17 Reasons why visit the Northern Dominican Republic
Wondering where to explore next? One of our favorite destinations offers enough for a lifetime. Here are just 17 reasons why visit the northern Dominican Republic.
We sailed to the Dominican Republic simply to wait our hurricane season. It turned into an amazing adventure. While we did taste a bit of the luxurious side of the DR, we explored mostly nature and local towns, away from the crowds.
As usual, this post has been fully written by a human (I am real), for humans and I only recommend what we have tried and visited, or let you know otherwise.
17 Reasons why visit the northern Dominican Republic
If these reasons are not enough to convince you to visit the DR, send me an e-mail and I will give you more. There is so much more to the Dominican Republic than the great Costco deals (nothing against Costco).
1. Amazing and diverse nature
The unique mixture of hills, mountains, sandy beaches, caves, lush tropical forests and tall waterfalls, makes you feel like you entered a fairy tale.
True some of these natural wonders are party zones, filled with tourists, but there is so much to explore, that with some planning, you can avoid the crowd and explore quiet and wild places well.
We hiked and splashed in various small and remote places and never felt unsafe, with our three kids.
Renting a car is the easiest way to travel, so we always negotiated some fair deal with, or without a driver. I am not sure how public transit works.
For a car rental we have paid anywhere between $30 and $50 for the day, depending on the size of the car and number of people we might end up teaming up with.
We rented an entire bus with other sailing families, to go to the 24 Waterfalls Park and that was the cheapest transit we ever rented in the DR.
2. The Samana Peninsula
No wonder scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed there – the Samana Peninsula is a lot of everything, for everyone.
For those who enjoy party life, there is Las Terrenas. For nature lovers – Los Haitises National Park is an out-of-this-world place. If you prefer luxury away from the typical Costco destinations, there are quite a few secluded resorts.
Needless to say, Samana Bay has the whales too – that alone is enough of a reason to visit.
3. Beautiful Beaches
There is no shortage of sandy, beautiful beaches in the DR. And in just a single day, you can be hiking up a steep mountain and relax on the beach, they are that close.
I would not say the DR has the best crystal clear beaches, we liked the Bahamas more, but the landscape surrounding the beaches is prettier in the Dominican Republic.
Sosua, Playa Bonita and Playa El Valle are world-famous beaches, which also make excellent, protected anchorages.
Since we sailed along the coast, we experienced most beaches from the water, granting us the best views, while staying away from the loud beach crowds.
4. Excellent water sports
Due to the trade winds, the northern beaches can be a bit rough, making them great for water sports such as surfing and kiteboarding.
Kitesurfing schools and clubs are easy to find, especially around Las Terrenas.
Some, more protected beaches do have great snorkeling, such as El Valle, but overall you must love waves and breeze, because the Atlantic Ocean will provide both, on a daily basis.
The Trade Winds and the calming land effect are quite predictable, so early in the morning, you will see fisherman and kayaks venturing quite far from shore.
5. Humpback Whales
Forget about beaches – who wants to see a whale?!
Samana Bay is where North Atlantic Humpback whales spend around three months, from January until end of March, before moving north.
Whales attract visitors to Samana from all over the world, and small tour boats zoom throughout the bay, hoping to spot and approach whales as closely as they can. Some tourists even get to touch a whale.
Disclaimer – I disagree with this practice, personally. As with most wild animals, the closer they get to humans, the more they become hurt.
We were fortunate to see whales on our journey to the Mona Passage and Puerto Rico (LINK). It was a spectacular sight, unforgettable.
6. Sunny and warm year-round
The Dominican Republic is great to visit any time in the year. Even during the hot summer months, the mountains provide great relief from the heat.
The northern shores of the DR have been spared from direct hits by hurricanes, making the region of Puerto Plata a well-known hurricane hole, and a great place to visit, even in the summer.
7. Puerto Plata’s Ocean World
I cannot skip Ocean World. It is a famous adventure park where you can explore the large variety of man-made pools and come as close to wildlife as it gets.
With the largest man-made dolphin habitat in the world, Ocean World does sound like a spectacular attraction.
We are not fans of large aquariums, and we prefer watching wildlife in its natural habitat, when possible, so I cannot fully embrace and promote Ocean World.
8. Waterfalls
We just could not get enough of the waterfalls in the northern DR, so we went to one of them twice.
The 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua, in Puerto Plata is an adventure that will have you jump, slide, swim into waterfalls all day long, with a guide. We loved it there, even though I had a bit of a hard time (You can all about it here)
A bit to the east, in the Samana province, is El Limon, a waterfall we visited twice. It is a favorite spot for many tourists, so avoid the weekends.
The hike itself is worth it, with breathtaking views along the way.
9. Inexpensive restaurants with good food
We had parrot fish with plantains, once we arrived in Luperon, because we were too tired from the passage and I was not about to cook. I did not think people ate parrot fish. It was delicious.
Normally, we would try not to eat out and save money, but we did visit quite a restaurants, while in the Dominican Republic.
From pizza, through the best Cuban sandwich even, to the parrot fish – food tasted great, and it was so very affordable, even with on our small budget.
10. Street Food
You have to try the street empanadas. I highly recommend the traditional Dominican catibias (empanadas), made from yuca flour. They are super crispy and pair great with all those savory fillings – cheese, ground meat, chicken, shrimp.
