Dominican Republic Holidays - Something To
Interest Everyone
Author: Nikki McCowan

Experience the delights of the hot sun and sandy, lush palm
tree lined beaches - no other island gives you the mood of the
"Caribbean" quite like the Dominican Republic. There really is
something for everyone, offering an extensive range of natural
beauty, cultural monuments, excellent sporting facilities and
fun filled nightlife for those who just don't want the party to
end.

Santo Domingo

The oldest Spanish metropolis in the New World, with nearly 3
million inhabitants, is the political and cultural capital as
well as the economical centre of the Dominican Republic. Founded
in 1496, the old town of Santo Domingo, which has been declared
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is a true treasure trove of
colonial architecture.

The cathedral Santa Maria la Menor on the southern side of
Columbus Square (Parque Colón) will captivate you with a
harmonious vestibule with two arches in the west façade and an
interior celebrating the three ships. After it was completed
(1521-1540), it was extended with 14 side chapels in which
precious objects of art, such as the crown of Queen Isabella,
can be seen.

The Alcazar of Columbus (Columbus's Palace), which was the
residence of the Spanish viceroy in the 16th Century, rises
above the Plaza Espagna. From here, numerous adventurers made
plans for crusades to the American continent. The Museo del
Hombre Dominicano is dedicated to the history of the island and
its indigenous, African and European roots.

The Samana Peninsula

The Caribbean in the travel brochures: small isolated islands,
colourful coral reefs with an unbelievable diversity of species
and forms, coconut palms swaying in the breeze, romantic
waterfalls, dives to old Spanish wrecks, long walks to remote
white sandy beaches. Nowhere else will you feel the true
Caribbean flair as much as on the Samana Peninsula in the
north-east of the Dominican Republic.

The main tourist areas, in addition to Sanchez, with its small
harbour and wooden houses in the Victorian style, are Las
Terrenas on the north coast and Santa Barbara de Samana in the
south on the bay of the same name. The most popular activities
in Santa Barbara are strolling to the attractive Malecon,
extended visits to cafés and boat trips to Cayo Levantado - made
famous throughout the world by the Bacardi advertisements. The
absolute highlight from January to March is the numerous
agencies offering whale-watching tours, when up to 3,000
humpback whales gather together to mate in the warm waters of
the Bahia de Samana.

Los Haitises National Park

The Tainos, the original inhabitants of Spanish
descent(Hispaniolas), named the impassable mountainous area
between the Bahia de Samana and the Cordillera Oriental, which
is protected as the Los Haitises National Park. Erosion of the
limestone here has created one of the most geologically
interesting types of landscape in the Caribbean: a distinct,
lush Karst landscape with extensive cave systems, collapse
craters (dolinas), impressive stone towers (mogotes), which
sometimes appear as islands (cayos) off the coast.

Nature lovers can study the life of the cotica parrot, the
national bird of the Dominican Republic, amongst the
approximately 120 different species of birds in the vast
mangrove belts and in the tropical rainforests further inland.
Around 2000 BC, the Siboneyes, and later the Tainos, drew the
fantastic primordial landscape combined with religious
depictions in numerous cave drawings in which whales, fish and
insects, as well as a shaman (behique), can be seen.

Lake Enriquillo

The 42 kilometre long Lake Enriquillo at nearly 40 m below sea
level is an extraordinary natural spectacle. It is part of a
former estuary, the salt content of which is three times higher
than that in the Caribbean Sea due to high evaporation at
temperatures of up to 50 °C.

In the midst of the lake, the Isla Cabritos National Park
surprises you with semi-desert and briar vegetation which is
unusual for the region. If you are lucky, in the early hours of
the morning on this "Goat island" you may see the largest
crocodile in the Americas which is threatened by extinction, as
well as turtles, flamingos and rhino iguanas.

The sulphurous whirlpools of the Balneario Las Barias in La
Descubierta in the heart of a wonderful oak forest promise
refreshment and relaxation. In addition, on the north shore of
the lake at the Postrer Rio you will find one of the most
significant archeological sites of the Hispaniolas: the Las
Caritas sanctuary with petroglyphics, which depict, amongst
other things,small faces without ears.

