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Part-mountain range, part-desert, part-coastline--the Dominican Republic's great southwest is the most geographically diverse region on the island. And for adventurous travelers, it can be the most exciting part of the [...]

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Unlike English, with Spanish pronunciation what you see is what you get. In other words, pronunciation is pretty much phonetic once you know the rules. Every letter is [...]

RIO SAN JUAN This sleepy, quiet, small town is bordered by the thick mangrove swamps of Laguna Gri-Gri (see Eco-Travel, above), and, a few miles east, the glorious 1 1/2-mile [...]

~ The Dominican Alps ~ With its pine-covered mountain terrain, comparatively cool climate, and European village atmosphere--such as narrow streets and cabin-like architecture--the heart of the DR's vast Cordillera Central [...]

* ON WATER BEACHES FROM CABRERA TO RIO SAN JUAN The beaches below are listed from east to west, starting southeast of Cabrera and traveling west along the coast to [...]

Brugal Rum Bottling Plant Short guided tours show how rum is bottled at this Puerto Plata plant, located on the well-traveled road to Playa Dorada. Afterwards, tour-goers are able to [...]

BOCA CHICA Just 20 miles east of Santo Domingo and a short 10-minute ride from Aeropuerto Las Americas is Boca Chica, a funky little resort town known for its beautiful [...]

Poking out like a thumb on the far northeastern corner of the Dominican Republic, away from the crunch and bustle of big cities and tourist hordes, the 30-mile-long Samana Peninsula [...]

Best known around the world as 'Punta Cana,' the Coconut Coast is nothing less than central casting's vision of a Caribbean beach resort. All the superlatives--and all the cliches--are here [...]

* ON WATER BEACHES Beaches are listed in geographic order from west to east (from closest to Santo Domingo moving to the farthest away). Playa Boca Chica Located about 20 [...]

Santo Domingo offers by far the greatest selection of shopping opportunities in the country. Among the items to look for here are jewelry made from amber (fossilized tree sap that [...]

* ZONA COLONIAL Balcon Habanero (Arzobispo Portes 10, between 19 de Marzo and Eugenio Maria de Hostos, [telephone] 809-682-5672). This small Cuban bar in an upscale residential district has lots [...]

Visitors to the capital city have three options for a base camp: the seaside Malecon, lined with five-star hotels overlooking the Caribbean, and one of the capital's top nightlife centers; [...]

* ZONA COLONIAL La Residencia (Calle de las Damas near Plaza Espana, [telephone] 809-685-9955) $$$$. This elegant restaurant attached to the Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando Hotel consistently produces excellent Mediterranean-style [...]

* EAST OF SANTO DOMINGO CAMPO LAS PALMAS Primarily a training facility for up-and-coming Los Angeles Dodgers rookies, Campo Las Palmas also serves as a general tryout camp for Latin [...]

* ZONA COLONIAL WALKING TOUR The Old City was laid out in a grid pattern that later served as a model for many of the emerging cities of the New [...]

* IN THE COLONIAL ZONE Centro Cultural de Espana (Cultural Center of Spain) You can view Spanish cinema here in addition to other scheduled cultural events. (Arzobispo Merino and Arzobispo [...]

* MUSEUMS IN THE ZONA COLONIAL For more information on some of the following museums and the Old City, see Zona Colonial Walking Tour, below. Museo de las Atarazanas (Maritime [...]

* TAXIS Taxis are the most comfortable--as well as the most expensive--means of getting around the city, short of hiring your own car complete with chauffeur (see Rental Cars, below). [...]

If you arrive in the country via an organized tour you probably won't have to concern yourself much with transportation. Transfers to and from the airport and excursions are usually [...]

Santo Domingo, the first European city in the Western Hemisphere, has a turbulent history that extends more than five centuries. Founded in 1498 by Christopher Columbus' brother, Bartholomew, after earlier [...]

Like so many other aspects of the culture, food in the Dominican Republic is an intriguing blend of Spanish, African, and indigenous Taino elements. The result is a deliciously diverse [...]

With more than 60,000 rooms in every price range, the Dominican Republic offers some of the most affordable--and best-value--accommodations in the notoriously expensive Caribbean. Everyone from budget travelers looking for [...]

While you needn't be overly concerned about health hazards during your visit, you should be aware of what the potential health risks are and what you can do to protect [...]

