Geography
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. It lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica. The Dominican Republic's shores are washed by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The Mona Passage, a channel about 130 km wide, separates the country (and the Hispaniola) from Puerto Rico
Puanta Cana, the best choices for those seeking the perfect beach and rest and relaxation vacation. Punta Cana is that perfect place for a honeymoon. Whether couples are looking for a quiet, secluded beach getaway or want to start off their new lives with an exciting eco-adventure, the Dominican Republic can accommodate them.  Brides and grooms can opt for extravagant and lavish ceremonies and receptions or more sedate and private affairs on the beach, in lush gardens or anywhere else they would like.  Most of the resorts in Punta Cana offer a selection of wedding and romance packages and often have wedding specialists on hand to assist in coordinating every last detail.
Forty miles of pearl-white sand beaches and luxurious beach resort hotels line the eastern coast of this island. Punta Cana has so many great resorts that will meet every expectation:   golf, scuba, fishing, windsailing, yachting, fine dining, relaxation, spas, children's programs and more.
Hotels
The Dominican Republic attracts the most tourist visitors of all the Caribbean islands.
The Dominican Republic has a great developed tourist infrastructure. Service is high enough, most hotels have own beaches and small parks.The major tourist destinations in the DR include Punta Cana-known for it's large, upscale all-inclusive resorts; Puerto Plata, Sosua and Cabarete-tourist areas popular with wind surfers and college students; La Romana and Casa de Campo; and the focus of recent tourist attention, the Samana Peninsula.
So, 12 cocktails on the basis of rum and thick fragrant cigars will be offered to you even in a modest 4* hotel. Hotels, as a rule, consist of two-three-store bungalows, standings under palms. For the families with children it is recommend Fiesta Beach Resort & Spa 4* (Punta-Kana) - here is a mini-club, child's pool, playground and mini-disco. An excellent infrastructure is absolute dignity of hotel: Spa-center, large green territory, great number of sporting entertainments. To the young people will be a comfort in the hotel of Barcelo Bavaro Palace 5* (Punta-Kana) - here all terms of chic beach resort are combined with the atmosphere of eternal holiday.

Excursions in the Dominican Republic
Among FAM excursions in Dominican will not skip excursion on Santa-Domingo, to the capital of Dominican. The most interesting in Santa-Domingo are caves of Los Tres Ojos ("Three eyes") - 15-meter, with sulfide lakes and unnatural blue water. Do you want the unusual impressions? For you Bavaro Ranner is a trip on jeeps on plantations and Creole dinner on a local farm!

Climate
The Dominican Republic has primarily a tropical maritime climate, with more diurnal and local variations in temperature than seasonal ones. In general, there are two seasons in the Dominican climate: summer and winter.
In general, August is the hottest month, and January and February are the coldest ones.

Visa
All visitors require a valid passport. All tourists must purchase a visa/tourist card at a cost of $10.00 U.S. to enter the Dominican Republic. Tourist cards normally permit a legal stay of up to 3 weeks.  Visitors who would like to extend their time in the Dominican Republic should pay extra 250 peso. There is a departure tax of $20.00 U.S. per person.

Sightseeing of Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo de Guzman) is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic, and the seventh largest in North America. The city is located in the Caribbean Sea at the mouth of the Ozama River. The city is the oldest European settlement extant in the New World dates to 1496, when the first Europeans settled there. In 1930 it was heavily damaged by a hurricane but was subsequently rebuilt.
The city's most important colonial buildings include the Alcázar de Colón, once the residence of Don Diego Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus who became viceroy of the colony; the Monasterio de San Francisco, the ruins of the first monastery in America; the Museo de las Casas Reales, the former Palace of the Governor General and the Palace of Royal Audiences the Parque Colón, a historic square; the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest fortress in America; the Pantéon Nacional, a former Jesuit edifice now hosting the remains of various renown members of the Dominican Order; and the Iglesia del Convento Dominico, the first convent in America.
The City of Santo Domingo has numerous museums; most of them are within the Zona Colonial District. Of great historical interest is the Museo de las Casas Reales (Museum of the Royal Houses), the restored 16th century palace of the Spanish Court, which features a wonderful glimpse of the past.
Casa de Bastidas This sixteenth-century mansion was built for Rodrigo de Bastidas, one of the most powerful men in the early days of the colonial era. The main street, Calle Das Lamas, is the oldest street in the New World.

