North Coast

On the Dominican Republic’s north coast, you’ll find world-class beaches, water sports galore and out-of-the-way locales evocative of timeless rural life. This long coastal corridor stretching from the Haitian border in the west to Río San Juan in the east has enclaves of condo-dwelling expat communities that have endowed some towns with a whiff of international flavor. There are forested hills, dry desert scrublands, and jungly nature preserves with tumbling waterfalls. There are sleepy little towns with laundry drying on clotheslines, old folks holding court at sidewalk bars and mile after mile of sandy beaches. There’s also the genteel, urban vibe of Puerto Plata, whose classic Caribbean architecture – Victorian-era buildings painted in bright pastels – belies its past as a regional capital. Independent travelers will find accommodations of all stripes and several good places to base themselves for further exploration, especially Cabarete, where you can kitesurf, surf or just plain bodysurf.