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 Hispaniola is the Antilles second biggest island, located to Cuba’s east. The island is split into to two regions. The eastern and biggest part makes up the Dominican Republic. The smaller western part is the Republic of Haiti. Hispaniola belonged once entirely to Haiti, and it was Christopher Columbus
who named the island La Isla Espanola. At a later date the English named the island Hispaniola, meaning ‘little Spain’. Together with Cuba, Puerto Rica, and Jamaica, Hispaniola makes up the Large Antilles and the Caribbean. Hispaniola’s climate is humid and tropical and the island has a diverse landscape, covered with rainforests, dry forests, valleys and mountains. The capital of the Dominican Republic is Santo Domingo and is a found on a coast full of cliffs and lime terraces. With your car hire you should under no circumstances miss a detour to this beautiful historic city. Narrow lanes, lanterns and old Spanish palaces provide a kind-of magic, and it is no wonder that Santo Domingo has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the evening you can go to the local Plaza Espana and watch the flamenco dancing. You will experience a genuine Dominican feel on the Calle El Conde, the street that has become a meeting point for locals and also for people from all over the world. If you are interested in the world under the sea, you should definitely check out the Acuario Nacional, an aquarium that offers a glimpse into the life of rivers and seas. The magnificent Malecon Promenade that lines the Caribbean is also worth a visit. On the Plaza de la Cultura you will find a number of museums and have the opportunity to inform yourself about art, culture, nature and social issues
A diverse animal world exists in the Dominican Republic that can be explored independently and easily with your car hire.
The Dominican Republic’s beaches are beautiful, and around 1000 miles long as well as highly varying. The beaches count as the most beautiful in the 
Caribbean, for instance the mile long, white coral-sand beaches in Punta Cana in the east of the Island.
In the north-eastern old fishing village of Rio San Juan, you will come across marvellous beaches, dreamy lagoons and romantic bays that invite you to linger for a while. Travelling slightly further Northwest, the water sport fans among you will certainly get their money’s worth. Cabarete is treasured above all else for its kite and windsurfing facilities and it the most visited spot in the Dominican Republic. Here you will find numerous restaurants, clubs and the local scene. The Island also has beautiful National Parks to offer to its visitors. For instance the Parque Nacional del Este in the southeast of the country, a nature paradise with the biggest semi-dry forest in the Caribbean. In the vast mangrove forests you can observe rare water birds, Caribbean manatees as well as tortoises. In this natural paradise you can also observe rare animals and enjoy the peaceful, untouched nature.
Puerto Plata in the North, that you can easily reach in your car hire, is utterly charming with its Victorian wood houses and offers more than the well known Hotel complex. It is definitely worth travelling in your car hire down south. Near the Parque Nacional del Este you can ferry across to the island Saona. The island, resting in the shadow of its larger counterpart is a palm tree paradise, with no signs of hotels. Here you can go swimming, sunbathing, snorkelling or diving. In Samana Bay, the peninsula in the north of the Dominican Republic, you can watch the magnificent humpback whales in spring.
You will find roaring waterfalls, trekking paths, climbing walls and the opportunity to go white water rafting in Jarabacoa, located in the middle of the Dominican Republic.
Whatever you get up to this stunning Caribbean island: Have fun! |
