Dominican Republic Activities

The Dominican Republic has a whole host of activities that are guaranteed to keep even the most active of children busy for their entire trip. Many of the attractions are centred on water and animals such as the numerous water parks, aquariums and zoos. Children will be able to view animals in their natural surroundings while enjoying the excitement of waterslides, whirlpools and fairground rides. Whatever age your child might be, there will be something to keep them and the entire family occupied.

Beaches
The Dominican Republic is home to some stunning beaches, offering activities to children of all ages. Regardless of whether your children enjoy sitting and making sand castles, swimming and paddling, or riding a banana boat, they will be kept entertained for hours. Cabarete Beach is home to a number of water and beach activities, and is ideal for kids who are a bit older and enjoy water sports. For all-round family fun, try the popular Golden Beach, which can be found on the Amber Coast. If you would prefer a more quiet and relaxed atmosphere, your kids will be able to chill out on Boca Chica, which is the beach located closest to Santo Domingo. 

Columbus Aquaparque
This fun water park can be found a mere two kilometres west of Sosua and is the largest water park in the whole of the Caribbean. The park has a number of slides catering to every age as well as swimming and paddling pools, restaurants and shops. Live music is performed on stages at weekends and trained staff are on hand at all times. Website: www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/things_to_do/kids.php
 

Fun City Action Park
This park is dedicated to the fun sport of go-kart racing. The park can be found just 15kms from Puerto Plata and is sure to entertain kids of all ages. The park offers four exciting racing tracks for you to experience. You can choose between go-kart, sprint, midget, grand prix and bumper cars. There is also a restaurant on-site, allowing you to stay all day. Phone: +1 809 320 10; website: www.funcity-gocarts.com.

Islabon Jungle River Tour Islabon is located five kilometres from the resort town of Cabarete. This tour enables children to explore the river by boat as well as to walk on a jungle trail to a mini zoo that houses iguanas, snakes, turtles, birds and North American crocodiles. Tours can be booked by any travel agent on the island.

Ocean World Marine and Water Park
This marine park can be found at the resort of Cofresi, five kilometres west of Puerto Plata. It is home to the world's largest dolphin lagoon, an impressive sea lion house and the world's first shark interaction pool as well as tigers, exotic birds, reptiles and tropical fish. Website: www.oceanworldmarina.com
 

If you are looking to take part in some sporting activities when holidaying in the Dominican Republic, you will not be short of choices. Baseball is without doubt the most popular sport in the country and there are many famous Dominicans who play Major League Baseball (MLB) in mainland America.

The Dominican Republic has its own baseball league which runs from October to January, which serves as an important training session for the MLB, who come back to play. If you are visiting during the winter months, you should try to catch a game or two, as you will be able to spend hours people-watching, with all members of society coming out to attend. Attending a match is a great way to see locals at their most relaxed.

If you are visiting Cabarete, on the north coast, take advantage of the windsurfing opportunities and teach yourself a new skill. There are plenty of options for people of all levels. You can be tethered to a kite or a traditional surfboard with sails and simply enjoy the waves. Cabarete has brisk winds, making it an incredibly popular destination for surfing enthusiasts.

While in Cabarete, you will also find Parque Nacional and the opportunity to ride a horse. The ride is mostly uphill and the horses are quite small, but once you are atop of the rocky mountain, known locally as Paradiso, the stunning vistas will make the trek up there worthwhile.

If you enjoy horseback riding, many ranches offer Creole horses which are renowned for their tameness, with rides along beaches, flat countryside and hilly terrain being popular. The whole family can enjoy the ride as well as the chance to see some of the Dominican Republic’s beautiful scenery.

Mountain biking can be arranged through travel agents across the country. Cabarete is one of the most popular places to head on a bike due to its miles of dirt tracks, although there is stunning countryside located all around.

Between January and March each year, thousands of humpback whales migrate to Samana Bay, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. Boat tour operators take passengers out into the bay and try to get as close as possible to the enormous mammals, while maintaining safety. Despite their impressive size, humpbacks are the most active of whales and often put on a quite a show for their spectators. Educational commentary about the whales is usually provided during the trip.

Local Dominican cooking combines Spanish influences with fresh local produce including plenty of fresh fish and seafood. The island is famed for its tomatoes, lettuce, papaya, mangoes and passion fruit, and these can often be found in local recipes. Beef is expensive, and because of this, local favourites normally include pork and goat instead. Dominican cooking is easy and wholesome. Only natural ingredients are used, which is one of the secrets to the delicious flavours created.

National specialities include la bandera (comprising white rice, red beans, stewed meat, salad and fried plaintain); chicharrones (crispy pork rind);chicharrones de pollo (small pieces of fried chicken); sopa criolla dominicana (native soup of meat and vegetables) and pastelón (baked vegetable cake). You cannot visit the country without sampling some of the local cuisine, and once you have tried it, you will undoubtedly be hooked.

If you like a drink with your meal, try some local home-grown beer such as Presidente. If you prefer spirits, local rum such as Brugal or Bermudez is very popular with both visitors and locals. Locally-grown coffee is very strong and perfect for an after dinner drink.

Restaurants vary significantly in price and quality. You will find top-class hotels located at many of the resorts, and these offer international cuisine at a high price, along with excellent service. For something local, head to the outskirts of the towns, where local restaurants can be found in abundance. The centre of most big towns also house local restaurants as well as worldwide cuisine.

One of the best spots to shop in the Dominican Republic is in the colonial district of Santo Domingo. You will find several streets lined with boutiques, department stores and shopping malls. You will also find market stalls, outlet stores (offering cheap designer clothing) and stunning street-side cafés where you can watch the world go by over a refreshing cold drink.

Across the entire island, you will find souvenir and gift shops selling the ultimate in tacky (but often irresistible) souvenirs. These are naturally very popular with tourists who are shopping for gifts for loved ones. Alongside souvenirs, you will also find some beautiful jewellery, authentic paintings and local hooch.

Amber is perhaps the country’s best buy, with products made on the island such as amber jewellery and decorative pieces. Some pieces encase insects, leaves or dew drops within the ancient solidified pine resin. Dominican turquoise is another popular stone which is turned into jewellery and sold to shoppers.

Rocking chairs, woodcarvings, pottery, Taíno artefacts, Creole dolls and CDs of merengue also make good buys. If you are shopping at the many stalls and markets, bargaining is recommended, as you will be able to pick up some good deals at a fraction of the initial asking price.

Shopping hours: 08:00 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 18:30, Monday to Saturday. Most shops are closed on Sundays.