DK Travel : Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a country of surprising contrasts and extraordinary variety. From the chilly peak of the Caribbean’s highest mountain to some of the region’s most delightful beaches, the country boasts lush valleys, spectacular waterfalls, and sun-baked deserts. The past and present also blend in a fascinating mix of colonial buildings and modern hotels, sleepy rural villages and lively tourist resorts. The people, too, reflect a kaleidoscope of influences — Spanish, African, indigenous — creating a culture that emphasizes both creativity and fun in the fields of music, sport, and art.

Leatherback Tur tle

An endangered species, the leatherback has no shell, but rather a series of bony plates covered with a leathery skin. These creatures can be over 6 ft (1.8 m) and weigh some 800 lb (363 kg). They lay hundreds of eggs on remote beaches but are illegally hunted for meat and eggs.
Lechoza

The very popular and succulent papaya or papaw, normally served with banana at breakfast.
Librería Thesaurus, Santo Domingo

The capital’s modern and attractive bookstore has a great selection of books on the country’s history and culture, as well as a wide range of English titles, including some children’s books. Browsing is welcomed. An added bonus is the pleasant coffee bar selling drinks, snacks, and delicious smoothies.
Lizard

Reptiles of all shapes and sizes have adapted to the island’s varied ecosystems. The diverse variety of the species ranges from the hefty 4-ft (1.2-m) iguanas and chunky geckos to the tiny 1.6-cm jaragua gecko which was discovered in 1998 on the isolated Isla Beata of the southwest coast. Don’t be surprised to have a lizard or two visit your room.
Loft Lounge & Dance Club, Santo Domingo

A spirited venue, which has attracted some leading merengue bands, including Fernando Villalona and Los Hermanos Rosario, to perform live. Enjoy salsa and international pop music, with DJs spinning disks until everyone crawls off to bed.
Los Cacaos

The road eastwards out of Samaná runs along the shoreline, passing numerous beaches. At the small village of Los Cacaos you’ll discover a truly wonderful hotel, the Gran Bahía (see Gran Bahía, Samaná). Los Cacaos village itself is a modest fishing community, with no tourist facilities. But a rough track up into the mountains leads to an impressive waterfall, with plentiful cold water rushing down the green hillside.
Los Hermanos Rosario

A six-brother boy band from Higüey, which recorded several bestselling albums in its 1980s heyday.
Los Indios de Chacuey

An indigenous (and much smaller) version of Stonehenge, in England, a circle of rocks surrounds a stone slab in the middle of a huge open space. Nearby, religious petroglyphs suggest that this was an important ceremonial center.
Los Tres Ojos

The Three Eyes are a complex of cenotes or karst caves containing a subterranean mini-lagoon and stalactites and stalagmites. What appears to be four lakes is, in fact, a single one, taking different colors under different lights in four caverns. Steps lead steeply down to the first cave, from where walkways and a pulley-powered vessel take visitors through the underground system. Reputedly a Taino holy site, the place is surprisingly unspoilt despite large numbers of tourists, and the last of the “eyes” offers a spectacular natural landscape of tropical vegetation, sheer rock faces, and green-tinged water.
Luis Segura

Dubbed “the Father of Bachata”, the veteran Segura sings the tear-jerking Dominican version of C&W.