Things to do in Dominican Republic

Encircled by picturesque mountains, Lake Enriquillo is three times saltier than the sea and an ideal habitat for flamingos, iguanas and crocodiles. Once connected to the bay of Port-au-Prince (the capital of Haiti to the west), coral and ancient sea shells have been found on the beaches and in the hills. In the middle of the lake is Isla Cabritos, also a National Park, which is the best place to see the 500 American ­crocodiles that live on the lake. One of the best things to do in the Dominican Republic is go on a boat trip to this little island and discover its many tropical plant and animal species.

Jarabacoa, which lies in an area known as the Dominican Alps, is the country’s centre of adventure tourism, offering excellent hiking, riding, biking and river sports. People come here before climbing Pico Duarte or other hikes into the National Parks. Pine forests cling to the hillsides around the town and there are several rivers flowing into one another – on these and their tributaries you can go river rafting, tubing, canyoning and kayaking. Wherever your Dominican Republic holiday takes you, make sure you stop off here for some riotous fun!

This beautiful limestone behemoth is the oldest cathedral in the Americas, dating back to the early fifteenth-century. However, the cathedral owes much of its renown to the fact that it once housed the bones of the famous explorer, Christopher Colombus. The explorer died in Valladolid in Spain but his body was taken to Santo Domingo, where he and his son, Diego Colón, were buried in the cathedral in 1537. The bones were later returned to Seville but matters were complicated by the discovery in 1886 of an urn in the cathedral in Santo Domingo which contained bones and the inscription ‘The Illustrious Don Cristóbal Colón’. The mystery continues to this day, making this one of the most intriguing things to do in the Dominican Republic.

Cabarete sits on a large, sweeping curve of sand fed by breezes which are absolutely perfect for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The trade winds are best in the afternoons when the sea becomes a mass of colour as the sails and kites flit about like birds in the air or butterflies on the water. Cabarete is a mecca for active and sporty visitors, with lots of energetic things to do, such as surfing, diving, mountain biking and horse riding. A string of bars and restaurants right on the beach provide more entertainment after dark, with lots of good food, music and dancing.

The Amber Museum is in an elegant house built in 1918, intricately painted white and gold. Upstairs, the museum exhibits some fascinating pieces of amber found in the mountains behind Puerto Plata. Dominican amber is about 20–60 million years old, younger than some of the deposits found in Europe and therefore lighter, but showing clearly the insects, leaves and other debris trapped in the resin as it flowed down the tree. There’s even a piece with a lizard in it is 50 million years old. Downstairs is the obligatory gift shop selling amber and larimar jewellery.