Children
What to do with children when you are in the Dominican Republic
Things to do
Mountain-biking, surfing, scuba-diving, kite-boarding, wake-boarding, cave exploring or canyoning.
This marine park offers interactive experiences such as swimming with bottle-nose dolphin, feeding stingray, and a shark interaction pool. A fantasy rainforest setting is complete with waterfalls and lagoons and inhabited with tropical birds and plants.
Islabon is located 5 km east of Cabarete. This tour allows kids to explore the river area by boat and also walk through jungle trails to a mini zoo that includes iguanas, snakes, turtles, ravens and North American crocodiles.
Columbus Aquaparque
This enormous water-park near Sosúa has 25 exciting rides such as the Lazy River – a winding raft chute that runs the length of the park – in addition to restaurants, bars, live entertainment and souvenir shops.
Fun City Action Park
Near Playa Dorada, an amusement park with go-carts, sprint and midget cars, grand prix, and bumper cars on four separate tracks.
For adventurous types
Puerto Plata is an ideal base camp for visitors who may want to take part in the many natural adventures the country has to offer but may not want to give up luxury accommodations. From here rafting along the great Yaque del Norte River is easily accessible, as is diving in some of the more remote sites in the northwest corner of the country. Out-of-the-way country roads provide scenic trails for mountain biking tours and rugged hiking trips to sites such as
Damajuaga Falls, a spectacular network of 27 waterfalls high up in the mountains.
NORTH COAST
Windsurfing on Playa Cabarete is the big attraction on the north coast. Visitors can also enjoying climbing up and cascading downDamajagua Falls or exploring the many dive locations along this coast that make up the underwater world of the Dominican Republic .
Toddlers
What is appropriate for children must be taken into consideration for the safety of young children is the first thought a parent must have, especially in a new environment. The Dominican Republic is the perfect place for toddlers to learn to swim, provided that they are supervised at all times and wearing at least 30 sun-block, reapplied every couple of hours.
Beach Activities
Most areas that are visited in the Dominican Republic offer wonderful beaches where you and your children can relax and enjoy a day of sunbathing and swimming. If you are a guest of a beach-front hotel, loungers/beach chairs are usually provided to you free-of-charge. If they are not, they can usually be rented somewhere along the beach where there are businesses (restaurants, sports clubs, etc.). Snorkeling equipment, beach paddle ball and body boards are just some of the beach items usually available for free use, rent, or purchase, at most hotels or water-sports club tourist destinations.
Swimming
Safe swimming area’s are usually marked (by flags or buoys) where guests are recommended to do their wading and swimming. Although this is usually the case, all children should be supervised when playing near, or swimming in, any body of water. A lifeguard does not oversee most swimming pools on hotel/resort premises.
* Winter months, December through March, bringing with it a bigger shore break, bigger waves, and a stronger undertow.
* Summer months tend to have less swell, resulting in calmer, flatter, and safer waters. It is advisable to bring swimming aids for your children from home (PFD’s, water wings, etc.), as all sizes may not be available in all locations.
Water Sports
Make sure you pack water wings for small children
Snorkeling, body boarding, sailing and windsurfing are ones younger children can enjoy as long as an adult supervises them.
Older children can also participate in water sports like jet skiing, kayaking, river rafting, wake-boarding/water skiing, surfing and kite-boarding – depending on the location in the Dominican Republic you plan to visit.
El Choco National Park/Laguna Cabarete y Goleta
This laid-back village next to Puerto Plata offers a bohemian lifestyle, extreme sports and a legendary nightlife. The little town sits between a semicircular beach of golden sand and a lagoon with a backdrop of mountains.
Ideal wind and wave conditions have turned the four-mile-long beach into a windsurfer’s mecca, making it a magnet for professional athletes and beach bums alike. This beach is ranked among the 10 best windsurfing sites in the world and hosts Cabarete Race Week every June, an international windsurfing competition.
Islabon is located 5 km east of Cabarete. This tour allows kids to explore the river area by boat and also walk through jungle trails to a mini zoo that includes iguanas, snakes, turtles, ravens and North American crocodiles.
Water Parks
This marine park is located 5 km west of Puerto Plata, in the resort area of Cofresi. It has the world’s largest dolphin lagoon, the only sea lion encounter of its kind, the world’s first shark interaction pool, along with tigers, exotic birds, reptiles and tropical fish.