We had delicious empanadas in every town we visited. We looked for the vendors where school kids would congregate and figured those must be tried and tested, and cheap. We were correct every time!
Naturally, you must try them dipped in the classic mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise.
Another staple you must try is the fried chicken with rice and beans. Many small places sell them in to-go containers. We were never worried about food safety, with the deep-fried food, and when we’d see locals coming in and out with containers, that was sufficient for us.
11. Fancy resorts
Along the north coast, and in Samana Bay are quite a few beautiful resorts. Perhaps not as famous as the Punta Cana ones, but that’s part of their charm.
Balcones del Atlántico Residences, Sublime Samana, Bahia Principe Luxury Samaná, as well as a myriad of smaller hotels and resorts around the beaches offer the luxury and service typical of the Dominican Republic.
We spent a week, at Puerto Bahia Marina, in Samana Bay. Being on a boat, we simply stayed aboard and enjoyed all of the pools and amenities. They have a hotel and separate villas as well.
As with other fancy Dominican resorts, just a couple of miles past the resort gate, you can see a completely different side of the DR – the one no one likes to think about when just visiting for luxury and fun.
12. Local Markets
If searching for fresh fruits and vegetables in the Dominican Republic – you must leave the grocery stores and head to the local market.
Every town has one. Some places have a permanent location for the market, while smaller towns have trucks coming and going a few times per week, loaded with fresh produce.
To be honest, I was a bit annoyed at the local market in Samana, as we were quoted prices fit for gringo tourists. That always leaves a bitter taste, even after those jucy pineapples.
We found that buying from trucks parked on the side of the roads works better, and their produce is the same, minus the market crowd. But you must experience the crowd at least once.
Oh, and remember to buy local coconut oil and honey.
13. Low prices
This fact about the Dominican Republic needs little explanation. Everything is affordable, if not downright cheap, in the DR, if you know where to shop.
Towns popular with tourists, as well as resort shops and delis charge absurdly high prices for the similar/same goods you can find down the street, in the local grocery store, or even better – at the market.
A US dollar is around 55 Dominican Pesos.
14. Rich history
There is much to see in the Dominican Republic, with historic artifacts dating back to the Spanish and French colonies from the 16th century.
We visited the majestic Fortaleza San Felipe, in Puerto Plata, which has been turned into a museum and they were super nice to open it for us, while it was still closed to the public.
To us, recent history is just as fascinating and often small, private homes carry fantastic tales of old (even if not centuries old).
One such ruin with a story was the abandoned large villa with the best view in the world, on a hill, right up the hill, in Luperon (the place where cruisers hold their yoga classes these days). I do have a funny story about that yoga experience.
15. Los Haitises National Park
We spent a week exploring the whimsical forests, ancient caves and abundant wildlife in Los Haitises National Park. It was not enough.
As we were anchored on our sailboat, we had access to all kinds of hidden trails and smaller caves, which made the kids feel like true explorers. They had a great time climbing slippery rocks and squeezing through narrow cracks.
I was calculating hours needed to reach medical assistance.
16. The unique town of Luperon
There is no other place like the town Luperon, in the Dominican Republic.
This small town does not have the great protected beaches, the crystal-clear waters, nor lush parks and waterfalls. But it does have cruisers – lots of them!
Cruisers spend hurricane season in Luperon, and many stay well beyond that. As a result, a unique culture has evolved over the years – a mixture between the locals and the gringos on their sailboats.
And since most Luperon cruisers are low maintenance and on low budgets, the local life and vibe has been preserved, without the need to create fancy hotels and amenities.
17. Adopt a pet
A bit of an unorthodox approach to promoting travel, but there is no shortage of street dogs and cats in the smaller towns.
Rescuing a dog from the streets is actually not that uncommon. We have two friends, who ended up with dogs and a cat, from the streets of Luperon. The cute one above was roaming around in the DR and is now happily residing in Florida.
Local vets can help with the necessary vaccinations and paperwork.
How to reach northern Dominican Republic
There a few international airports in the northern DR.
Puerto Plata International Airport is great for locating yourself more centrally and exploring from there.
Aeropuerto Internacional del Cibao is a bit further to the south, but also close enough to all Parks and places mentioned here.
There are two quite small international airports on Samana as well – Presidente Juan Bosch International Airport and Arroyo Barril International Airport.
Santo Domingo is around 4 hours away from the northern shores of the DR, but the highway is well-maintained. We arranged for a pick up and a ride to Luperon, directly from Santo Domingo International Airport.
Tip: Join the local Facebook group for the town you will be visiting and ask for contacts of reliable drivers and car rentals. This is how we secured our ride, for a family of five (it was around $180 for all of us, for 4 hours and a driver!)
In Conclusion
Think beyond Punta Cana, when considering a visit to the Dominican Republic. There is so much more to this beautiful country, than all-inclusive resorts.
Visit the northern Dominican Republic for a truly unique trip and memories. You will have tons more to talk about all the places you visited, compared to your neighbors, who grabbed the next Costco deal.
Related Posts
Darn it! I Failed Yoga, again! (In the Prettiest Gym on Earth!)
Crossing the Mona Passage: How to do it Safely
Dominican Republic Part 5 – Los Haitises
A Very Embarrassing and Funny Waterfall Story
