Travel guide - Dominican Republic

30 November -0001

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Occupying the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic (or the DR, as it's often known) is a hugely popular destination, thanks to the portion of the country that most resembles the image of a Caribbean playland: the crystal-clear waters and sandy beaches lined with palm trees, of which the DR has plenty. This vision of leisurely days spent by the sea and romantic nights filled with merengue and dark rum is supported by what turns out to be the largest all-inclusive resort industry in the world.

Set on the most geographically diverse Caribbean island, the DR also boasts virgin alpine wilderness, tropical rainforests and mangrove swamps, cultivated savannas, vast desert expanses and everything in between within its relatively small confines - slightly smaller than the US states of New Hampshire and Vermont combined - providing staggering opportunities for ecotourism and adventure travelling .

The DR also lays claim to some of the more intriguing culture and history in the area, dating back to its early cave-dwelling groups, the Taínos , who recorded much of their activities in the form of rock art - it's quite likely you'll find yourself clambering down a dark cave to view some of these preserved paintings during your stay. In addition, as Dominicans are often quick to point out, their land was the setting for Christopher Columbus's first colony, La Isabela, and Spain's first New World city, Santo Domingo , at the end of the fifteenth century. Though the island quickly lost this foothold, the events that took place during its brief heyday did much to define the Americas as we know them.

The northern hemisphere's winter is high tourist season in the Dominican Republic; this is when the Dominican climate is at its optimum, having cooled down just a bit. You'll therefore save a bit of money - and have an easier time booking a hotel room on the spot - if you arrive during the spring or the fall, which is just fine, as the temperature doesn't really vary all that much from season to season. Keep in mind, though, that the Dominican Republic is right in the centre of the Caribbean hurricane belt, and gets hit with a major one every decade or so; August and September are prime hurricane season, though smaller ones can occur in the months preceding and following.

Citizens and permanent residents of the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and all EU countries don't need a visa when visiting the Dominican Republic, but must obtain a ninety-day Dominican Republic tourist card for US$10 (US dollars only) at the airport on arrival. New Zealanders need to apply for an $A80 visa from the embassy as well.

The cheapest and most frequent flights depart from gateway cities such as Miami and New York. Flights from the latter average about US$450-550. As there are no non-stop scheduled flights to the Dominican Republic from the UK, many British and Irish visitors to the Dominican Republic arrive on a charter flight as part of a package holiday, though you can also fly via the States or various stops in Europe; try Iberia Airlines for the least expensive deals. Visitors from Australia and New Zealand will need to travel first to the US or Europe and pick up onward connections from there. Most flights go into Santo Domingo, but some fly into Puerto Plata.

Options for arriving in the Dominican Republic by boat are mostly limited to hitting the country as one of the ports of call on a longer Caribbean cruise .

The Dominican Republic is one of the last true budget destinations in the Caribbean. Package deals are relatively low-priced, and in many parts of the country shoestring travellers can spend as little as US$30/£19 per day. The savings are spread unevenly, though, and some things are pricier here than elsewhere: riding from town to town via public transport can cost as little as US$0.35/£0.20, but car rental will set you back at least US$45/£28 a day

The official Dominican currency is the peso (RD$) , which comes in notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000; there are also 0.10, 0.25, 0.50 and 1 peso coins, though only the last sees much use. The exchange rate varies from day to day, but typically hovers at around 16-17 pesos to the US dollar. It's impossible to find Dominican pesos outside the country, but visitors are well advised to come armed with a substantial amount of US dollars, as these are the most readily accepted (and exchangeable) foreign currency in the land. The best places to change money are the banks , which offer good exchange rates; keep your receipts, as this allows you to exchange 30 percent of the pesos back into hard currency (dollars or euros) on departure. In a pinch, smaller casas de cambio are fine, though you should avoid the street moneychangers .

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