Dominican Republic Highlights

Walk the largest Dominican city, Santo Domingo, also the capital of this Caribbean country. Located by the sea, Santo Domingo boasts a well-preserved colonial district you can explore on foot. Feast your eyes on the 16th-century buildings, palatial houses and beautiful churches. See the oldest cathedral built in the Americas, Catedral Santa Maria la Menor, and Alcazar de Colon, America’s first castle.

Make your way through one of Santo Domingo's most dazzling attractions: Los Tres Ojos National Park is an open-air limestone cave where you can find three stunning lakes ("The Three Eyes").

Explore the origins, harvest and production of Dominican chocolate during a guided and tasting tour.

Discovered in 1851, the Pomier Caves house the largest collection of rock art in the Caribbean. The drawings date as far back as 2000 years and are believed to be a product of the Taino, Carib, and Igneri people of the Caribbean. Visit a portion of the 55 caves, where there are over 6,000 carvings and drawings made from charcoal depicting human and animal life. Caves 1 and 2 are the most physically accessible. You’ll be provided with flashlights, expect to meet lots of spiders, frogs and bats!

Monumento de Santiago, the highest building in Santiago, was built to commemorate the Dominican War of Independence. The war was fought in 1844 to gain sovereignty from Haiti.

The Parque Duarte, the largest park in Santiago, serves as a shady respite from the heat for both locals and visitors.

The cultural center houses four exhibition rooms, a media library, an auditorium, multipurpose lounges, a Caribbean menu cafeteria sand a shop where you can buy selected products, related to and prepared by national art crafters and from the Great Caribbean. In the gardens, there's a collection of sculptures, native and endemic plants, with birds and reptiles that make an aviary their home. Besides meeting the standards set by the International Council of Museums and the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization, Centro León carries out a vary of programs and projects related to art, culture and environmental topics, that benefit community development throughout the strengthening of three central focuses: creativity, identity and habitability.

In the Dominican Republic, dance and music are an integral part of everyday life. Merengue is the most popular form of Dominican dance, and dominates the musical life too. Developed in the mid-19th century, and adapted from European dances, with Afro-Caribbean flavors and lively rhythms. It is considered the music of the Dominican people- and truly reflects society. Merengue forms the base of most traditional Dominican songs and has a huge presence in bars, streets, businesses and homes. Bachata is also another form of Dominican music and dance that has grown in popularity. It originates from rural areas and has more of a melancholic beat to it. Its subjects are often focused on life in the country and romances.

Of all the phenomenal waterfalls on the island, Damajagua or the 27 Waterfalls as they are popularly dubbed, is the most visited water adventure location around. Trek up to the main waterfall, and prepare to dive, swim, climb, and slide through the natural corridors, pools, and surrounding lush tropical forest.

Catch a glimpse of the city's serene beauty and colonial past as your TD guides through its most historically significant spots. You'll even get to ride the country's only aerial tramway to the top of Isabel de Torres peak. From there take in the breathtaking views of Bahia de Puerto Plata and a smaller version of the Brazilian Christ the Redeemer statue.

Harness yourself to cables that run between platforms high in the trees, then take flight and zip from tree to tree. Experience a true bird-eye view from your new aerial perspective.