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  • Central America & the Caribbean
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  • Dominican Republic
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    • Santo Domingo
    • The southeast
    • The Samaná Peninsula
    • The Silver Coast
    • The Cibao
    • The southwest
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  • Things not to miss
Simply the country’s finest beach, where you can relax beneath palm trees, swim in turquoise waters and enjoy freshly caught fish grilled at a waterside shack. Buena Vista Social Club-style son clubs are prolific in Santo Domingo. Hidden deep within the Samaná mountains, but accessible on horseback, this pristine 150m waterfall is one of the loveliest spots on the island. A circular Shangri-la valley set deep in the heart of the Caribbean’s tallest mountains. This lively beach town boasts the best windsurfing and kitesurfing in the Caribbean. A scenic, 10km-long outdoor boardwalk and party zone dotted with music-blaring discos and bustling bars and cafés. Unbeatable as an authentic, locally produced souvenir, this semiprecious stone is stunning when set in jewellery. See the best young players in the world before they’re whisked off to the US to make it big. A saltwater lake the size of Manhattan, populated by crocodiles, rhinoceros, iguanas and tens of thousands of colourful tropical birds. This impressive museum, one of four in Santo Domingo’s Plaza de la Cultura, houses an outstanding collection of Taino artefacts, plus exhibits on the island’s African heritage. Each February, La Vega transforms itself with the biggest, wildest party in this Carnival-crazed nation. The stuttering, fast-paced national music has been around in various forms for the past three hundred years. Santo Domingo’s compact treasure-trove of colonial architecture. One of the world’s great natural spectacles takes place every winter in Samaná bay when thousands of humpback whales arrive to breed, give birth and fill the memory cards of the watching tourists’ cameras.