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Within 30 years, something unique in the Caribbean has been created from bushland and wild beaches. Meanwhile, the success story of Punta Cana is planned to be copied in different zones, e.g. in Miches (Tropicalia project) and in the southwest near Pedernales, but let us focus on what already exists. Punta Cana encompasses an ever further area, it is not only the municipality of Punta Cana. Cabeza de Toro, Bavaro, Cortesito and Uvero Alto were added. For those who value luxury and comfort, Cap Cana was created. "Punta Cana" became the most popular holiday area in the Caribbean, was rated by the travel guide "Lonely Planet" a few years ago as one of the 10 best destinations you should visit.
Playa Bavaro / Punta Cana
Today, around 2/3 of all visitors to the Dominican Republic end up in Punta Cana, where a small wooden hut with a Canaroof on the runway once represented an airport. Today we have 2 terminals there, the third is under construction. The Punta Cana International Airport even offers a pool in the VIP area, talk about luxury.
Millions of tourists experience unforgettable moments here. Punta Cana attracts not only Europeans, most tourists come from the United States and Canada, many South Americans love the beaches in the east of the Dominican Republic. The holiday world has been perfected. Huge hotels and resorts offer everything the heart desires. Everyone finds their hotel, whether family hotel, Adult Only, good gastronomy, aquaparks, themed hotels, romantic hotels, boutique hotels. Most tourists come only once for a trip out from the hotels, but you can explore so much: the region today offers several shopping malls, cinemas, restaurants, supermarkets and more. There are clinics, schools, in other words, the bushland has been urbanized.
But the DR has far more to offer than just Punta Cana with its "beach and sea", an almost endless excursion offer. Most vacationers come because of the beaches and the good climatic conditions.
Boca Chica, at the gates of Santo Domingo
Those who have vacationed here are often very impressed by the locals. Their hospitality, their smile, has made many tourists lovers of the DR, as the holiday country is often called in short form. The tourists do not know the problems and concerns of the locals, in their hotels there are no problems such as power outage, water shortages or floods. There is also no problem with the supply, food and drinks are in the AI program, as much as you want, in some hotels even around the clock. A paradise has been created for vacationers.
However, poverty prevails in the country, with more than 42% of the population living in it, and more than 10% even in the most extreme poverty. All the more so one must admire the carelessness, the joy of life of the locals. Nothing keeps the Dominicans from taking any chance to celebrate. Accordingly, there is always something to celebrate, the cohesion in the neighborhood is great, the openness and friendliness to tourists incomparable.
Nothing keeps the Dominicans from taking any chance to celebrate. Accordingly, there is always something to celebrate, the cohesion in the neighborhood is great, the openness and friendliness to tourists incomparable.
If you are looking for something different than just palm trees, beach and sea, you can find more in the country.
Santo Domingo offers several superlatives. The 1st University, the 1st Cathedral of the New World and many others, history and culture are concentrated in the capital of the country. The colonial zone and numerous museums, botanical garden and parks (Mirador Norte and Sur) are worth a visit, the "Faro de Colon" was recently renovated, "Los Tres Ojos" should not be missed. There are several malls in the National District today, and there are more than a dozen of these malls, where you can find the boutiques of well-known world brands.
Cayo Levantado - "Bacardi“ Island
The northeast also has its very special charms. Although it is the rainiest zone in the country, it does not stop the popularity of travelers. The once small fishing village of
Las Terrenas
became a tourism hotspot. Almost five times the number of inhabitants has been multiplicated in less than 20 years. Here you will find several small hotels, hostals, apartments and villas. No mass tourism like in the east, yet it is very busy here.
It is a place for individualists and nature lovers, because the peninsula Samaná offers incredibly a lot of dream beaches and many waterfalls. The most known of all is the "Salto El Limon," but with a local guide you can discover many more. In the period from January to March, high season prevails here, where more than 60,000 visitors come to observe the humpback whales. During this time, the giant marine mammals mate and give birth to their calves in the Bay of Samaná
. Another popular destination is also Cayo Levantado, known as Bacardi Island.
Very well known in the north is mainly Cabarete, it is the hotspot for surfers. It started with the windsurfers in the 80s, today world championships take place, also for wave riders and kite surfers. Puerto Plata
, where once tourism began with the Playa Dorada, then collapsed because Punta Cana became the dream destination, the tourism sector regenerates again. Thanks to cruise tourism, life comes back to the "bride of the Atlantic," as the provincial capital is called. Those who are on holiday here also have a wide range of entertainment options: historical city centre, the 27 waterfalls of Damajagua, Paradise Island (Cayo Arena), cable car and much more. A second cruise port is under construction and will be open soon.
Inland, on the other hand, the Dominican Republic offers a scenario that gives the tourists no Caribbean feeling at all. The Pico Duarte is the highest elevation in the Caribbean, with a height of 3,087 meters the temperatures are below zero degrees here in winter. Also the Valle Nuevo, lovingly called the "fridge," is a natural park that with its vegetation gives the impression that you are in a German central mountain range.
High Valley Constanza
Constanza was the first place for mountain tourism, dictator Trujillo ordered his men to build a hotel called "Nueva Suiza," because the region is known as the Dominican Switzerland. Besides mountain tourism, Constanza has chosen the agricultural landscape as an attraction. With bike tours you can take off to see the fields, get information and buy fresh products along the way. Thanks to the cool climate (for Caribbean conditions), among other things, strawberries thrive here.
Nearby, also in a high valley, you will find the town of Jarabacoa, known by active tourists. Here you can enjoy rafting, canyoning, mountain biking and paragliding, most tours to the summit of Pico Duarte start here. Next is the Cibao Valley, the crop chamber of the country, there is also intensive farming.
Going Around
Adventure, sports, relaxation, culture and history, no other Caribbean country can offer so much. The tourism offer will be further expanded in the areas of religion and agriculture. If you are interested in these topics, you will also find a rich offer. Every tourist can find tours and excursions that will fit into his preferences and interests.
Every Dominican region has its own culinary specialties, ask for them and try! Hikers and mountain bikers still have to give up the infrastructure (marked and signed hiking trails), but in modern times you can find many tours on the Internet (with GPS locations) so you can discover virgin regions also on your own.
The tourism offer is constantly expanding, meanwhile you have an eco-park also in Punta Cana, nature lovers find lagoons and the famous Hoyo Azul. Those who will stay in the capital do not have to give up the beach. Thanks to the highway you are in less than 30 minutes in Boca Chica, and drive a little bit further and you reach Juan Dolio. In the other direction (southwest) you will find salt works and dunes in Bani, in San Cristobal you will find beaches like Palenque and in the mountains of San Cristobal you will find a unique climate with panoramic views to Santo Domingo.
Do not hang out, discover!
No matter where you look, the offer is more than comprehensive and justifies the advertising slogan of the Ministry of Tourism "The country has it all.” Although we have not yet enumerated the advantages of the northwest and southwest. These regions, in the immediate vicinity of Haiti, are also worth seeing.
However, these are regions which a regular AI tourist will never see, these sights can only be experienced by the individual tourist who has booked a corresponding tour or who is travelling with a rental car (SUV recommended!). In the southwest you can observe iguanas and Flamingos in the wild, find caves and a landscape that changes drastically every few kilometers. If you were still in a tropical rainforest, you can soon be in the "kingdom of cacti" and experience deserts and drought landscapes. One of the most beautiful beaches in the world (according to UNESCO) can be found here: the Bahia de Las Aguilas near to Pedernales, and the bay in front of it (Cobo Rojo) is also beautiful.
