Dominican Republic
Miles of beautiful sandy beaches
Categories: Dominican Republic Greater Antilles Caribbean
The Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the state of Haiti, which occupies the western half. The Dominican Republic is known for its miles of beautiful sandy beaches, but for those who want to combine a beach vacation with art, culture and life in their destination, the Dominican Republic offers the opportunity to explore sights that can be traced back to the time of Christopher Columbus.
© eyetronic / Fotolia
For example in the capital Santo Domingo, which can be called the first capital of the New World. Columbus arrived here on December 5, 1492 and subsequently described the entire island as "the most beautiful place" he had ever seen. Santo Domingo welcomes its visitors with Caribbean joie de vivre, invites them to linger with its many cafés and shopping facilities and knows how to score in the city center with the charm of its old colonial city.
This was the starting point for the development of South America. Christopher Columbus' grave, the Faro a Colón, is still a much-visited sight of the city today. If the visitor is looking for more history, he has the opportunity to marvel at over 2000 years of culture and architecture in this country. At that time the Tainos lived on the island and still today long and deep cave systems testify to their existence.
The Del Este Natural Park is the right starting point for such an exploration. There are many nature and national parks like the Del Este on the island. In them you can experience the untamed nature of the Dominican Republic at close quarters. In the national park Jaragua, in the south of the island, you can meet flamingos in large numbers. As many turtles come to the park to spawn.
However, if you want to visit the much praised, endless beaches as a guest, the Cayo Levantado in the northeast or the island of Saona in the southeast is a good choice. Here, the beaches that have made the Dominican Republic so famous as a vacation destination await you.
The coral sand, which is so fine and white that it resembles powdered sugar, combined with palm trees and crystal clear water is also the place of many romantic wedding ceremonies. 
© eyetronic / Fotolia
If you plan your Caribbean vacation to the Dominican Republic, you should also take a quick look at the weather map.
The north coast of the country has a tropical climate, characterized by high humidity, even in winter it remains very warm with an average temperature of 16°C. The south of the Dominican Republic is drier: many parts are in the rain shadow of the Cordillera Central. In the mountains, temperatures below the freezing point are also possible in winter. The Dominican Republic is also in the range of the tropical cyclones, which can occur in late summer/early autumn.