Plaza de la Cultura
From the old to the new, Santo Domingo takes visitors on a trip through time with its dozens of national museums celebrating all aspects of Dominican life, past and present. Many of these museums are located in the Plaza de la Cultura, a large park area where visitors can stroll easily from one museum to another.
They include The Museum of Dominican Man, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of History and Geography, and the National Museum of Natural History. Visitors to the Museum of Dominican Man will enjoy the fascinating look into the history of the Dominican people including original Taino artifacts, the Spanish conquerors and the African slaves. The Museum of Modern Art has an impressive collection although small by developed world standards

Los Tres Ojos
Declared a tourist attraction in 1970, the floors of these caves are filled with beautiful circular lakes fed by the Brujuelas, a subterranean river. The sulfurous waters of the first lake, discovered in 1916, are only 20 feet deep. The second, named La Nevera or "refrigerator" in English drops to 15 degrees centigrade. The Women's Lake, the third and smallest, is warm and shallow. A fourth lake, measuring 300 meters deep, is named Los Saramagullones after a species of ducks that inhabits it.
Santo Domingo has great shopping. Major chains from all around the world have opened branches here and more will be opening soon. Discount stores offer great prices on designer brands, the leading shops offer clearance sales several times a year and there are many designer shops for more exclusive wear.

Malecon
This waterfront boulevard (George Washington Avenue) is home to several huge hotel/casino complexes and dozens of small restaurants, clubs and cafes. Go there to people watch, take a romantic carriage ride or just have a few beers. Parallel to the Malecon you will find Avenida Independencia, a tree lined street full of shops, bed and breakfasts and affordable restaurants with a nice mix of locals and tourists. For a unique dining experience check out Adrian Tropical, a traditional Dominican restaurant literally built on the water, or San Gil, a more formal eatery occupying the ruins of a colonial fort. The Malecon Center, located on the far end of the Malecon, is a new and still under occupied high-end shopping center/hotel/condo complex with a Botero sculpture out front that reportedly cost US$1 million.

