SOUTH EAST COAST

According to SOFTWARELEVERAGE, 22 km east of the capital is the Submarino La Caleta National Park (Submarino La Caleta national park). This is the smallest national park in the country, its area is 10 square meters. km. The main attraction of the park is the coral reef, where, despite the destruction caused by the hurricane in 2004, you can see a variety of tropical fish and other marine life. This is a great place for beginner divers to learn as the waters are calm. In addition, several ships lie on the seabed within the park.

In general, the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, which is called the Caribbean coast, is a series of resort towns with beaches. Here are some of the most popular resorts in the country – Boca Chica, La Romana and Bayahibe(Bayahibe), as well as Juan Dolio (Juan Dolio). Proximity to the capital is both a “plus” and a “minus” of these resort areas. On weekends, the local beaches are crowded with locals who come from the capital on vacation. Tourists are offered a wide variety of water activities: snorkeling, diving, kayaking, water skiing, jet skis, yachts, bananas and catamarans. The resort of Boca Chica is famous for its beaches, hotels and nightlife. Juan Dolio has some of the best fish restaurants on the entire south coast. From Juan Dolio go for walks to the port city of San Pedro de Macoris (San Pedro de Macoris), which is home to dozens of professional baseball players who shine in American Major League Baseball. La Romana has an extensive hotel complex Casa de Campo (area 28 sq. Km) with three golf courses included in the list of the 100 best courses in the world, which has its own beaches, a marina and even an airstrip. In addition, in the vicinity of La Romana is the cultural center of Altos de Chavon (Altos de Chavon). It is a copy of a medieval Italian village, standing on a high cliff. In Altos de Chavon there are restaurants, souvenir shops, three galleries that showcase the work of contemporary artists of the Dominican Republic, a Roman-style amphitheater with 5000 seats, where world-famous stars periodically give concerts, the regional Archaeological Museum and the church. Opposite the city of La Romana in the sea, 2 km away, is the Catalina island. The island has an area of 6 sq. km. and is protected by the eponymous nature reserve. Forests stretch in the center of the island, and sandy beaches along the coast. Motor boats run from La Romana to the island. Tourists come here to relax on the quiet beaches. In the village of Bayahibe, the La Laguna Dominicus beach is interesting, which is one of the few in the country awarded the “blue flag”. Bayahibe neighbors Del Este National Park (Del Este national park). The park occupies a small peninsula covered with dry forests. Here, in addition to nature, cave complexes are interesting, which in ancient times were used by the Taino Indians as ceremonial places. On the walls of the caves, petroglyphs have been preserved that tell about the history of the relationship between the Indians and the Spanish conquistadors, and some of the drawings depict Christopher Columbus. In addition to the peninsula, the park also includes the Saona island located near the coast with an area of 110 square meters. km. It is the largest island belonging to the Dominican Republic.. Several species of sea turtles live in the coastal waters of Saona Island, which come to the local shores to lay eggs, bottlenose dolphins, West Indian manatees, and in winter you can see humpback whales off the coast. Water excursions around the island are very popular.

COSTA DE COCOS

On the east coast of the Dominican Republic, where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet, the resort area of ​​Costa de Cocos (Costa de Cocos) stretches for 40 km, which means “Coconut Coast” in Spanish. Here is the world-famous resort of Punta Cana, which is a series of resort complexes with luxurious hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, nightclubs and white sand beaches. The Punta Cana resort consists of 5 long beaches: Bavaro, Cabeza de Torro, El Cortecito, Punta Arena Gorda and Macau. The hotel complexes of Punta Cana are entire small towns with their own infrastructure and operate on an all-inclusive basis. Punta Cana is the best golf destination in the country. Many hotels have their own golf courses. In Punta Cana, tourists are offered a wide variety of excursions along the Costa de Cocos – jeep safaris, all kinds of water excursions, helicopter excursions and scuba diving to the country’s largest reef. Ice Ecological Park is located in the southern part of Punta Cana.(Eyes Ecological park), where on an area of ​​8 sq. km there are about 500 species of exotic plants, 160 species of insects and 80 species of birds. Also of interest is the Manati Park. Here you can see not only marine life and reptiles, shows with their participation and swim with dolphins, but also exotic animals and birds that live in the midst of lush tropical vegetation, as well as exciting performances with horses. Punta Cana hosts the Deep Sea Fishing Championship every August.

Further north from Punta Cana is the secluded beach of Playa Limon. The beach stretches for 3 km along the coast. In the vicinity of the beach there are two lagoons – Laguna Limon and Laguna Redonda (Laguna Redonda), along the banks of which mangroves stretch. These are excellent places for bird watching.

SAMANA PENINSULA

20 km west of Playa Limon is one of the most popular tourist regions of the country – the bay and Samana Peninsula (Bahia de Samana). First of all, tourists come here to watch humpback whales. Between mid-January and mid-March, about 80% of all ocean-dwelling humpback whales swim to the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic to mate each year. In this regard, a Marine Animal Sanctuary was established in the country. (Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic), occupying the waters of Silver Bank (Silver Bank), stretching off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic), and Samana Bay. Most whale watching excursions are arranged from the main city of the Samana Peninsula – Santa Barbara de Samana (Santa Barbara de Samana). The city is located on the southern coast of the peninsula. In the city itself, the central street is interesting – the coastal Malecon Avenue, where there are numerous shops and restaurants. It is worth noting that during the period of the Carnival (February) and the celebration of the Independence Day of the Republic (February 27), Santa Barbara de Samana is crowded with tourists, so it is better to choose other months for excursions (end of January and beginning of March).

From Santa Barbara de Samana, you can go to the small island of Levantado (Cayo Levantado), located in Samana Bay, 7 km from the city coast. Sandy beaches stretch along the entire coast of the island. In the vicinity of Santa Barbara de Samana there is also a picturesque 52-meter waterfall El Limon (Salto El Limon).

In addition, excursion boats depart from Santa Barbara de Samana to the southwestern shore of Samana Bay, where, on an area of 826 sq. km stretched Los Haites National Park (Los Haitis National Park). The park is designed to protect dense tropical rain forests, where giant trees and orchids grow, and vast mangrove swamps, where two rare species of mammals – the hutia and the sand tooth – and a wide variety of birds live. Another attraction of the park is a system of caves formed as a result of water erosion. On the walls of the caves you can see the ancient drawings of the indigenous people of the country – the Taino Indians.

The northern coast of the Samana Peninsula is famous for its resorts of Las Terrenas and Las Galeras and the beautiful beaches of Playa Bonita, Playa Rincon and Playa Coson (Playa Coson), which are suitable for lovers of secluded relaxation.