From Wikitravel

The Dominican Republic is a Central American country that occupies the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The western one-third of Hispaniola is occupied by the country of Haiti. To the north lies the North Atlantic Ocean, while the Caribbean Sea lies to the south.

Note 

Should not be confused with the Caribbean island country of Dominica.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Drink 10 Sleep 11 Learn 12 Work 13 Stay safe 14 Stay healthy 15 Respect 16 Contact

Regions

Administrative divisions 

29 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde

Cities

• Santo Domingo - Capital.
• Santiago de los Caballeros
• Barahona
• La Romana
• Manzanillo
• Puerto Plata
• San Pedro de Macoris
• Punta Cana
• Sosua

Other destinations

• Bonao-- secluded village
• Cabarete
• Jarabacoa
• Constanza
• Miches

Understand

Climate

Tropical maritime with little seasonal temperature variation There is a seasonal variation in rainfall. The island lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and is subject to severe storms from June to October. It experiences occasional flooding and periodic droughts.

Terrain

Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed.

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m

History

Explored and claimed by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland.

In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844.

A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin Balaguer became president. He maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. The Dominican economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere.

Get in

By plane

The main airports are Punta Cana in the east and Las Americas (SDQ), in Santo Domingo, the capital. You can get flights from Europe via Madrid MAD or Paris CDG. From the US, you can fly from New York or Miami.

You will be charged $10 for a tourist card on arrival. This must be paid in USD or EUROs (€). Local currency, GBP, etc, not accepted.

Taxi fares to nearby hotels are posted just ouside the airports.

Taxi from Airport to Santo Domingo (Ciudad Colonial): it is about $25/30 (maximum), but if you have time to discuss the prices, you can get it for $12-13 (maybe less). There are many taxi touts. They ask you for tips to 'find' you a taxi. Walk outside alone, decline the tout, keep hold of your baggage and save yourself a few dollars tip.

At the airport, you can change your $ and € in Dominican Pesos. But beware! You may not be able to exchange back local money to $ and €, so do it before leaving.

By train

There is no train network for public transport in the DR.

By car

Driving in the DR is a memorable experience. There are few major highways, borrowing from the U.S. Interstate. They are often pretty reliable. Highway #5 which goes from Santiago to Santo Domingo is filled with crazy drivers.

Since the electricity service comes and goes in the residential areas, drivers are conditioned not to rely on the traffic lights, and will often ignore them if they are functioning. When there is no electricity, exercise caution when driving.

By bus

By boat

Get around

For getting around the country one can take buses (Buses: 'gua-guas' pronounced, "Gwa-Gwas"). There is no rail in the country, and it is too small for inter-city air traffic. Most towns and cities have regularly schedule bus lines. The lines are most often independently run and simple, usually only connecting two cities within a region (SouthWest, Este, North) or between one city and the capital (with stops made for any towns on the route). Because of the geography of the country, to get from one region of the country to another you have to go through the capital. Caribe Tours, based out of the capital, is the biggest bus company, and the only one to service serval different regions (SW and the North).

Talk

Languages 

Spanish, Dominican style. Very carribean and often un-schooled.

Buy

One of the best spots in the Colonial District of Santo Domingo to shop is the several blocks long outdoor mall, c/ El Conde. It offers everything from street vendors (it is definitely NOT recommended to eat off these) to knock-off name brand clothing for extremely inexpensive prices. There are some very pleasant outdoor restaurants that serve as perfect spots to people watch and drink Presidente (their most popular beer). During the day, there are also several touristy shops where you can buy cheap presents for the family back home including authentic paintings and beautiful jewelry. There is also a very nice cigar shop at the end of the mall across from the cathedral. Crafts are generally not as exciting as in other Latin American countries such as Mexico. Clothes, however, are generally very economical and often of good quality.

Drink

Presidente Beer, Barcelo Anejo Rum, Brugal Rum

Sleep

• Hilton Santo Domingo [1]

• Quality Hotel Real Aeropuerto Santo Domingo [2]

• Viva Wyndham Dominicus Palace Resort, Bayahibe. Tel: (809) 686-5658. Fax: (809) 687-8583 [3] Located on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic facing the gorgeous islands of Saona and Catalina, the 83,000-square-foot hotel boasts the island's most beautiful white sand beaches.

• Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Resort, Bayahibe. Tel: (809) 686-5658. Fax: (809) 687-8583. [4] Located on the southeast coast of this enchanting Caribbean island, faces the beautiful islands of Saona and Catalina with perfect white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, palm trees and great tropical atmosphere.

• Viva Wyndham Tangerine Resort, Cabarete, Puerta Plata. Tel: (809) 571-04-02. Fax: (809) 571-95-50. [5] Located on the Northeast coast of the Dominican Republic, the hotel is 20 minutes from Puerto Plata International Airport and three minutes from downtown Cabarete.

• Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada, Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata. Tel: (809) 291-0001. [6] Located 15 minutes from Puerto Plata Airport. 204 room resort located in the Playa Dorada complex with a shopping mall, three casinos, numerous restaurants, discos, beach and golf.

• Viva Wyndham Samana [7] Located on the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic in Las Terrenas - Samana

• Bayahibe apartments and villa rent [8]

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Malaria has been an issue, especially in the rainforests. Be sure to consult with a physician before departure. There is a risk of dengue fever which is contracted through mosquitos that bite during the day. No vaccine is available, so using mosquito repellent is advisable. Additionally, many of the local foods are safe to eat including the meats, fruits, and vegetables. Visitors, however, should not drink any of the local water and should stay with bottled water or other beverages.

Respect

Contact

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