Top things to do in The Southwest & Península de Pedernales

A longstanding cradle for sustenance at Playa Las Cuevas, the closest point to Bahía de Las Águilas with infrastructure, Rancho Tipico does fresh seafood and some of the best mofongos (mashed plantains with meat or …

Owned by a Mexican (who does the cooking) and her Dominican husband, this airy, immeasurably pleasant restaurant pumps out authentic Mexican tacos (RD$110), as well as enchiladas, fajitas and the like. Chase it all …

This classy-for-Àzua place is one of the southwest's better spots to eat. Excellently prepared mofongos (mashed plantains with meat or seafood), pasta, meat and fish – try the surprisingly delicate fish in garlic sa…

Visiting this reserve is like reading a history book written in stone. There are 57 limestone caves in the area 10km north of San Cristobal, five of which (containing almost 600 paintings) are open to the public – t…

Part of Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco, the ‘hole’ at Pelempito is actually a deep gorge formed when the Península de Pedernales rammed into Hispaniola umpteen million years ago. The tourist office, perched at t…

This national park, replete with orchids and birds, covers 800 sq km of mostly mountainous terrain and is notable for the rich variety of vegetation that thrives in its many climates, ranging from lowland desert to …

This park comprises Lago Enriquillo, an enormous saltwater lake 40m below sea level, and Isla Cabritos, the island at its center which supports various cacti and other desert flora. Park residents include an estimat…

This park is the largest protected area in the DR. Its 1400-sq-km includes vast ranges of thorn forest and subtropical dry forest, and an extensive marine area that spans most of the southern coastline, including La…

San Cristobal's strangest sight, currently used as the National Penitentiary School, was built on Trujillo’s orders for himself and his family in 1947 (at a cost of US$3 million), but he reportedly hated the finishe…

Held in the small town of Polo, nestled on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Bahoruco, this festival sees local coffee growers celebrate the end of the coffee-harvesting season. There’s a ‘coffee parade,’ lots of…