Sosua

Countless souvenir shops, diving schools, travel agencies,
discos, cafés and bars and more than 100 guesthouses and hotels
- all this makes Sosua the tourist centre of the northern coast
of the island. By invitation of the dictator Trujillo, Jewish
immigrants founded the city in 1940 and many Europeans from the
most varied nations, in particular Germans, settled here
subsequently and developed a unique multi-cultural society.

A 1 kilometre long sandy beach separates the two parts of the
city from one another: the Caribbean-style Los Charamicos, which
lies on a slope and is predominantly inhabited by Dominicans,
and El Batey. Under the European influence of Calle Pedro
Chisante, this area is dominated by the money-making tourist
industry. A synagogue and a historical museum in the Calle Dr.
Alejo Martinez district bear witness to the Jewish history of
the area. Here bathers can also enjoy the sea from several small
beaches, such as Playita and Playa Chiquita.

Puerto Plata

The history of the anchorage ground named "Port of Silver" at
the foot of the Pico Isabel de Torres local mountain is
characterised by a continual trend of ups and downs. After the
initial boom in the 16th Century from trading leather, the area
experienced its heyday in the 18th and 19th Centuries exporting
tobacco, sugar, coffee and rum. After another decline, the 1980s
saw the arrival of tourism to the lovely city centre with its
numerous wooden houses.

The Fort San Felipe (mid 16th Century) towers majestically over
the harbour entrance at the western end of Malecon. It was
erected by order of Carlos V to protect the harbour from pirate
attacks. Carefully restored, its rooms house a weapons museum
which is well worth a visit. Not far from the contemplative
Plaza Central in the Calle Duarte 61, the Museo del Ambar will
fascinate you with a large collection of amber, including
examples of embedded old leaves, lizards and insects up to 60
million years old.

Santiago de los Caballeros

The money spent in Santo Domingo is earned in Santiago. Nothing
characterises the economical significance of the city in the
prosperous valley of Rio Cibao better than this expression. Rum
and tobacco in particular, along with bananas, sugar, coffee and
rice have given the trade metropolis wealth and prosperity.

An unmissable symbol of Santiago is the 67-metre high column at
the end of the Calle del Sol, often abbreviated to "El
Monumento", which was ordered by the megalomaniac dictator
Trujillo (1930-1961) to commemorate the heroes of the
Restauration war in 1865. The history of tobacco cultivation and
the industry as well as the skillful manual processing of it is
documented vividly in the Museo del Tabaco in the city centre.
With an extensive collection of richly decorated masks and
costumes, the Museo de Arte Folkló rico Tomás Morel in the Calle
Restauración y López is devoted to the carnival celebrated so
enthusiastically in the Dominican Republic.

Jarabacoa

Set amidst wonderful pine forests at 530 metres, Jarabacoa
boasts a pleasant spring-like climate with warm days and cool
nights. This part of the Cordillera Central, named the Alpes
Dominicanos, offers a range of rafting and walking activities
and excursions for nature lovers and those seeking recuperation.


Only 2 km outside this small place, the natural Balneario La
Confluencia at the confluence of the Jimenoa and Yaque del Norte
rivers offers swimming and relaxation. The 20 metre-high
waterfalls Saltos de Jimenoa and Saltos de Baiguate can be
reached by foot or horseback. Both are also popular with
Dominican holidaymakers.

In 3 to 4 day excursions you can explore Jarabacoa or the
village of Cienaga as well as the extinct volcanoes in the
Armando Bermudez National Park, the Loma de la Viuda (2,802 m),
the Pico de Yaque (3,045 m) and the Pico Duarte, at 3,175 m the
highest peak in the Caribbean.


About The Author: Nikki McCowan is an online Brand Manager and
owner of http://lastminutetraveluk.co.uk. Last Minute Travel UK
is one of the largest affiliate based holiday websites, serving
hundreds of customers each month.