With its many miles of inviting coastline, Puerto Plata is a haven for water sports. Scuba diving, snorkelling and windsurfing are some of the most popular pursuits. Land-based activities are accommodated as well, with excellent horseback-riding and mountain-biking trails cutting through the mountainous interior. Whole families can enjoy the rides and attractions at Columbus Aquaparque.

Biking
Puerto Plata is equipped with numerous cycling outfits that can hire out all the equipment visitors need for an excursion. Many cycling shops and travel agencies also organise regular group tours. While cycling along portions of the coastal motorway is possible, the best opportunities exist for mountain bikers. Dirt trails and single-tracks cut through the mountainous interior, offering an outstanding perspective on the Dominican countryside.

Columbus Aquaparque
Great for families with children, this water park is one of the best in the region. Flumes, waterslides and a wave pool make this attraction a perennial favourite with Puerto Plata’s youngest visitors. Complete with showers, a restaurant and live entertainment, Columbus Aquaparque is well-suited for a daylong excursion. 
Phone: +809 571 2642

Fun Action City Park
This high-octane go-kart racing facility is a lot of fun, especially for younger visitors. The park is located a few miles outside of the city centre and operates four different tracks. Visitors also have the opportunity to choose from five different types of cars: sprint racers, grand-prix models, midget racers, traditional go-karts and even bumper cars. 

Horseback riding
The Dominican Republic is known for its mild-mannered Creole horses, perfect for beginners or casual riders. Ranches up and down the coastline lead horseback riding tours along the beach, one of the finest ways to take in the local scenery. It is also possible to head inland into hillier terrain.

Ocean World
Five kilometres from Puerto Plata in the Cofresi resort, Ocean World Marine and Water Park has a range of water rides and animal attractions. Tigers, parrots and crocodiles are onsite, but the ocean animals steal the show. There’s a swim-able aquarium; a house full of sea lions; and an enormous dolphin lagoon, all of which draw large crowds. 
Phone: +809 291 1111; www.oceanworldmarina.com

Water Sports
The entire gamut of water sports are available in Puerta Plata, beginning with perennial favourites like snorkelling, banana boating and catamaran cruises. The entire northern coastline here is relatively windy and therefore popular for windsurfing and kite surfing. Scuba diving is also possible, both near the shore and out to sea. Diving businesses can help newcomers to the sport earn their PADI certification in just a few days.

Whale Watching
A favourite activity among Puerto Plata’s visitors, whale watching is only possible during the winter months. Massive herds of migratory humpback whales visit the island’s north shore to mate and rear their calves between January and March. These active beasts are showmen at heart, and tourists on board whale-watching cruises are likely to see plenty of fin-slapping, tail-fanning and a spectacular breach or two.

Given the unique cultural tides at work in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata boasts a number of cultural attractions. The Amber Museum provides tourists with the opportunity to marvel at some of the oldest, naturally preserved fossils they’ll ever see. Meanwhile, clubs and local bars across the northern coastline feature late-night merengue music, a genre which draws on Hispanic and African rhythms. For a glimpse of life on the island before Columbus landed, visit the Museum of Taino Art.

Amber Museum
A popular tourist attraction, the Amber Museum is housed in a Victorian-era building. Inside is a variety of fossilised amber found on the island. Some of these fossils formed millions of years ago when resin dripping from trees encased insects or small animals and was then pressed underground until it hardened into rock. There are thousands of marvellous pieces in museum, some exhibiting wild shapes or perfectly-preserved creatures. The most popular piece is a sublimely preserved lizard that dates back 35 million years. 
Phone: +809 586 2848; www.amberworldmuseum.com

Historic Quarter
Puerto Plata’s city centre boasts a few cultural gems that are not to be missed. The Church of San Felipe is especially picturesque, and you’ll also find a number of galleries and artisan shops in the area. Perhaps the greatest downtown attraction is the collection of gingerbread-style, Victorian houses dating to the 1800s. Look for the best collection of these homes in the Central Park area.

Jewish Heritage Museum
In the late 1930s, the neighbouring city of Sousa was slated to receive 100,000 Jewish settlers, most of whom were refugees from Austria and Germany. The community grew and built synagogues, and it continues to thrive today. This museum explores the lives and experiences of these Jewish settlers. Exhibits showcase period artefacts, written correspondence and firsthand accounts of life in the settlement.

Merengue
Born in the Dominican Republic, merengue music is now performed all over the
Caribbean. Merengue also takes strong cues from Latin music, making it very danceable. Visitors to Puerto Plata have the opportunity to listen to the Afro-Caribbean stylizations of local performers in any number of local bars and night clubs. Outside of local music venues, merengue is most accessible during the October Merengue Festival.

Museum of Taino Art
The Taino people were the original inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola but much of their culture has been lost since Christopher Columbus landed here. Puerto Plata’s Museum of Taino Art works to preserve this culture and tradition through exhibits that showcase art and artefacts from the Taino people. A number of statuettes and ceramic pieces are on display, both genuine artefacts and replicas.

Puerta Plata’s dining district is situated along the Malecon waterfront road. Midrange and upscale restaurants are widespread, most of them serving international cuisine with plenty of fresh seafood on the menu. Local establishments are found here as well, especially as you travel outside of the central resort area. Most of these cater to locals and budget travellers.

Presidente is the beer that locals drink, served alongside rum bottled at the local Brugal Rum factory. Dominican fare takes its cues from Spanish cuisine, incorporating many of the same spices. Pork and goat meat are popular, combined with fresh, local produce. Stewed meats are found in dishes like sopa criollo dominicana and la bandera. The latter is accompanied by rice and red beans with a fried plantain salad.

The main shopping centre in Puerto Plata is the Playa Dorada Plaza, an expansive collection of department stores and boutiques grouped together with a cinema. The Malecon is lined with gift shops and galleries dealing in Dominican and Haitian handicrafts. A few miles out of Puerta Plata, the town of Sousa has a range of excellent shopping outlets.

Popular tourist purchases include rum, vanilla and high-quality cigars (both Dominican and Cuban). Tourists are encouraged to purchase the latter from reputable cigar shops rather than from souvenir stands where quality and authenticity are not assured. It is also possible to pick up amber pieces, including jewellery and fossilised ornaments. Ceramics, woodcarvings and oil paintings from Haiti and the Dominican are widely available.