Travel guide: Dominican Republic 

Captivatingly located high above the banks of the Río Chavón near La Romana lies an eclectic artist... village, which Charles Bluhdorn, former president of the Gulf & Western Company, commissioned here in 1974. It is reminiscent of a medieval Mediterranean village, with a true-to-detail reconstruction of limestone facades, cobblestone streets and a church. Even an antique-style amphitheater was included in the plans of Dominican architect Tony Caro. It holds 5,000 spectators. Some of the mixes of style are quite surprising. For example, oriental prim pagoda pillars stand right in front of the town church San Estanislao with its Roman portal and Gothic window rose. The architectural style of the houses varies between Italian-Ligurian and Central Castillian. One building has even been decorated with metal hippopotamuses! The one to blame for the fact that parts of this place look like a film set, is the Italian artist Roberto Copa. He equipped the film sets of Fellini and Visconti and oversaw construction here. Different countries and galleries present artwork by local artists. The Museo de Arte Préhispanico displays noteworthy authentic artifacts of Taíno art, which were excavated in the east of the Hispaniolas. There is also an arts school with students from all over the world. The highlight of the visit is the view down into the palm-lined river valley of the Chavón, on which a miniature version of a Mississippi-steamboat chugs along. more

The capital of the same-named province located in the southwest of Santo Domingo still remains an insiders’... tip. Once upon a time, pirates caused trouble in the bay of Barahona. The city itself was not founded until 1802 by the Haitian General Toussaint L’Ouverture and achieved wealth through the export of precious timber, coffee and sugarcane. Many beautiful wooden houses with porches bear witness to these times. The main square Parque Central, lined with pretty Victorian houses, is especially worth seeing. The firestation located on a side street and painted red-blue is a particularly good photo opportunity. Firemen gladly present the vehicles to visitors. Cabral village, located 20 km northwest of Barahona, is known for its carnival. Here, the cahúas – that is people dressed up as horned devils – go on a rampage through the village from Good Friday to Easter Monday. In the cemetery, they symbolically lift deceased “colleagues” from their graves with blows to the gravestones and let them participate in the festivities. Later on, they bring the invisible carnivalists back to the cemetery in a ritualistic funeral procession. more

In the 1920s, wealthy citizens erected their summer residences by the beach of Boca Chica, 32 km east... of Santo Domingo. The sugar-baron Don Juan Bautista Vicini initiated the hotel boom, and so today, everything ranging from luxurious all-inclusive vacations to cheap fleabags is offered here. The beach, which provides the opportunity for every conceivable type of water sport, has very fine white sand. The ocean, however, with a maximum depth of 150 cm, is not very clean and rather resembles an over-sized wading pool. Thanks to countless bars, restaurants and nightclubs, it never gets boring here. On weekends, numerous Dominicans from the capital turn the beach into the biggest open-air discotheque in the country with the help of their portable radios. Unfortunately, crime here is higher than anywhere else and prostitution has reached downright plague-like dimensions. On the way from Santo Domingo to Boca Chicha on Avenida Las Américas, the cave system Los Tres Ojos, three small underground lakes, is a popular destination for excursions. Several kilometers further, near the airport, the Museo-Panteón displays funerary goods and art objects by Taíno Indians. From La Caleta port, boats bring divers to the underwater conservation area Parque Submarino, whose coral reefs are home to colorful fish. more

With its colorful small wooden houses and carefully painted boats, the fishing harbor south of Higüey... is one of the most charming places in the country. Small fish restaurants serve the day’s catch, including tasty crawfish. With a fisherman’s boat (yola) one can take a ride upriver along the Río de la Yuma, watch pelicans, herons and iguanas, maybe even catch a glimpse of the rare Hispaniola-parrot. The fisherman will gladly drop you off for a couple of hours on a beach whose white sands are guaranteed to be deserted. Along the rocky coast there are several karst caves, which can only be explored with a guide. In the Cueva de Berna, Tainos, the indigenous people of the country, have left sketches artfully carved into the stone, among these the typical caritas (“small face”). From Boca de Yuma bay, the Spanish general Ponce de Léon set sail for his sea expeditions to Puerto Rico and Florida. His residence, Casa Fuerte de Ponce de Léon, built from 1505-1508 into a fort-like structure, can still be visited further north near San Rafael de Yuma. If one is able to find the guard, one can cast a glance at the interior of the somber building. It is equipped with remarkable furnishings from the 16th century, albeit not from the former possessions of the conquistador. more

The coastal road leading from Barahona to the southwesternmost point of the country affords spectacularly... winding driving pleasure. Here, the spurs of the Sierra de Baoruco drop off steeply to the ocean. Deserted coves, secluded little beaches and sleepy fishing villages line the street. Stopping is worthwile many a time, for example to take a dip by the pretty Playa El Quemaito or a bit further south by the Playa San Rafael, near the village of La Ciénaga. Here, one can not only go for a swim in the ocean but also in the wonderfully cool, waterfall-fed balneario, and enjoy being served freshly caught grilled fish by local fishermen. Equally charming are the fishing villages of Baoruco, Paraíso and Los Patos, located further south. The latter also has a balneario. Here, one can get to know the genuine Dominican way of life. Slightly south of Barahona, a detour from the coastal road leads to a larimar mine. The turquoise-blue, semi-precious stone only found in the Dominican Republic is a staple in every souvenir shop in the country. more