muncle
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Hello,
I would recommend checking out Samana Peninsula. It’s on the North West coast of the country – vastly undeveloped, which adds to entire “pristine” beauty. The best thing to do there will be to go whale watching. Between January and March, Samana Bay is visited by whales where they mate and calve their young (yes, whales are mammals). It’s an incredibly spectacular show – you won’t regret going. You can also line up a boat trip to Los Haitises (will cost about $100, the office for that is right next to Kim's Whales) which is an unforgettable experience.
Make sure you don’t take the tour with any of the hustlers around Malecon (sea wall) in Samana. There are plenty of them and they only want your money. The safest bet is to go across the street from Malecon and visit the office of Kim Beddall. She’s the best. But the very best thing about her is that she doesn’t do tours if there are little chances of seeing whales. March is already the end of whaling season. Kim has small scouting boats that track whales down and give hints to big boats with tourists as to where to go to see whales. I was there once in the beginning of January and was advised not to take the tour, because there was so far only one whale in the bay, hence little return on investment. Kim’s phone number is (809) 538-2494, or you can walk into the whale museum in Samana, they will give you her phone number there too (that’s where I got it in the first place).
And while you’re in Samana, you must take a trip to El Limon. The waterfall there is beyond spectacular. Take a horse ride up the mountain to reach it. If you are more adventurous, take the horse ride from the little shed where they hand ground the coffee. It’s on the right hand side of the road when coming from Samana. Or you can drive further, about 3 kilometers, curve right and jump on a horse there. Ride from there is a little smoother, with fewer crazy elevations, so you won’t feel like you’re gonna die. You will be riding through pristine jungle with pineapple trees, grapefruit, cocoa, and more around you. The waterfall is phenomenal. Make sure you take a swim, which is pretty intense.
It’s also worth paying a visit to Las Galeras, which north from Samana. Beautiful beaches and more quiet. And if you’re crazy enough, also take a drive to Playa Rincon – hands down the most beautiful beach in the Caribbean. Fresh water river flows into the sea there so you will be at a junction of fresh water with salt water. Excellent beach, with hardly any people. But if you’re crazy enough to dare going there, you will know why – and I can not believe nobody even hinted me how difficult it is to get there. Especially since car I have rented was Honda Civic. If I was on a truck, I should have been warned that the road there is way too crazy for the truck. I was on a freaking passenger car – it was an intense ride. Normally only suitable for monster trucks, if they dare. Beach well worth it though.
If you like nightlife, Santiago is a must. It’s a ridiculously busy city about an hour from Puerto Plata. They have this big monument on the hill there, which has thousands people around it partying at night. If you can befriend some locals, like I did (because I knew a tattoo artist from there) they will take you to where the local party and you won’t believe what you’re just going through. Forget about tourist places, go where locals go. It’s way beyond words.
For me personally, the absolute, and I mean the freaking absolute highlight of my trip was at 27 charcos – it translates to 27 waterfalls and is on the way between Puerto Plata and Santiago. River Damajagua carved its way through the stone forming 27 most magnificent waterfalls in the world. Jurassic Park, Lost, Silver Lake treasure and similar movies were filmed there owing to shear magnificence of the place. However it is essential to take a simple warning into account, something that you are not hinted anywhere at all – daring to climb 27 waterfalls is ridiculously, and I mean ridiculously physically demanding. It’s one of those cases where it’s you against nature and nature wins. She’ll show you how weak, pathetic, incompetent and worthless you are and how she is beautiful and strong. However you will be rewarded with the most beautiful sight you will have ever seen, you will be connected with nature and get the most awesome feeling of greatness back. Yes, it’s very physically demanding because you will be hoisting yourself up the waterfalls. You will have the weight of your own body to take care of, plus a massive body of water falling on you making you weight three times more. You will be trying to step on the roc over which there’s a waterfall running and it’ll be pushing your feet away – it’s intense and pretty difficult, but something no other adventure in the Dominican will deliver. Absolute most. You don’t have to climb up all 27 waterfalls. As a matter of fact, even doing initial 7 is so awesome I have no words to describe. It will not only be a highlight of your trip to the DR, it will be the best thing you have done in your life.
There’s way too much in the Dominican republic than I could possibly list there. I have been all over the Caribbean, but I don’t do all inclusive resorts. I’m not your average tourist. I get off beaten tourist path and hang out with locals. I like seeing all interesting places regular tourists who hang out on resorts will never get a chance to see. If you dare, do it this way. You’ll get far more out of it.
Oh, and make sure you go to Cabarete – it’s the wind surfing and kite surfing capital of the world. The beach is so fine, it’s like walking on a cloud. Your feet don’t even bury in it. It’s not even sand anymore, it’s dust. Lots of young people there. Absolutely excellent. Sosua is only a few kilometers away. The beach there is magnificent. Plus it’s close to the airport so you will see planes flying over the ocean.
Anyway, I could spend hours writing about the Dominican Republic, but who’s gonna read that. Perhaps just one more word of advice – never assume local girls hang out with you because they like you. You will always be told how much she wants for which particular service. They will always see dollar signs when they see you. HIV prevalence is high, though. Best keep it safe. And enjoy your time in this magnificent country ;) |
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