Excursions in Dominican Republic

Bayahibe

This fishing village southeast of La Romana has somehow managed to retain its small-town feel and attitude - despite its close proximity to Casa de Campo, the country’s best-known luxury resort. We think Bayahibe is one of the most pleasant towns in the Caribbean, full of gaily painted fishing skiffs, friendly residents and a laid-back atmosphere. The stretch of sand near the town is short and shaded by palm trees (most of it is controlled by Casa de Campo). But the National Park of the East is nearby and has a lovely beach, along with some of the best snorkeling on the island. (The park’s caves contain pre-Columbian petroglyphs, and nearby Isla Saona has hiking trails.) A few simple hotels can be found in Bayahibe, along with small beach bars/restaurants serving wonderful seafood. Several new luxury resorts have opened near Bayahibe in recent years. Though you can still enjoy the town’s understated charms, we’re not sure how long this will last: Get there sooner rather than later.

Just west of Bayahibe is Altos de Chavon, a Caribbean art center built in 1976 to resemble a Mediterranean village from the 1500s. Perched atop a bluff overlooking the Chavon River, Altos de Chavon includes an archaeological museum that is the most important Dominican museum outside the capital. It contains fascinating exhibits about the Amerindians of Hispaniola. Altos de Chavon also has a 5,000 seat Grecian-style amphitheater, used for concerts by internationally known musicians. Along the village’s cobblestone paths you’ll also find artists’ galleries and shops as well as several good restaurants. For artists seeking their creative muse in the Caribbean, Altos de Chavon has an art school and an Artist-in-Residence Program that offers workshops and three-month residencies (in English) in photography, painting, sculpture, music, writing and architecture. There’s also a school of design. Bayahibe is 65 mi/105 km east of Santo Domingo.
Bermudez National Park

This park encompasses most of Pico Duarte, the highest mountain in the Caribbean at 10,417 ft/3,175 m. It’s a popular place for hiking and climbing. You can either ascend the peak on foot or ride a mule to the top, a climb of 7,000 ft/2,135 m along rutted trails that passes through several climatic zones. You’ll need to hire a guide for both. Plan on almost two full days in the saddle, or three tiring days on foot. You can start your climb in Bermudez Park, which means taking a short but steep route, or you can begin hiking at nearby Carmen Ramirez National Park, which makes for a longer hike. Accommodations along the way are in very rustic camps, and the peak, once you reach it, is often enshrouded in clouds. The park is northwest of Santo Domingo, near the towns of Jarabacoa and Constanza.

Boca Chica

Considered the Miami Beach of the Dominican Republic, Boca Chica is beautiful, with a shallow lagoon cordoned off by reefs, which is full of clear water and edged by gleaming white sand. When the tides are low you can walk out to La Matica, a small, uninhabited island. But like Miami Beach, Boca Chica is hugely popular and, in our opinion, it’s been overdeveloped: The beach is often packed, especially on weekends, with vendors hawking their wares and merengue music blaring from portable radios. (Be aware that the beach also is frequented by prostitutes.) The large crowds result, in part, because Boca Chica is one of the best beaches near Santo Domingo, which is only a 30-minute drive to the west.

Those who don’t mind the bustle will find plenty of water sports going on in the shallow, protected waters. Sailboats, paddleboats and jetskis are available for rent, and waterskiing and scuba-diving excursions can be arranged. For deep-sea fishing, contact the Andres Boca Chica Club (phone 809-685-4940) or the DeMar Beach Club (phone 809-523-5579). They angle for tarpon, snook and bonefish. Expect to pay about US$110 per person for the day.

The town is filled with bars and shops - and more blaring merengue. (The music seems to be used as a form of advertising by the merchants, who apparently believe that the louder the music is, the more business they’ll attract.) Most of the shops sell T-shirts, souvenir kitsch and local beer, which is quite good. Raul Valette’s G. R. Gallery (on the main street a block off the beach) has an interesting collection of works by Dominican and Haitian artists. A group of Arawak caves can easily be seen on a day trip from Boca Chica.

Just 10 mi/16 km east of Boca Chica is Juan Dolio, another resort area that’s popular with Dominicans. While the beach is smaller and narrower, it’s less crowded, has deeper water and, overall, seems a bit cleaner and better tended than Boca Chica. It’s possible to relax on the beach, but there are still plenty of hotels, restaurants and bars, as well as a casino and two golf courses. Boca Chica is 15 mi/25 km east of Santo Domingo.

