Best of Dominican Republic - Private Tour

Tour/Activity in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

About this activity

Collect unforgettable experiences on this trip in the Caribbean paradise of the Dominican Republic.

Your Travel Experience with Tierra Maya Tours

Day 1

Santo Domingo

Welcome at the airport and transfer to the old town of Santo Domingo. The rest of the day is at your leisure to get to know the oldest city of the "New World".

Included meals today: None

Overnight at Hotel Villa Colonial ***(*) or similar

Day 2

Santo Domingo - Barahona

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at the hotel reception around 9:00 am and after a short introduction you will get to know the first European city in America. Here the first cathedral was built, the first governor resided, the first bishop was consecrated here and the first hospital was opened. You start the day in the historic old town, the so-called "Zona Colonial", which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. On the city walk you will visit the palace of Diego Columbus, the fortress "Ozama" and the "Parque Colón" with the bronze monument of Christopher Columbus. You walk through the first street of the old town "Calle de las Damas" and the famous pedestrian area "El Conde" with its many shops and street vendors, bars and restaurants. After lunch you will walk along the coastal road out of town towards San Cristóbal, the birthplace of the dictator Trujillo. The journey takes us to the province of Peravia and the region of sugar cane. Later the road leads through dry desert-like landscape. You will reach the provincial capital Barahona towards evening. From there it is only a few kilometers to your hotel.

Included meals today: Breakfast and lunch (Buffet)

Overnight at Hotel El Quemaito *** or similar

Day 3

Barahona - Oviedo - Cabo Rojo - Los Patos - Barahona

Along the coastal road you will drive to Enriquillo, a small fishing village where time seems to have stopped. Here everything happens very leisurely.

In Oviedo you will reach the Laguna de Oviedo, a fresh- and saltwater lagoon, which is only separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. First you board a boat which takes you along the shore of the lagoon. The "Laguna de Oviedo" has a total of 22 islands, which are very different in size. Here you have the unique opportunity to observe iguanas in the wild during an island tour. A ten-minute walk leads you across one of the small islands through sparse vegetation covered with cacti to an observation tower. Do not be frightened when the iguanas follow you curiously! Take a short break and enjoy the fantastic view over the lagoon and the Jaragua National Park, the Caribbean Sea and the mountains of the "Sierra de Bahoruco". On the other side of the island your boat and captain are already waiting for you, which will now take you to the largest flamingo colony of the Dominican Republic.

Back at the shore you take the bus to the west. The landscape becomes drier and drier and the roads become red nature trails.

Once you arrive in Cabo Rojo, a boat is waiting for you, which will take you to the probably most beautiful natural beach of the country in a few minutes. The beach at the "Bahía de las Aguilas" in the Jaragua National Park is untouched and the sea water here is considered to be the most crystal clear in the world. The bay extends over 8 km and offers an extraordinary coastal landscape where the water on the horizon melts into the sky. Enjoy your stay on the beach, go swimming or snorkeling and experience the untouched nature. In the afternoon you will be driven back to your hotel.

Included meals today: Breakfast

Overnight at Hotel El Quemaito *** or similar

Day 4

Barahona - Jarabacoa

Passing sugar cane fields, today we first go via Azua towards Bani. In the so-called "Cruce de Ocoa" you leave the highway and drive northwards through small, typical Dominican villages and small towns like Sabana Larga and Piedra Blanca. On the way there is the possibility to have lunch at the rest stop "Plaza Jacaranda" (optional at own expense). After a stop at the "Santo Cerro", a hill on which, according to legend, in 1495 during a battle between the Taíno Indians and the Spanish colonizers, a protective mantle Madonna appeared and scared the locals away, the journey continues to Jarabacoa. The small town at 600 m above sea level is far away from the tourist stream. Here you experience once again a completely different facet of the Dominican Republic.

Included meals today: Breakfast

Overnight at Hotel Gran Jimenoa *** or similar

Day 5

Jarabacoa - Santiago

Jarabacoa is surrounded by pine forests, mountains and valleys. Spring like temperatures prevail here all year round. The place is the center for hiking and nature lovers. Countless adventurous sports are offered here. Here you will visit the coffee factory "Monte Alto", where you will be explained everything about the cultivation and processing of coffee. Of course, there is also a coffee tasting. After that you take a short walk to one of the famous waterfalls of the region.

Afterwards the tour will reach Santiago, the cultural and agricultural centre of the country. You will visit a cigar factory, where you will learn everything about the processing of tobacco. Foto stopp at the monument of the city, which can be seen from far away.

Included meals today: Breakfast

Overnight at Hotel Centro Plaza ***(*) or similar

Day 6

Santiago - San Francisco de Macoris - Las Terrenas

Today, after breakfast, we head northeast to the Samaná peninsula. On the outskirts of Salcedo, you will visit the museum of the "Tres Hermanas Mirabal". The Mirabal sisters María Teresa, Minerva and Patria, who opposed Trujillo's dictatorship for decades, were murdered in cold blood by Trujillo's soldiers in 1960 after visiting their imprisoned men. This atrocity caused great indignation at home and abroad. Afterwards we continue through a fertile valley towards San Francisco de Macorís. On the way you will visit the "Sendero de Cacao". Here you have the unique opportunity to learn everything about the production process - from the cocoa bean to the chocolate production - at the cocoa plantation "Hacienda La Esmeralda", which supplies world-famous chocolate factories. Of course, a cocoa and chocolate tasting are also part of the program. Lunch will be offered after the guided tour. Afterwards you will continue your journey via Nagua, where you will reach the Atlantic Ocean. The 63 km long and between 10 and 20 km wide peninsula "Samaná" is characterized by a paradisiacal tropical landscape with lonely beaches in hidden bays, clean mountain rivers and rugged rocky coasts. Lively center of the northeast coast is Las Terrenas. Here you can feel the magic of the Caribbean.

Included meals today: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight at Hotel Playa Colibri *** (*) or similar

Day 7

Nationalpark Los Haitises or Humpback Whales

Optional Day Trip or day at leisure in Las Terrenas. Please note that the activities vary by season.

April - January:

After breakfast take part in a boat tour to the national park "Los Haitises". This is one of the most interesting and one of the largest still untouched areas of humid tropical jungle in the Caribbean. The excursion leads into the coastal zone of the protected area, which covers over 200 km². Along the coast there is a huge green mangrove belt and more than 50 small, offshore islands form a labyrinth of waterways. The surface form is very irregular and consists mostly of limestone hills of 200 to 300 m height. Over millions of years the rainfall has washed out caves here. After a visit to three caves and a short walk in the impressive national park you will be taken back to your hotel.

February - March:

Every year from January until the end of March you will encounter almost the whole population of Humpback Wahles of the North Atlantic in the waters of the Dominican Republic. In these warm and secluded waters the whales are mating and giving birth to their little ones. The bay of Samana is one of the few places in the world where you can see baby whales and their mothers side to side.

Included meals today: Breakfast

Overnight at Hotel Playa Colibri *** (*) or similar

Day 8

Las Terrenas - Santo Domingo

After breakfast you will be picked up at the reception depending on your flight dates. Then transfer via the highway, which is very scenic and leads through a part of the National Park "Los Haitises", to the airport of Santo Domingo. Optionally you can book a beach extension. If you need more information, we are always available.

Included meals today: Breakfast

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