At this interactive water park, visitors get wet with some of the gentler inhabitants of the marine world; dolphin and sea lion encounters invite guests into a pool where they can play with these fr… At this interactive water park, visitors get wet with some of the gentler inhabitants of the marine world; dolphin and sea lion encounters invite guests into a pool where they can play with these fr…
Things to do beyond your hotel
The south coast offers a variety of attractions reachable from any of the resort areas in less than an hour.
Dive
Ship wrecks
Visitors interested in scuba diving will especially enjoy exploring the sunken wrecks “Hickory ” and “El Limon ” near Boca Chica in the La Caleta National Underwater Park .
Columbus Aquaparque/Water Park
This waterslide park is located 2 km west of Sosua and is the largest waterslide park in the Caribbean. The park has many different types (levels) of slides, as well as swimming pools, restaurants and shops. The park is generally open from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm daily and occasionally hosts live musical performances on weekends.
Reasons to go: Windsurf by day; party by night.
Glass Bottom Boat
Glass bottom boat tours are available from Sosua, on the North Coast, and are a fun excursion for the whole family. These boats travel the clear waters of Sosua Bay, allowing you to peak at the magnificence and beauty of the underwater world.
The Bahía de Samaná i s one of the best places in the world to observe humpback whales in a natural setting. Every winter these mammals make their way down from the North Atlantic Ocean to mate and breed in the waters just off the north coast of the Samaná Peninsula in the Silver Banks Marine Sanctuary . During this time the whales are extremely playful, offering visitors a rare opportunity to listen in on male humpbacks serenading female mates, and to witness incredible leaps out of the water while the whales flap their tails and spout water into the air.
When: End of January to mid-April
Between January and March each year, thousands of Humpback Whales of the North Atlantic population, migrate to the Samana Bay region, on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. Boat tour operators will take you out into the bay, trying to get you as close as possible (while maintaining safety), so that you may witness these incredible, large, warm blooded mammals frolic in the sea. Despite their incredible size, Humpbacks are the most active and acrobatic of whales. Many tour operators also provide educational commentary about the whales during your excursion.
Activities For Older Children
Las Salinas about an hour east of Barahona is even less developed for tourism with only the Las Salinas High Wind Center and Hotel , but as an alternative to crowded windsurfing spots along the north coast, nowhere is more blissfully serene.
Surfing, and more so boogie boarding, can be done on beaches anywhere in the country when there is larger swell. Most of the more advanced surfing is done on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, at Encuentro Beach, 7 km from Cabarete.
Wakeboarding/Watersking
Wakeboarding/waterskiing is offered on lakes, rivers and ocean areas in the Dominican Republic tourist areas where boat licenses are granted to operators because the waters are deemed relatively safe to participate in these exciting activities. Rafting in the Central Region.
Kite-boarding can be a heck of a lot of fun but it can also be a dangerous sport if you don’t know what you are doing (have not had proper instruction, practice, or are unaware of the potential dangers involved). Adults practice this sport predominantly, but there are more and more kids learning to kite-board every day. If your child is old enough to take the instruction required to begin the sport (usually a minimum three day course), they may want to give this exciting and challenging water-sport a try. Cabarete or Las Terrenas, both located on the North Coast, are ‘the spots’ to learn and practice kite-boarding.
Ocean Kayaking
Kayaking can be done from most tourism destinations in the Dominican Republic. Many hotels/resorts and water-sports tour operators offer kayak use free of charge or rent them by the hour. This is a nice way to observe the coastline of your particular destination. The more skilled/adventurous can arrange to take kayaking trips with Tour Operators who arrange trips on the rivers near Jarabacoa, located in the central region of the country.
Cascading Waterfalls
Sunscape The Beach Sunscape The Beach
Included is a colossal pool running nearly the entire length of the property, with waterfalls, planted islands, and small tributaries running off the main artery to swim out…
El Limón Waterfall El Limón Waterfall
Of the many waterfalls on the Samaná Peninsula, El Limón is indeed the most spectacular. Rising 900 feet above sea level and cascading 150 feet into a deep pool of blue water, it…
Aguas Blancas Aguas Blancas
Aguas Blancas is the mother of all Dominican waterfalls at a towering 492 feet, its majestic waters and surrounding thick pine forest providing an idyllic setting for a private swim. The scenic…
Jarabacoa Jarabacoa
With its pine-covered mountain terrain and comparatively cool climate, the heart of the vast central mountain range in the Dominican Republic is a far cry from your typical tropical landscape.
