©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Dominican Republic North Coast (p127) Península de Samaná Central (p108) Highlands (p161) Punta Cana & the Southeast (p78) #_ Santo The Southwest & Domingo Península de (p46) Pedernales (p183) THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY Michael Grosberg, Kevin Raub PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD Welcome to the SANTO DOMINGO . 46 Playa Limón . 104 Dominican Republic . 4 Miches . 105 Dominican Republic Map . .6 PUNTA CANA & Sabana de la Mar . 106 Dominican THE SOUTHEAST . 78 Republic’s Top 18 . .8 East of Santo PENÍNSULA Need to Know . .18 Domingo . 79 DE SAMANÁ . 108 First Time . 20 Juan Dolio . 79 Eastern Península If You Like… . 22 La Romana to Higüey . 84 de Samaná . 110 Month by Month . 25 La Romana . 84 Samaná . 110 Itineraries . 28 Bayahibe & Las Galeras . 115 Eat & Drink Dominicus Americanus . 88 Western Like a Local . 34 Higüey . 95 Península de Samaná . .119 Dominican Punta Cana to Republic Outdoors . .37 Sabana de la Mar . 96 Las Terrenas . 119 Playa Bonita . 126 Regions at a Glance . 43 Bávaro & Punta Cana . 96 MTIMOTHY O’KEEFE / GETTY IMAGES © DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MINISTRY OFTOURISM, WWW.GODOMINICANREPUBLIC.COM BEACH, PUNTA CANA P96 BRIGITTE MERLE / GETTY IMAGES © © HAITIAN MARKET, PEDERNALES P197 Contents UNDERSTAND NORTH COAST . .127 Monte Cristi . 158 Dominican Republic Today . 202 Puerto Plata . 129 Dajabón . 160 Playa Dorada History . 204 & Costa Dorada . 135 CENTRAL Music & Dance . .215 Costambar . 136 HIGHLANDS . .161 Baseball: Playa Cofresí . 137 Santiago . 162 A Dominican Passion . .218 Sosúa . 137 San José de Art & Architecture . 220 Cabarete . 143 las Matas . 169 Río San Juan . 153 La Vega . 169 Dominican Cabrera . 155 Jarabacoa . .171 Landscapes . 223 West of Puerto Parques Nacionales Plata . 156 Bermúdez & Ramírez . .177 Constanza . 179 SURVIVAL Luperón . 156 GUIDE Parque Nacional East of Santiago . .181 La Isabela . 157 San Francisco de Macorís . 181 Punta Rusia . 157 Directory A–Z . 228 Moca & Around . 182 Transportation . 236 THE SOUTHWEST Language . 242 & PENÍNSULA DE Index . 249 PEDERNALES . 183 Map Legend . 255 West of Santo Domingo . 185 Baní . 185 Ázua . 186 Inland . 186 San Juan de la Maguana . 186 Comendador del Rey (Elías Piña) . 189 Península de Pedernales . 190 Barahona . 191 South of Barahona . 193 Larimar Mine . 196 SPECIAL Parque Nacional FEATURES Jaragua . 196 Off the Beaten Isla Beata & Alto Velo . 197 Track map . 32 Pedernales . 197 Eat & Drink Parque Nacional Like a Local . 34 Sierra de Bahoruco . 197 Dominican North of Pedernales . 199 Republic Outdoors . 37 Lago Enriquillo KITESURFING, & Isla Cabritos . 199 Music & Dance . 215 CABARETE P143 Jimaní . 199 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 28 Itineraries Sosúa Cabarete •# •# Río San Juan ATLANTIC OCEAN É •# Las El Península de É Terrenas É Limón Samaná •# •# •#Las Galeras Bahía de Jarabacoa •# Samaná f# É #– Parque ÷# É •# Nacional Los Haitises Playa É É Limón Bávaro •# Lago Enriquillo •# É #_ É Punta É Cana SANTO DOMINGO Barahona •# Bahía de Nayba CARIBBEAN SEA 2 WEEKS Dominican Circuit Start with a couple of days exploring Santo Domingo, hitting the Zona Colonial and enjoying the essential Dominican experiences of baseball and dancing to merengue. On day three head to Jarabacoa. Visit the waterfalls in the afternoon, with white-water rafting or canyoning the next day. Head north to Cabarete, which has world-class water sports and mountain biking. There’s great diving and beaches in nearby Sosúa and Río San Juan – enough to keep you happy for several days. Next you’re off to Península de Samaná. If it’s mid-January to mid-March, go whale-watching. Otherwise take a boat trip to Parque Nacional Los Haitises to see the mangroves and cave paintings, or visit the waterfall near El Limón. Spend another two days hiking or boating to the beaches around Las Galeras. For more nightlife, base yourself in Las Terrenas. Allow for some relaxing beach time. The southeast is perfect – go for either deserted Playa Limón or perennially popular Bávaro and Punta Cana. Return to Santo Domingo. To the south- west is a spectacular drive to Barahona, and crocodiles in Lago Enriquillo. Spend a night or two before returning to Santo Domingo. 