Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Destination Dominican Republic - Welcome

Destination Dominican Republic - Welcome

Cayo Arena (Paradise Island):


This is a tiny sand island in the north coast of the Dominican Republic about 3 miles off the coast near the fishing town of Punta Rucia. If you are traveling by car you would have to head north once you get to Villa Elisa, a town between Santiago and Montecristi. Once you are on this road it will be about 10 miles before you get to the fishing town of Punta Rucia. There you will need to "negotiate" a boat ride to Cayo Arena. Once you get to Cayo Arenas you fill find one of the most beautiful white sand beaches on Earth. All around it is a coral reef filled with colorful fishes for you scuba delight. Believe me this is a place you will never forget. Here are some of the images of this paradisiacal place.

Montecristi:


This is one of the places rarely visited by tourist but with alot of attractions and things to see. The main way to ge to Montecristi is by taking the Duarte Highway right into the city. Once you get near you will immediately start to see El Morro. El Morro is a sea side mountain standing to about 200 meter high. The view of this is impressive as it stands alone in a small peninsula separated from the mainland only by a small river and manglars. There is a small ladder which takes you to the top for a spectacular 360 degree view. Less than 1 mile away from El Morro is the Hostal San Fernando, a very decent family owned bed and breakfast with air conditioning and a pool. Montecristi has a couple of beaches were one can go. The most famous being the one just on the skirt of El Morro, having the same name. This beach has two sides to it, one being a pebble beach and one being a yellowish sand beach. Right on the city you will find the Juan de Bolaños Beach that stretches about 4 miles. From this beach you can take a boat ride to one of the seven keys called "Siete Hermanos" or "Seven Brothers". A little farther from the town (15 minutes by car) you can also find the Popa Beach and the Punta Mangle Beach. These beaches tend to be very windy. Some other attractions are the manglars between El Morro and the city. There you can take a boat ride through the manglars that will take you from one end of El Morro to the other. Once in Montecristi you will certainly see the salt producción 'mines' right next to the ocean. At the end of this road is a very quaint restaurant right next to the ocean. There you can have a romantic dinner or go with the family and enjoy. Here are some pictures for your delight.


Valle Nuevo:



This is one of the places less visited by tourists, but if you are searching for ecoturism instead of the beach this would be an ideal place for you. This is a small valley located in the Central Mountains of the Dominican Republic, between Constanza and San José de Ocoa. It's one of the most fertile valleys and one in which most of the rivers of the country begin. The altitud of this area ranges from 1,200 meters in Constanza to 3,175 meters at its highest point. There is a small lodge located in this valley were you can stay and experience all of it. It is called Villa Pajón. This lodge has about 8 cabins were you will find temperatures between 15 and 0 degree celcius depending on the season. From here you can go up to Alto Bandera, a 2,800 meter mountain, by jeep. In Alto Bandera you will find a post with antenaes for most of the telephone and cable companies. Before you go up you will need a permit which you can get at the military station in Constanza. Further up the valley you will get to "La Nevera" or "The Refrigerator" which signals the mid point of the country. Here stands the Pyramid known to signify the geographical center of the country. Alot of people camp here and spend the nights in tents and sleeping bags. The temperature here can easily go below the freezing mark. Close by you can see the monument of Caamaño that the governmet built. In this valley the agricultural products are those like no other Caribbean country. Here you will find strawberries, blueberries, and apples being grown. Many people like to go bike, motorbike, fourwheel or horsebackriding through these mountains. There are also excursions all year round to hike up to Duarte Mountain which is the highest point in the Caribean.

Bahía Rincón, Samaná:


The Samaná Peninsula is one of the most known turist attracions the Dominican Republic has, but the peninsula has some places rarely visited by turists. One is the Rincón Bay or Bahía Rincón. Here lies one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet. Its sands are pure white and the water is clear. To one side of the bay there is a river that flows right in to the beach. This river has cristaline water in which you see through it in any place. At Rincon Bay you can take a bath in the ocean waters or go for a dip in the river, both beeing very refreshing. Near the river side of the bay some ladies have set up cooking tents in which they cook fresh lobster, shrimp, or fish to your liking. These ladies also sell cold beer so you feel like your in paradise. The way to get here is by going through east through the city of Samaná. About 15km you will find a route to your left. This road an some asking will take you right to the Bay. Trust me this is a place you will never forget.

Constanza, La Vega:


Here is one of the most beautiful places in the island. Sometimes called the Switzerland of the Caribeank, this valley is 1,200 meters abouve sea level. Because of the altitute this valley sees temperature betweenم and 25 degrees celcius all year round. Well known for its fertile land, it grows most of the lettuce, onions, carrots, strawberries, potatoes and other vegetables consumed in the country. With the growing popularity of ecoturism this valley is being visited more and more by turists. There are some very nice place to stay like Alto Cerro, Guaraguao, Rancho Constanza and some hotel in the city like Bohio and Vista del Valle. Here you can take a dip the river near Arroyo Frio or Ebano Verde. The views from the mountains is simply breath taking.

Pedernales (The Province):


Pedernales, what a beautiful place!! This province next to Haiti has all the potential in the world to be the next big destination in the Caribbean. It holds, not only one of the most spectacular beaches in the world, but also one of the most diverse ecosystems in the DR. One minute you can be at a 35 degree Celsius beachfront and only a 30 minute ride away will take you up more than 1,500 meters above sea level were there are temperature in the low teen and in some months even below 10 degrees. In Pedernales as I said you have one of the most beautiful beaches called Bahia de las Aguilas. This is a white sandy beach that covers almost 6 km of desert like terrain. Thirty minutes from here is the Hoyo de Pelempito, up in the mountains at above 1,500 meters over the sea were at one point the mountain just “ends” and there is a 1,000m drop.

In the town by the same name as the province you can find some places to spend the night. The ones that I prefer are Villas del Mar and Hostal Doña Chava. These are quaint small town hotels. At Villas del Mar there is a pool were you can spend the late afternoons after a day at the beach. There are only a few places to eat. The one I most recommend is The Perla Negra. Here you can find all the seafood you could want at a very reasonable price. The town also has a pizzeria and an ice cream place next to the central park.

The province also has the town of Oviedo were you can see the Laguna de Oviedo.

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