Authentic Dominican Republic: Beyond the Beaches of Punta Cana

descriptionDescription

The Dominican Republic is much more than all-inclusive resorts. This 8-day itinerary shows the Caribbean island's cultural, natural and wildlife richness. It starts in Santo Domingo — the first European city of the New World, with its Colonial Zone declared a World Heritage site: the first cathedral, the first hospital and the Alcázar de Colón, palace of Christopher Columbus's son. From there you travel to the Samaná peninsula, one of the world's best places for humpback whale watching (January-March), as they come to mate and calve in its warm waters. Los Haitises National Park — a maze of mangroves, karst islets and caves with Taíno pictographs — is toured by boat. The last stop is Punta Cana, though not only as a resort: you explore its untouched beaches, the cenote of Hoyo Azul and Dominican culture beyond the hotel walls. The trip combines culture, nature and that Caribbean warmth making the Dominican Republic an incomparable destination.