Almost every adventurous traveler to the Dominican Republic will visit at least one--and most likely several--of the island's national parks and scientific reserves, which preserve and protect a growing portion [...]

For every hour spent on pre-trip planning, you can expect to save two hours or more of hassles after you arrive at your destination. Here are some things to keep [...]

The official currency of the Dominican Republic is the Dominican peso (RD $), circulated in one and five, 10 and 25 peso coins and in 10, 20, 50, 100, 1,000, [...]

Visiting a foreign country can be a memorable experience in cultural exploration. It can also offer moments of temporary embarrassment as you navigate your way around an unfamiliar landscape, and [...]

The Dominican Republic has a long and turbulent history, with enough milestones to make for a crowded holiday calendar and enough 'firsts' to fill a page in an almanac. (Among [...]

The Dominican Republic enjoys a mostly tropical climate year-round, with temperatures in most parts of the country averaging around 77-85[degrees]F (25-29[degrees]C). Expect year-round averages of 73[degrees]F (23[degrees]C) in the early [...]

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, the second-largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba. The separate nation of Haiti, with which it shares a 170-mile frontier, occupies [...]

* GOVERNMENT As its name suggests, the Dominican Republic (Republica Dominicana) is a republic (or 'representative democracy,' as the US State Department calls it). The country first gained its independence [...]

With the exception of the country's botanical gardens, zoos, and commercial wildlife parks, the most likely places to see the plants and animals of the Dominican Republic are in its [...]

History The Dominican Republic has a long and turbulent history, with enough milestones to make for a crowded holiday calendar and enough 'firsts' to fill a page in an almanac. [...]

Part-mountain range, part-desert, part-coastline--the Dominican Republic's great southwest is the most geographically diverse region on the island. And for adventurous travelers, it can be the most exciting part of the [...]

Visitors to the capital city have three options for a base camp: the seaside Malecon, lined with five-star hotels overlooking the Caribbean, and one of the capital's top nightlife centers; [...]

* Rio San Juan This sleepy, quiet, small town is bordered by the thick mangrove swamps of Laguna Gri-Gri (see Eco-Travel, above), and, a few miles east, the glorious 1 [...]

With its pine-covered mountain terrain, comparatively cool climate, and European village atmosphere--including narrow streets and cabin-like architecture--the heart of the DR's vast Cordillera Central mountain range has become known as [...]

* On Water Beaches The beaches below are listed from east to west, starting southeast of Cabrera and traveling west along the coast to Montecristi. Cabrera to Rio San Juan [...]

* Pronunciation Guide Unlike English, with Spanish pronunciation what you see is what you get. In other words, pronunciation is pretty much phonetic once you know the rules. Every letter [...]

Best known around the world as 'Punta Cana,' the Coconut Coast is nothing less than central casting's vision of a Caribbean beach resort. All the superlatives--and all the cliches--are here [...]

Poking out like a thumb on the far northeastern corner of the Dominican Republic, away from the crunch and bustle of big cities and tourist hordes, the 30-mile-long Samana Peninsula [...]

* Zona Colonial La Residencia (Calle de las Damas near Plaza Espana, [telephone] 685-9955) $$$$ This elegant restaurant attached to the Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando Hotel consistently produces excellent Mediterranean-style [...]

Starting just beyond the hustle and bustle of Santo Domingo, and continuing east almost all the way to the southeastern tip of the island, lies what most visitors come to [...]

* Museums of the Zona Colonial For more information on some of the following museums and the Old City, see Zona Colonial Walking Tour, above. Museo de las Atarazanas (Atarazanas [...]

Documents You'll Need US citizens and Canadian and British nationals may enter the Dominican Republic with an official photo ID such as a current valid passport or driver's license and [...]

* Zona Colonial Walking Tour The Old City was laid out in a grid pattern that later served as a model for many of the emerging cities of the New [...]

* Colonial Zone Balcon Habanero (Arzobispo Portes 10, between 19 de Marzo and Eugenio Maria de Hostos, [telephone] 682-5672) This small Cuban bar in an upscale residential district has lots [...]

* Taxis Taxis are the most comfortable--as well as the most expensive--means of getting around the city, short of hiring your own car complete with chauffeur (see Rental Cars, below). [...]

~ Rio San Juan to Montecristi ~ The nearly 200-mile-long north coast of the Dominican Republic has been dubbed, variously, the 'Silver Coast,' the 'Amber Coast,' and the 'Green Coast.' [...]