Jarabacoa

This small, mountain town north of Santo Domingo has some interesting shops that cater to the surrounding farming community. The weather is pleasantly cool, and the town is close to Pico Duarte. If you are looking for outdoor thrills, you may want to visit Rancho Baiguete, an unusual private resort outside of Jarabacoa. It has a largely European clientele who enjoy an array of activities: mountain biking, rappelling, horseback riding, four-wheel-drive excursions, rafting, hiking and off-road motorcycle outings. Several nearby towns are also worth a stop. Constanza was settled by Japanese immigrants in the 1950s, who were brought in to develop the area’s temperate fruit crop. The mountain village has forests, rivers and waterfalls. Also in the vicinity is La Vega, a coffee and cacao town. Jarabacoa is 70 mi/110 km northwest of Santo Domingo.

La Isabela

The first European colony in the New World was founded at La Isabela by Christopher Columbus in 1493. About an hour west of Puerto Plata, the site is difficult to reach except by motorcycle or four-wheel-drive vehicle. Consisting mostly of ruins, it’s of interest mostly to archaeologists, but the area is slowly being developed. A museum and educational center are in the planning stages. A modern church, consecrated in 1994, commemorates the first mass in the country, which was conducted by the priest who accompanied Columbus. Nearby are Luperon and Punta Rucia, both of which are small, undeveloped fishing villages that are hard to reach but offer good diving and fishing. 115 mi/185 km northwest of Santo Domingo.

La Romana

What put this sugar-mill town east of Santo Domingo on the tourism map is Casa de Campo. An internationally known resort that’s considered by many to be the finest in the Caribbean, the resort and its vast grounds (7,000 acres/2,800 hectares) were designed by fashion designer and Dominican native Oscar de la Renta.

You can indulge in all kinds of activities at Casa de Campo. There are water sports, including swimming, snorkeling, jetskiing and windsurfing. You can play golf on three championship-caliber courses, including the incomparable Pete Dye-designed Teeth of the Dog. Or shoot trap and skeet or try your luck on a simulated hunting course. Play tennis on one of the 13 courts at the hilltop La Terraza complex. Go riding (polo, jumping, trail rides) on one of the resort’s 1,000 horses.

Casa de Campo has a variety of accommodations, including hotel rooms and villas. Off-season rates can be quite good. La Romana has a new airport, so there is no long shuttle ride to the resort.

Puerto Plata

Mt. Isabel de Torres forms the dramatic backdrop for the north-coast town of Puerto Plata. A large statue of Christ stands on the mountain with arms stretched out into the clouds, looking much like the statue that overlooks Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

As impressive as its natural setting is, Puerto Plata (pop. 200,000) has lost a lot of its luster in recent years. Part of this can be attributed to the hotels in the Playa Dorada resort area southeast of the city, which have adopted all-inclusive plans. Many travelers tend to stay on the resort properties, because trips to outside restaurants or other attractions add to the cost of their vacation. As a result, some businesses have closed. Still, several good restaurants line the malecon (seaside boulevard). Puerto Plata also is blessed with an abundance of beautiful Victorian architecture, though much of it is in need of maintenance. We think you’ll find Puerto Plata an interesting mix - one worth experiencing even with its obvious flaws.

Punta Cana

Punta Cana and its neighbor Bavaro are home to about a half dozen self-contained resorts. They’re located along a beautiful 20-mi/32-km stretch of white-sand beach lined with coconut palms. This lovely strip of shore looks like it was taken straight off a travel poster.

The largest complex, with more than 1,500 rooms, has its own casino, two discos and an 18-hole golf course. Isolated and sparsely populated (it’s an arid, scrubby landscape), the area will most interest those who have no desire to wander outside the perimeter fence of their hotel. The Bavaro resorts are closer together than those in Punta Cana, allowing for more movement between properties. The only public-access beach is in Cortecito, near the Bavaro Beach resort. Juanillo, a fishing village south of Punta Cana, offers an escape from the resort area, if you feel so inclined. Though more development is moving into this area, the resorts of Punta Cana have so far retained the relaxed atmosphere most visitors expect from a Caribbean vacation spot. 100 mi/160 km east of Santo Domingo.

Samana

A cultural oddity in a country usually associated with Columbus and Spanish domination, the town of Samana was founded by English-speaking U.S. slaves in the 1820s. This came about through the efforts of U.S. abolitionists and a Haitian general who worked to relocate thousands of slaves who had escaped Southern plantations via the Underground Railroad. Descendants of the original settlers - called Americanos - still live around the town, which is on the south coast of the Samana Peninsula. Some residents speak English as their first language. They continue to have a noticeable impact on the area’s food, churches and architecture.

