Santiago
This large, modern museum, built with the tobacco wealth of the León Jimenez family, is a world-class institution with an impressive collection of…
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Central Highlands
Even die-hard beach fanatics will eventually overdose on sun and sand. When you do, the cool, mountainous playground of the Central Highlands is the place to come: where else can you sit at dusk, huddled in a sweater, and watch the mist descend into the valley as the sun sets behind the mountains? Popular retreats, roaring rivers, soaring peaks and the only white-water rafting in the Caribbean beckon. Down below in the plains of the Valle del Cibao is where merengue spontaneously erupted onto the musical landscape, and where you’ll find some of the best Carnival celebrations in the country. Economic life in the Central Highlands revolves around Santiago, the Dominican Republic’s second-largest city and the capital of a vast tobacco- and sugarcane-growing region. So, obviously, a visit here requires sipping rum and puffing a local cigar.
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Must-see attractions
Central Highlands
So picturesque are these falls that an opening scene of the movie Jurassic Park was filmed here. Of the three waterfalls near Jarabacoa, it’s the…
Central Highlands
The second you step out of your vehicle into the aroma bubble of Sendero del Cacao you'll feel transported to a tropical, outdoor Willy Wonka's Chocolate…
Central Highlands
Legend has it that Christopher Columbus placed a cross he received as a bon-voyage gift from Queen Isabella atop this hill, which commands fantastic,…
Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración de la República
Santiago
On a hill at the eastern end of the downtown area, this monument is Santiago’s most recognizable sight, featuring a large bronze Angel de La Paz statue at…
Central Highlands
The home of Patria, Minerva and María Mirabal, sisters who were assassinated by agents of dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1960 because of their opposition to…
Parque Nacional Armando Bermúdez
Central Highlands
In 1956, the deforestation across the border in Haiti was already bad enough to compel the Dominican government to create this 766 sq km national park, in…
Parque Nacional José del Carmen Ramírez
Central Highlands
Established in 1958 to adjoin Parque Nacional Armando Bermúdez, the less-visited Ramírez park's 764 sq km spans three provinces and includes Pico Duarte,…
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