Up here, the only body of water remotely resembling a beach are the three roaring rivers used for white water rafting – a big draw for visitors to the areas, another, the national parks Armando Bermúdez and Carmen Ramírez, best known for harboring Pico Duarte – the highest summit in the Caribbean.
CENTRAL REGION
From hiking to rafting visitors to the Cordillera Central mountain range can climb Pico Duarte , the tallest peak in the Caribbean or ride the waters of the Yaque River alongside some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.
Many who make the more than 10,000-foot trek up the peak use area cabin accommodations as base before and after the climb. Jarabacoa also features four beautiful waterfalls. Two of these falls can be easily enjoyed as a half-day outing, the remaining are more suitable for active visitors interested in hiking and rock climbing.
The leading attractions in the central mountains are three thunderous waterfalls so captivating that one was chosen as a setting for the movie Jurassic Park.
Damajagua Falls :Go beyond the gold-sand beaches of Puerto Plata and into the silver-capped mountains for the 27 waterfalls of Damajagua, a fairytale-like labyrinth of tunnels and caves.
Samana Peninsula :
Two-thirds of its hilly territory covered by a tropical tangle of verdant forest, majestic waterfalls, and pristine beach. Nestled inside this idyllic setting are – Las Galera…
North Coast :
Dolphin, feeding stingray, and a shark interaction pool. A fantasy rainforest setting is complete with waterfalls and lagoons and inhabited with tropical birds and plants. Columbus Aqua…
Central Region :
Snow-capped mountains, torrential waterfalls, rugged hiking trails, and hair-raising cliffs.
Jarabacoa in the Central Region :Jarabacoa also features four beautiful waterfalls. Two of these falls can be easily enjoyed as a half-day outing.
Horseback Riding
One of the most popular vacation activity excursions for families to do during their visit to the Dominican Republic is to go horseback riding. Many of the horseback riding ranches/operators offer Creole horses, known for their tameness, and trained specifically to go slowly for children’s safety.
Horseback Riding along the beach famous locations:
Samana Peninsula:Explore the countryside via jeep expedition, helicopter tour or horseback riding
Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus
Canyoning
Mountain-biking, surfing, scuba-diving, kiteboarding, wakeboarding, cave exploring or canyoning.
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Canyoning adventures take place in the
Cordillera Septentrional region, a 30 km drive southeast of Cabarete , on the North Coast, into the hill/mountain areas there.
River rafting along Rio Yaque del Norte and climbing Pico Duarte are the biggest attractions in the Central region. Resorts from as far away as Puerto Plata offer full day excursions including transportation and equipment; visitors planning to climb Pico Duarte should arrive in Jarabacoa at least a day in advance since most tours set off early in the morning. Visits to the waterfalls and other extreme activities can be arranged through Rancho Biaguate or visited independently with the assistance of a local guide. Hang gliding over Constanza and beyond can be arranged through Caribbean Free Flying.
Take a hike, climb, swim, jump and rappel into river canyons. There are some excursions that will take older children (of a minimum age) as long as they have a good fitness level and are comfortable in the water. Sneakers/runners are a must, but the Tour Operator provides all other necessary equipment – wetsuit, harness, etc.
Mountain biking, or bike rental, can be arranged from many tourist destinations in the Dominican Republic through a local Tour Operator or your hotel/resort. Cabarete, on the North Coast, is the mountain biking paradise of the country due to the miles and miles of dirt tracks and endless mule trails in the surrounding areas. Anywhere you choose to bike, you’ll most likely find that the scenery/countryside is breathtaking and that the locals you come across are very friendly.
A 200-mile stretch of sandy shoreline backed by a verdant mountain range and rimmed by brilliant blue waters that he first saw. Out-of-the-way country roads provide scenic trails for mountain biking tours and rugged hiking trips to sites such as Damajuaga Falls.
Mountain landscape; roaring rivers; cool climate; cabin accommodations Reasons to go: Scenic drives; extreme activities. Rappelling, and rock climbing; while densely wooded trails provide a spectacular backdrop for mountain biking and nature hikes. Off a track less traveled and scenically stunning is Constanza.
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