Samana was developed relatively recently as a tourist destination - the first road to the town was built only 25 years ago. You can now avoid the long road trip from Santo Domingo by taking a small (five-passenger) airplane from the capital. With its low-key atmosphere and many budget-type accommodations, Samana is a popular spot with Europeans and those interested in viewing whales. Humpback, pilot and Bryde’s whales inhabit Samana Bay December-early March before heading north for the summer. The World Wildlife Fund has named Samana Bay as one of the best spots in the world for whale watching. Boat excursions let you get a look at the huge mammals: Inquire at the Marine Mammals Sanctuary in Samana for more information. The town has an interesting market offering fruits and vegetables: Be sure to buy a pineapple - they’re very sweet and surprisingly inexpensive.

On the north side of the peninsula is Las Terrenas, a small but busy resort area with basic facilities, a handful of hotels and idyllic palm-fringed beaches. The drive up the mountain to the town is one of the most breathtaking in the country. Nearby is Playa Casson, one of the loveliest unspoiled beaches in the Caribbean.

An even more laid-back spot on the Samana Peninsula is the seaside town of Las Galeras, 16 mi/25 km north of Samana. Be sure to stop at the waterfalls en route - you can walk to the falls or go with a guide on horseback. Las Galeras has several small hotels and an all-inclusive resort. Also nearby is Playa Rincon, a secluded beach that can best be reached by four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Los Haitises National Park, on Samana Bay near Samana, is known for its mangrove and swamp areas and caves with Amerindian rock paintings. The park has varied plant life and landforms, including lunarlike karst landscapes with pockmarked terrain and deep pockets of limestone. Guided tours of the park leave from Samana, Sanchez and Sabana de la Mar. Samana is 65 mi/105 km northeast of Santo Domingo.

San Pedro De Macoris

Though all of the Dominican Republic is a baseball hotbed, San Pedro de Macoris leads the pack in producing major-league players. Its most famous native son is home-run slugger Sammy Sosa. If you want to take a look at the talent (as many U.S. scouts do), San Pedro’s Estrellas Orientes (Eastern Stars) team plays in Tetelo Vargas Stadium. The season runs late October-late February. Aside from baseball, however, the town doesn’t have much to offer visitors. 40 mi/65 km east of Santo Domingo.

Santiago

The country’s second-largest city (pop. 500,000), Santiago lies in the heart of the cigar-producing Cibao Valley. It’s a pleasant place with wide streets, museums and cathedrals, but it is not a popular tourist destination. Dominating the landscape is the Monument to the Restoration Heroes. Visit the university campus, the Folk Art Museum, the Tobacco Museum and the large market. El Gran Teatro de Civao, a theater modeled after the National Theatre in Santo Domingo, has an enormous stage and is said to have perfect acoustics: It hosts theatrical and musical performances. 80 mi/130 km northwest of Santo Domingo.

Santo Domingo

The country’s capital and largest city (pop. 2,600,000), Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the Americas. It was Spain’s first colonial headquarters in the New World. Today, the city remains important as the country’s economic hub as well as one of the Caribbean’s top business centers. It also has the island’s most exciting nightclubs, restaurants, shopping, and historic and cultural sites. It also has sprawling slums and shantytowns. Even so, it’s a magnet for Dominicans as well as foreign visitors, which means you’ll likely be seeing the sights alongside interested visitors from the country’s hinterlands.

Sosua

This small town southeast of Puerto Plata was founded by German Jewish refugees in the late 1930s who were fleeing Nazi persecution (Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo oversaw their settlement, hoping to gain favor with the U.S.). The town’s Jewish Museum chronicles the experience of the 700 refugees, who established a dairy and a sausage-manufacturing facility. Parts of the original settlement are interesting, especially the businesses run by the descendants of the Jewish immigrants. The town has become popular - some say too popular - with Dominicans and Europeans because of its lovely beaches and dive sites. Because of the crowds and the noise, Sosua has lost some of its charm and sleepy feel. It’s also falling prey to random development and a flood of tourist shops. There’s some lively nightlife, however, and an arts community. A 10-minute drive east of Sosua is Cabarete, a premier spot for windsurfing. 90 mi/145 km northwest of Santo Domingo.