Aug

Dominican Republic

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The beaches, white and filled with palm trees, are celebrated. But the Dominican Republic has also generously tropical landscapes, wildlife parks and villages of huts where hospitality rhymes with multicolored meringues.

We've all heard of its beaches, its resorts and all inclusive, of course, Punta Cana . But the Dominican Republic has more to offer. Tropical paradise at an affordable price, this is a country that wobbles, slowly curling your hips, between its green hills and lush. A real image of the country road that leads the pilgrims on foot, on the backs of mules or buses wandering, surrounded by mango and palm trees. They walk towards Higuey, a small town east of the country and shrine of the Virgin of Altagracia, patron saint of the Dominicans.

Occupying two thirds of the island of Hispaniola, east of Haiti, the Dominican Republic hides in its interior reliefs, infinitely fertile and varied landscapes. Thus, in the region of Cibao, the garden center of the country, are distributed the rice fields, crops of strawberries and orchids, the thick tobacco fields. In Jarabacoa, the foothills of the Pico Duarte, the highest of the Caribbean (3172 meters), are covered with pine trees and waterfalls. It is the ideal setting for rafting, trekking and paragliding sports increasingly popular among many tourists visiting the country.

The foreigner, the West, is a known animal. Do not search, but welcomes you with a friendly smile. It is known that some years ago, discovered the coasts of the country - 1500 kilometers of coastline, of which one third of whose dazzling white sand beaches in the shade of palm trees, dive into the waters of a deep turquoise. Accepts up to very much welcomed the construction of Punta Cana, a place designed to serve the tourism, a new El Dorado for tour operators, consisting of 44 kilometers of coastline, which are more than 30 hotels and resorts "all included. " A formula for success as judged by its occupancy rate very high. However, there are still areas where it is allowed to build. As the island Saona, the perimeter of the Parque Nacional del Este, where, amidst the beaches, a fishing village, the huts of pastel colors, continues to live, quiet on the flight of the frigates.

More still preserved at the western end of the south coast, the peninsula of Barahona offers, along its coastal road, wild and rugged landscapes. Tides of rubber trees, palm trees and cliffs poincécias slip by, linking the beaches of sand and pebbles.
The sea, emerald and acarneirado is somewhat scary. The dominant nicanos you prefer its waterfalls and spas, water dams green crystal. We stop to drink from a coconut just opened to look young couples who dabble in the shade of banana trees trembling. In the words of the Dominicans, a shower always bring happiness.

Even Baoruco province, north of Barahona, which extends their reliefs desert dotted with cacti, a landscape full of strange Caribbean has its wealth, Lake Enriquillo, a large salt lake inhabited by crocodiles, iguanas and flamingos .

After having promoted its beaches, the Dominican Republic now plays the trump card of ecotourism. It boasts the charms of its 14 national parks (20% of the territory), who so often impenetrable, have yet to be recovered.

The advanced region in this area is certainly the Bay of Samana, where humpback whales come every winter to breed. To the south, the immense park of Los Haitises, a fabulous maze of rock emerged in the mangroves and lianas, whose coastline should not be lost. To the north, a peninsula of deserted beaches where nesting small boutique hotels. There are also small valleys of mysterious beauty, bright, delighted with giant baobabs. Flowering huts where, behind their shutters, the villagers whisper stories ciguapas, mermaids who bewitch men in deep woods. Secrets that will take place when, sitting at the crossroads for a long time, heard the laughter of an old woman, a girl, and dance surrounding the wind in the leaves of palm trees!

For connoisseurs, cigar speak does not make sense if they are not pure Habanos. But there are honorable exceptions. This is the case of pure made in the Dominican Republic.

Few know that thanks to the embargo by the U.S. to Cuba , this country has become, since 1994, the second largest exporter of handmade cigars, with an annual production estimated at about 90 million pure. A feat made possible by the expertise brought by big names in the industry - such as Davidoff - and Cuban families in exile. For this reason, the Dominican Republic, its huge tobacco plantations, their factories and retail stores have become part of the script of cigar smoking.

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