But the island nation is more than just a former Spanish colony: Its culture is African, French and Haitian, as well, reflecting the backgrounds of its citizens plus its historical ties to its neighbors in Haiti. So, visitors find widely varied aspects of Dominican life: the fast-moving merengue, premium cigars, local versions of Arabica coffee, gambling, Mamajuana (a unique liquid curative for various ailments), the well-preserved Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo, El Presidente beer, souvenirs made with high-quality amber — even professional baseball (reflecting another influence: the United States).

Of course, the Dominican Republic, given its location in the Caribbean, also is a land of sun, sand and sea. It hosts world kiteboarding and windsurfing championship events and is known as the kiteboarding capital of the world. No wonder then that its peak season — as is the case with its neighboring islands — is in winter when Americans are more highly motivated to travel south.

Scuba dive to explore shipwrecks on the north coast. Or, scuba dive or snorkel to see the island’s reefs. Take diving lessons if necessary.

Go kiteboarding or windsurfing at Cabarete on the north coast, site of several Kiteboarding World Cup competitions and site of the annual World Cup Windsurfing Competition in June. Take lessons if these are sports you have not yet tried or mastered.

Try any of 16 surfing spots along the north coast between Puerto Plata and Playa Grande. Or, try any of the 20-plus spots on the southern coast from the Haitian boarder in the west to near La Romana in the east. Attend a surf camp, which can last one day to two weeks.

Go sailing, or go deep-sea fishing.

Learn how to roll a cigar during your tour of a cigar factory, then buy cigars to take home.

Go mountain biking in the northern and central mountain ranges; join full-day or multiday rides, or ride with local biking clubs.

Dance the merengue in the country where it is said to have been invented. Or, attend one of the country’s merengue festivals, in Santo Domingo in late July/early August or in Puerto Plata in October.

Taste a sancocho prieto, a kind of stew made with seven local meats. Then, try casabe (flat round cassava bread) and locrio (the Dominican reinterpretation of Spanish paella). Wash it down with the local El Presidente beer.
Also, sample mangu, a puree of boiled plantains; this appears on the breakfast menu of most hotels.

Go whitewater rafting, in fall or winter, on the Rio Yaque. Or, jet ski in Dominican coastal waters.

Go bird-watching and look for the national bird, the cotica parrot, as well as several other types of parrots.

Ride horses on the beach, on open fields or in the mountainous terrain. Horses are available at ranches throughout the island and at some beach resorts.

Purchase and ship home a Dominican mahogany and guano rocking chair (guano is the dried leaf of a kind of palm tree).

See the endangered manatees at Estero Hondo.

Taste Dominican beer, coffee and rum. Make coffee one of your souvenirs.
Also, look for a liquid cure-all (and aphrodisiac, it is claimed) called Mamajuana. It’s a homegrown concoction made with herbs, spices, tree leaves and tree stems, as well as honey, lemon juice, molasses, rum and wine.

Go whale watching in the Samana Bay region where humpback whales can be seen at play between January and April.

Listen to music made by playing the guira, a Dominican instrument that is a brass grater in the shape of a cylinder that yields a buzzing rhythmic sound when rubbed with a scraper.

Get married in the Dominican Republic; the island offers the best value for the dollar in the Caribbean for couples and their guests.

Shop for a wide range of local handicraft goods including basketry, carnival masks, ceramics, embroidery and pottery, plus items made with amber, larimar (blue semiprecious gem), shells, leather and wood.

Play golf and tennis as often as you wish.

Take a guided tour of Santo Domingo, the capital. See the Alcazar de Colon, residence of Don Diego Columbus and his family, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria, the New World’s first cathedral, among other sites.

Attend the races, either horse races or car races.

In the land of Sammy Sosa and other baseball pros, watch Dominicans play the game on their own turf.

Attend the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival in October; it is set in three north coast sites: Cabarete, Puerto Plata and Sosua.

Visit the Museum of Taino Art for some insight into the first inhabitants of the Dominican Republic.

Fish in mountain streams and rivers or in freshwater lakes, such as Lake Hatillo.

Take the family on the Islabon Jungle River Tour, exploring the Islabon by boat, walking jungle trails and visiting a mini-zoo. Or, spend a day on the Monster Truck Safari, involving travel in an eight-wheel-drive Jeep for a good look at the Dominican countryside.

For more information, consult the Dominican Republic Tourism Board at www.godominicanrepublic.com

back to top