The Dominican Republic takes up two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola which is shared with Haiti and is situated between the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico. More tourists visit the Dominican Republic each year than all of the other Caribbean islands combined. This is a large country and the tourists areas are predominately on the northern, eastern, and southern coastlines. A growing trend among these tourist areas is the large number of all-inclusive resorts and hotels. This feature makes the accommodations in the D.R.(Dominican Republic) an outstanding value.
The country is blessed with beautiful palm tree lined beaches which are golden-colored in the north and white on the eastern and southern coasts. The tourist zone on the northern coast consists of the cities of Puerto Plata, Sosua, Playa Dorado, and Cabereta. Because of the strong prevailing winds along this coast, wind related water sports such as surfing,kiteboarding, wind surfing, and parasailing. Many international tournaments relating to these sports are held along this coast each year.
The resort areas of Punta Cana and Bavaro make up the eastern tourist zone of the country. This beautiful area features palm tree lined beaches of a blinding white color sloping gently into a turquoise sea. The southern coastal tourist area extends from the capital city of Santo Domingo through Boca Chica, La Romana, and Bayahibe. This area features white sand beaches and a multitude of accommodations, many of which are all-inclusive. Just off the coast of La Romana is Catalina Island and to the south of Bayahibe is Saona Island, both of which are excellent day trips.
The interior of the island offers many possibilities for the active tourist. The mountains offer excellent hiking with panoramic vistas once you reach the top. Winding rivers flow down these mountains with excellent opportunities for white-water rafting and for viewing waterfalls.
This is a Spanish-speaking country, but English is spoken widely in most of the tourist areas. Major credit cards are accepted in these areas. Airlines access the country through six international airports placed around the country. While you are shopping be sure to pick up some locally-made rum and Dominican cigars.
The Dominican Republic offers a wide variety of beach-related activities from sipping a tropical drink on a sandy beach to horseback riding to island-hopping to wind surfing. The interior of the country offers hiking, whitewater rafting, excursions to sugar cane fields and coffee plantations and 4x4 backcountry trips. Excursion companies are well-equipped to help you find exactly what you want to do. The abundance of activities plus the availability of hundreds of low-cost all-inclusive hotels and resorts makes the Dominican Republic a real Caribbean bargain.