Top things to do

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 real live mexicana (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. Ch…

This slightly upscale place is one of the Southwest's better spots to eat, so getting stuck in Àzua isn't a total loss. Excellently prepared mofongos (mashed plantains with meat or seafood), pasta, meat and fish – t…

The kitchen here dishes out fresh seafood as the seasons dictate (though the seasons sometimes affect consistency as well). The perfectly sized seafood-soup appetizer (RD$190) has more seafood than broth, and the ze…

Visiting the Reserva Antropológica El Pomier 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…

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. Varying from 40m to 4m below sea level, the island (closed to visitors indefinitely) …

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…