eyes and pointed teeth – are worn by marauding groups of revelers.

Mountain Biking the Dominican Alps

Hardcore cyclists rave about the rough trails of the DR’s central highlands:, where they feel like pioneers. Free styling their way on rocky descents, through alpine meadows and coursing streams, is an adventurer’s dream. Less strenuous rides abound, too: pedal along dirt roads through farming communities and sugarcane fields, and be greeted by smiles and friendly invitations to stop and grab a Presidente or two.