Nature
The Dominican Republic's beaches are widely celebrated as being among the world's best, and for good reason. Here, more than 1,000 miles of sugar-colored sand is gently lapped by warm waters so clear and blue one has to see to believe. Depending on location, the beaches offer a gentle lullaby for an Oceanside nap or enough wind to keep a Technicolor kite board adrift.
Santiago in the Dominican Republic is the second largest city hosting a population that is rapidly approaching the 1 million mark. As we have trawled the Internet, we have sometimes seen some disparaging remarks about Santiago, but we think the City actually has a lot to offer the visitor who approaches it with open eyes! Santiago Dominican Republic is a major commercial centre in the DR, as opposed to a tourist focused place. Even so there are numerous aspects of the City that those interested in Dominican culture will find of interest.
In Santiago you will find lively night life, great shopping centers, numerous cultural activities and much more…So please don't leave Santiago, la Ciudad Corazón (The Heart City) of the Dominican Republic, without visiting:
Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración (Restoration's Heroes' Monument)
Gran Teatro Cibao (Cibao Grand Theatre)
La Catedral de San Santiago (Saint James' Cathedral)
Museo del Tabaco (the Tobacco Museum)
Museo folklórico Tomás Morel (Tomas Morel's Folklore Museum)
Ruinas del Viejo Santiago (Old Santiago Ruins)
South to Santiago is located Jarabacoa city. Waterfalls abound in this region, but a couple of them outshine the rest. The Salto de Jimenoa lies over the Jimenoa River’s hydroelectric dam, across which spans a hanging bridge.Another outstanding example is Aguas Blancas, which, at a height of 1,800 meters and a vertical drop of 87 meters, is the Caribbean’s tallest cascade.In south-west of Jarabacoa you can meet the Highest Peak of the Dominican Republic called Juan Pablo Duarte in honor of the founder of our country
The North Coast of the Dominican Republic is called the Amber Coast, because of its rich deposits of semi-precious amber. Puerto Plata is the largest city. Main sightseeing attractions in Puerto Plata include the historic fort, Fuerte de San Felipe, the Brugal Rum Distillery, where you can take a guided tour of how they make their rum, the Amber Museum, and the Malecon or boardwalk, where you can find typical Dominican restaurants and enjoy views of the port and Atlantic Ocean. Take a cable car to the top of nearby Mount Isabel de Torres to see the botanical gardens and statue of Christ the Redeemer and have a spectacular view of Puerto Plata and surrounding areas.
Monte Cristi, located approximately 135 km west of Puerto Plata, sits among desert-like surroundings on the northwestern tip of the Dominican Republic. There is not a lot of tourism in this Victorian-style town, but those that visit can enjoy Cayo Cabrita and El Morro beaches, as well as very good diving. From El Morro , you can swim 300 meters out to Isla Cabrita , an island housing a lighthouse. Divers enjoy investigating the several shipwrecks, which include colonial-era galleons. Many come to the area to visit the National Park, Parque Nacional Monte Cristi , consisting of subtropical dry forest, lagoons and a 900 foot high Mesa. The Mesa overlooks the spectacularly clear sea below and several small islands located just off shore, known as Los Siete Hermanos (The Seven Brothers), where large sea turtles lay their eggs. There are over 160 species of birds and over 10 species of reptiles that occupy the park.
The most prominent geographic feature of the Dominican North Coast is the Samana Peninsula. Its separation from the bulging eastern end of the country creates the magical bay of Samana, which each winter attracts whale-watchers from around the world to observe the fantastic conclave of thousands of humpbacks. At the peninsula's midpoint lies the city of Samana, which claims an unusual history and, as a result, an unusual characteristic. On the mainland, but easily reached by a short boat ride from the coast of Samana, lies Los Haitises National Park, a marvelous sanctuary for nature lovers and those interested in natural history. The underground rivers flow through caves replete with pre-Columbian petroglyphs, silent testimony to the Indian population who dwelled there peacefully for centuries before the arrival of the Europeans. "Elupina I" is the name of the 300-passenger ferry that is scheduled to make the crossing from Sabana de la Mar, making it possible for adventurous Punta Cana and La Romana tourists to see Samana.
Cayo Levantado is a small island in Samana Bay. In Cayo Levantado, Banco de la Plata Sanctuary is the perfect spot to see humpbacked whales in January, February and March.

Cigars of Dominican Republic
The largest producer of cigars in the world, the Dominican Republic is known to enthusiasts around the globe as "Cigar Country." While Cubans are often more recognizable, Dominican varieties are of a far superior quality overall. With products that cover a wide variety of aromas, colors and price tags, visitors won't be able to resist sampling and returning home with a local stogie. Providing the ideal growing environment, the majority of cigars are produced in the central island's Santiago and Cibao Valley regions. In fact, the country boasts more than 600,000 acres of tobacco plants. It is because of Dominicans' careful cultivation and management of tobacco crops that the country is able to produce cigars that are truly distinctive and of impeccable quality.

Rum
The top three brands produced in the Dominican Republic are Bermudez, Brugal and Barcelo.
Bermudez, the eldest of the Dominican rum distilleries, was established in 1852. Its first formula, Bitter Panacea, remains famous. Distilling in Santo Domingo, Bermudez boasts the Dominican's oldest aging cellar.
Brugal, established in 1888, is located just east of Puerto Plata and produces more than one and a half million liters of white and dark rum each year. Considered the most popular distiller, Brugal offers affordable bottles of rum for sale at its bottling plant and gives guests a free rum drink. Tours are offered Monday through Friday and admission is free.
Barcelo, established in Santo Domingo in 1930, is said to be best-liked by locals. The plant manufactures 40 thousand liters of rum per day.
Famous rum-based cocktails:
The pina colada is a sweet, made with light rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice.
Daiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, lime juice, and sugar or other sweetener
Cuba Libre is a highball made of Cola, lime and rum.

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