Few visitors to the Dominican Republic know about this idyllic seaside hamlet, yet it is just a few more minutes drive from Casa Ponce de Leon – the 16th-century home of the Spanish conquistador. Perhaps the most charming setting in the country, Boca de Yuma sits along an ocean-pounded bluff overlooking sheltered coves like the one [...]
Beautiful blue skies give way to even more beautiful days in the Dominican Republic such as this one captured over the lush countryside of Bayaguana. Set along the sprawling south side foothills of the Cordillera Oriental mountain range in the east, Bayaguana is dotted with pineapple plantations and cattle ranches – the much treasured livestock often [...]
The biggest attraction in La Romana is a recreation of a medieval European village conceived from the imagination of a former Paramount Studios set designer some twenty years ago. Narrow, cobble-covered alleyways lined with lanterns and shuttered limestone walls yield several good Mediterranean-style restaurants, a number of quaint shops featuring the diverse craftwork of local artisans, [...]
Within the boundaries of this 600-square-mile natural reserve at the southern tip of the peninsula is a six-mile-long saltwater lagoon and collection of small islands forming Laguna de Oviedo. The top bird-watching spot in the country, the lagoon is home to the DR’s largest flamingo population as well as several other species of birds. Also within [...]
The southwest’s biggest attraction is an enormous saltwater lake resting some 140 feet below sea level (the lowest point in the entire Caribbean), with six-mile-long Isla Cabritos emerging from its center. Visitors board motor-powered skiffs for a low-impact exploration of this eco-wonder, populated by the largest colony of American crocodiles outside the northern Americas and shared [...]
This viewing platform, which takes its name from a deep pine-covered canyon in the Sierra Bahoruco mountains, presides over a breathtaking vista of the entire southwest peninsula. Red dirt from bauxite strip mines colors the twenty-mile drive through the mountains to access the platform. The highest point of this vast protected area climbs to more than [...]
This otherwise unremarkable slope in the road south of the town of Cabral has long been the subject of intense debate. Is it a freak magnetic phenomenon or optical illusion? Park your vehicle in neutral and watch as it moves uphill, then write us and tell us what you think. Trying to figure out is it [...]
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. Most popular is Lower Salto Jimenoa, where visitors cross a suspended footbridge to reach a swimming hole at the base of the fall. Even more alluring is the somewhat elusive Higher [...]
Our Environment section has enlightening information on Rio del Yaque del Norte 2007 incentives given to communities for protecting the river Yaque del Norte. The Rio del Yaque del Norte a Dominican treasure spans 150-miles and starts at 8,500 feet in the Cordillera Central and rushes through the town of Jarabacoa (“land of the eternal spring” [...]
Pico Duarte, which lies within a 1,500-square-mile protected area, is the highest mountain in the Caribbean with a summit rising to just over 10,000 feet. Five established routes ranging from three - to six-day treks take hikers through pine-covered territory and across crystal-clear rivers, where encounters with endemic birds and other harmless indigenous wildlife make for [...]