29 Península Las Terrenas de Samaná East Coast •# •# Península de Samaná #– É •# É Las Galeras Aeropuerto El Limón Internacional •# É Bahía de Samaná El Catey Samaná ATLANTIC f# OCEAN PLAN YOUR TRIP ÷# É É •# Parque Playa Nacional Limón Los Haitises É Bavaro •# É É It erar I n SANTO •# Punta É Cana DOMINGO É #_ É I e s •# Bayahibe CARIBBEAN SEA Península de 1 East Coast 5 WEEK DAYS Samaná Whether you fly into Santo Domingo or If you can, fly directly into Aeropuerto directly to the airport outside Punta Cana, Internacional El Catey, the closest airport allow a full day to explore the old colonial to the peninsula. Otherwise, get in a puddle center of Santo Domingo. jumper from another DR airport or con- sider taking a bus or driving from Santo Base yourself in the southeast at the Domingo – the new highway makes it a deservedly popular beaches of Bávaro and painless transfer. Punta Cana, the hub of Dominican tour- ism. All-inclusive resorts are tailor-made If possible, plan your trip for mid- for families; if all you want to do is splash January to mid-March, when humpback about in the water, you could do worse whales migrate to the Bahía de Samaná than book at the resorts here. Many are and boat-based whale-watching tours particularly child-friendly, and activities are in full steam. include go-karts, bowling, sailing trips Otherwise, base yourself either in Las and parasailing. Resorts also offer tours to Terrenas or Las Galeras. Las Terrenas local sights; for more independence, rent a has a cosmopolitan mix and a relatively car and head out on your own. sophisticated European vibe. Kitesurfing Singles, couples and those seeking and other water sports are deservedly nightlife can certainly find their own popular here and you can choose from Shangri-La here as well. day-trips like horseback riding to the waterfall near El Limón or a boat trip to Not far south is Bayahibe, a tiny town to see on the edge of a national park, with the Parque Nacional Los Haitises the mangroves and cave paintings. best scuba diving in the DR and a number of excursions, including catamaran tours Las Galeras is a small laid-back town to an island beach and snorkeling trips. at the far eastern tip of the peninsula. The For more privacy head to deserted Playa beaches around here rival any in the DR Limón further up the coast. and there are chances to really get to the proverbial end of the road. 30 Puerto ATLANTIC Plata OCEAN •# Sosúa É Cabarete North Coast •# É •# Central Highlands Aeropuerto #– Bahía Escondida É PLAN YOUR TRIP Internacional Gregorio Luperón É •# •# Cabrera Río San Juan Santiago •# É #– It erar Parque Nacional I Armando n Bermúdez É ÷# É I •# Jarabacoa e É s R •#Valle de É ÷# É Pico Tétero Duarte Parque Nacional (3087m) José del •# Carmen Ramírez Constanza 1 1 WEEK North Coast WEEK Central Highlands Fly into the Aeropuerto Internacional Fly into the airport outside Santiago and Gregorio Luperón, basically the geographic spend a day exploring downtown and tak- center of the north coast. From here, choose ing in Dominican painting at the Centro your base for the week, but allow yourself at Leon. Don’t miss a bar crawl around the least an afternoon in Puerto Plata, either Monument, the center of the city’s night- at the beginning or end of your trip. Wander life, and a baseball game at the stadium the city’s downtown streets lined with dilap- just north of downtown if you’re here dur- idated 19th-century homes, educate yourself ing the winter season. at one of the city’s museums and settle in for On the following day, head to Jara- a drink at a seafront restaurant. bacoa, gateway to Parques Nacionales Active types will want to stay in or Armando Bermúdez and José del Car- around the water-sports mecca of Caba- men Ramírez. The two parks cover rete, east of Puerto Plata; it also has a hap- much of the DR’s central mountain range, pening bar and restaurant scene. Carve out including Pico Duarte, the highest peak several hours or days learning the ropes (3087m) in the Caribbean. Visit the water- from the best of kitesurfing, windsurfing falls in the afternoon, with white-water or just plain surfing. Of course, the beaches rafting, or canyoning and mountain biking are equally alluring for doing absolutely for the next day or two. Or arrange your nothing but sipping cocktails and making trip around climbing Pico Duarte. The headway in a good book. standard trip is three days, but consider arranging a side trip to beautiful Valle del Scuba divers and those looking for a Tétero, which adds two days. more raucous nightlife should look into staying in Sosúa. Further east near the Unwind in the mountain town of Con- quiet town of Río San Juan are several stanza, only a short drive from Jaraba- terrific beaches and snorkeling and div- coa, where you’ll find cooler temperatures ing opportunities nearby. If you have a big and stunning views. Rent a 4WD and group, renting a villa around Cabrera is a off-road it through mountain passes to good choice. remote valleys and waterfalls. 31 PLAN YOUR TRIP It InerarIes ALFREDO MAIQUEZ / GETTY IMAGES © (p138) Top: Cascada Top: El Limón(p122) El Right: Playa Sosúa Playa Right: STEVE OGLE / GETTY IMAGES © 32 Off the Beaten Track: Dominican Republic PUNTA RUSIA PLAN YOUR TRIP This north coast beachfront village has a real end-of-the-road feel.