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Lying at the eastern extreme of the Samaná Peninsula, the charming village of Las Galeras has witnessed significant tourist development over the last two decades. But it has not yet lost the ambience of a remote and relaxed fishing community. The main attraction is the beach, a strip of fine sand set in a pretty curving bay backed by cliffs and forested hillsides. Unspoiled by commercial sprawl and hustling, this is a beautiful place, with its calm, shallow, and inviting water. A smattering of hotels, guest-houses, and restaurants offers a choice of accommodation and eating options.

The archetypal Dominican market town, Las Matas (literally roots) is supposed to be named after the tree under which the 18th-century merchant Farfán used to enjoy a siesta. It’s still a sleepy sort of place, except on Saturdays when the market brings crowds of campesinos into town for some bartering and gossip. There are few tourist sights as such, but Las Matas, as well as the surrounding countryside, gives a taste of small-town rural life.

The most developed tourist spot on the Peninsula is a fairly relaxed place, where life revolves around a couple of beaches, seafood restaurants and a busy nightlife. Hotels and guest-houses are mostly small, and situated along the main town beach or the next-door Playa Bonita. A single main street is lined with stores, cafés, restaurants, and nearly all entertainment needs are catered to in town.

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.

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.

Named after a Puerto Plata tobacco magnate, military leader, and president, this small town is typical of the Northwest. It offers little in the way of conventional tourist attractions, but boasts rural atmosphere. The Parque Central is the focal point, with most of the local fish restaurants and bars. Luperón’s main claim to fame, however, is its natural bay, which is a favorite with the yachting fraternity. The all-inclusive Luperón Beach Resort is the town’s premier hotel.

Apart from the performing dolphins and horses, this park is a big hit with kids as it encourages them, under supervision, to hold non-poisonous snakes, as well as getting into a pool with dolphins. The emphasis is more on fun than education, and there are also several fast-food outlets.

The border town and port of Manzanillo, also known since the 1930s as Pepillo Salcedo, is as isolated a spot as you’re likely to find in the Dominican Republic. But it’s interesting because of its proximity to Haiti and its history as a major banana-exporting center and dock. Nowadays, the port looks very run-down, but there are plans afoot to erect a new industrial complex. From the town itself, you can look over the Massacre River into Haitian territory, but there’s no official crossing point here. The nearby lagoon and salt marsh shelters hosts of flamingos and other waders.