Dominican Republic Travel Guide

Opportunities for sea sports are naturally tremendous, ranging from swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving, windsurfing and surfing, to deep-sea fishing and whale-watching. Though many beaches are protected from powerful ocean currents by natural barriers, others have dangerous riptides along them, and should be avoided by all but the strongest of swimmers.

The vast majority of Dominican reefs have been damaged beyond repair by careless local fishing practices, notably the daily dropping of anchors by thousands of small vessels. The only place you'll still find a large system of intact reefs is the stretch west of Puerto Plata, between La Isabela and Monte Cristi. By no coincidence, this is also by far the most remote coastal region in the country, and devilishly difficult to access for scuba diving and snorkelling . A number of tour operators and most all-inclusive hotels in the resort towns can take you to the more modest reefs around the island.

The north coast resort of Cabarete is known internationally as the windsurfing capital of the Americas. Learning here is a challenge due to the strength of the waves and wind, though a dozen different windsurfing clubs offer equipment rental and tutoring. Surfing is less organized and done mostly by locals. Though you won't find any schools for surfing, popular venues include Playa Encuentra near Cabarete, Playas Grande and Preciosa just east of Río San Juan and Playa Boba north of Nagua.

The country's five separate mountain ranges provide several options for mountain sports ; most popular are mountain biking, horseback riding and several-day mountain treks. Cabarete's Iguana Mama is the one major mountain-bike tour outfit in the country, offering challenging daytrips into the Cordillera Septentrional and week-long mountain-bike and camping excursions from one side of the country to the other. The best hiking can be found along the trails leading from disparate parts of the Cordillera Central to Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean. Horseback-riding excursions are also quite popular. In addition to the plethora of outfits that offer day rides along the country's many beaches, you'll find quality mountain-riding operators in Cabarete, Punta Cana, Las Terrenas and Jarabacoa. Also in the mountains, Jarabacoa is the centre for white-water rafting and kayaking .

Finally, though there are several small, nondescript golf courses spread across the island, three of them stand head and shoulders above the pack: the Pete Dye-designed Teeth of the Dog course at Casa de Campo in La Romana, and the excellent Robert Trent Jones courses at Playa Dorada and Playa Grande on the Silver Coast. All three have the majority of their holes set on spectacular open oceanfront and are occasionally used as tournament venues.