Puerto Plata Travelers Recommend

Puerto Plata, or “Port of Silver” was discovered by Columbus way back in 1502, but has only recently become popular as more and more tourists have begun to discover it since the 1980s. Visitors have an ample choice of both water and land tours starting with the off-road Monster Truck Safari through coffee plantations and the Outback Safari through sugarcane fields to the Santiago and Jarabacoa Falls tour which includes a visit to a cigar factory. Puerto Plata also offers multiple opportunities to cruise the Atlantic Ocean, usually with a full-course meal served on board. Popular among a host of afternoon and evening cruises is the catamaran cruise to the bay of Sosua. What’s a visit to Puerto Plata without a day spent at its world class beaches? Sosua and Playa Dorada are known for their sun-kissed white sands and turquoise waters. They are also the heart of many fun-filled activities like paragliding, windsurfing, snorkeling and scuba-diving.

Take a trip into the country's lush interior to Jarabacoa, the heart of the Dominican Republic's emerging eco-tourism scene. Set in the Cordillera Central mountains (referred to as the Dominican Alps) Jarabacoa is a great spot for mountain biking and exploring the alpine trails. White-water rafting is also popular at the nearby Yaque del Norte River. Jarabacoa's biggest attraction, however, is its waterfalls. There are three waterfalls around Jarabacoa - El Salto de Baiguate, Salto Jimenoa Uno and Salto Jimenoa Dos. The Jimenoa waterfalls are more spectacular and frequently visited than Baiguate, which is in a lush canyon and a little harder to access. At 60m (196ft) Salto Jimenoa Uno is a tremendous sight, its icy water gushes from a hole in the rock and crashes into a huge pool. It's possible to swim here (and at all the waterfalls) but the water is bracing to say the least.