Dominican Republic

WELCOME TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAS IT ALL

 

WELCOME TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAS IT ALL

 

The best option for Tours and experiences in puerto plata.

 

Dominican Republic is the second largest and most diverse Caribbean country, situated just two hours south of Miami, less than four hours from New York and eight hours from most European cities. Known for our warm and hospitable people, Dominican Republic is a destination like no other, featuring astounding nature, intriguing history and rich culture.

 

WELCOME TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAS IT ALL

 

Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and the Caribbean Sea on the south, our lush tropical island paradise boasts nearly 1,000 miles (1,609 km) of coastline, 250 miles (402 km) of the world’s top beaches, magnificent resorts and hotels, and a variety of sports, recreation and entertainment options. Here you can dance to the pulse pounding thrill of the merengue, renew in our luxurious and diverse accommodations, explore ancient relics of centuries past, delight in delicious Dominican gastronomy or enjoy ecotourism adventures in our magnificent national parks, mountain ranges, rivers, and beaches.

 

WELCOME TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAS IT ALL

 

Discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, the country overflows with fascinating history, museums and exciting cultural experiences like music, art and festivals, plus uniquely Dominican specialties such as cigars, rum, chocolate, coffee, merengue, amber and larimar.

 

The #1 destination for golf in the Caribbean and Latin America, Dominican Republic delights visitors with 26 designer golf courses amid breathtaking coastlines with mountain backdrops and lush green fairways. With so many beautiful natural settings like romantic waterfalls, breathtaking coasts and idyllic accommodations, Dominican Republic is a top destination for weddings and romance. Many world class-resorts and hotels also cater to meetings and incentive groups who flock to Dominican Republic for excellent, friendly service and dynamic meeting venues.

 

Dominican Republic offers a fantastic combination of environments to capture your imagination and refresh the soul. And with eight international airports, paradise has never been easier to explore. We invite you to discover our breathtaking island sanctuary and create memories that will last a lifetime.

 

  • Documentation necessary to travel to the Dominican Republic

    To enter the island the requirement for documents varies according to the country of origin of each tourist.
     
    First of all, it is essential to have a valid passport. In the case of foreigners who come from Great Britain, the European Union, Canada or the USA, they have the possibility of legally accessing the Dominican Republic with their passport and tourist card.
     
    The tourist card is a document that can be obtained at the same airport or at any port of entry to the country, at the Dominican embassies or, sometimes, is included in the price of the vacation plan offered by the travel agency. There is also the possibility of acquiring it on-line through the page of the General Directorate of Internal Taxes: http://www.dgii.gov.do/tarjetaTuristica.
     
    This is a standard value of about US $ 10 or € 10, depending on the currency, valid for one year from the time of issue and will allow you to stay for 30 days. You can only use it once, so if you want to extend the stay for a few days there is a small surcharge, and if it is more than two months you can request an extension of the card.
     
    This card is a tax established by the country for those who visit it and, therefore, can only be used by those who travel for tourist purposes.
     
    On the other hand, the Dominican Republic issues different types of visa depending on the objective of the visitor. In other words, there is a business visa, a student visa, a tourist visa (valid for up to 60 days), a residence visa, etc. Each with specific requirements and fees that you must request at the embassy of the Dominican Republic that is in your country.
     
    Travelers from Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Israel, Japan and South Korea are exempt from paying the tourist card. Foreign diplomats and consulates who are accredited by the country and enter the official mission must not acquire the card either. Free of payment are also Dominican residents, visas and nationals.
     
    And, on the other hand, those who travel with their own aviation can enter the country as long as they meet a series of requirements: that the ship weighs no more than 30,000 pounds and that it does not have a capacity of more than 12 passengers; and the objective of the trip must be for leisure, business, tourism or sports.
     
    In the case of other Latin American nationalities such as Cuba, Panama or Colombia, a visa is required to enter the Dominican Republic.
     
    The most advisable thing is to check with the embassy before traveling and find out the necessary documents in detail.

  • Language!

    Know the official language of the Dominican Republic and find out about the variety of languages spoken

     
    The official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish, used together with the Antillean form in the everyday language. In his lexicon you can find African influences (Africanisms), foreignisms coming essentially from the English of the United States and also neologisms that collide with the maintained archaisms of Old Spanish. As for his accent, it is reminiscent of Canarian Spanish.
     
    In addition to Spanish, you can find enclaves where Haitian Creole is spoken, whose extension throughout the country is due to immigrants from Haiti and their descendants. Also English, not only because of the strong American influence, but also because of the presence of native Dominicans descended from American slaves in the 19th century. And finally, you can listen to French, a language widely spread throughout the island.

  • Weather!

    Find out about the characteristic tropical climate, its temperatures and rainfall, of the Dominican Republic.

     
    The Dominican Republic's climate is warm tropical, with a fairly stable temperature throughout the seasons, which ranges between 25 and 35 ºC. The highest temperatures are reached in summer between the months of July and August, while from November to January they change slightly, decreasing to 18ºC, in high-altitude regions, and 24ºC in the rest of the country.
     
    It must be taken into account that, since it is a warm tropical climate, the rains are abundant. The rainy season coincides with the summer, since generally two rainy seasons are established: from April to June and from September to November. In addition, its location in the middle of the Caribbean is ideal for severe storms and a hurricane to occur on the island between June and November. In fact, this time of year is known as the "cyclonic season", with the possibility of both floods and droughts.
     
    When located in the northern hemisphere, the seasons of the year coincide with those of the entire European continent, North America and the South America area, which includes Panama, most of Colombia and Venezuela; while countries located in the southern hemisphere, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay or a large part of Ecuador, will go the other way round, since summer runs from December to March and winter from June to September .
     

  • Currency!

    Know the official currency of the Dominican Republic and the different payment options you can make.

     
    The Dominican Republic has its own currency, the Dominican peso (RD $), which is divided into 100 cents.
     
    For the monetary exchange there are coins of 25 and 50 cents, which are hardly used; and 1 and 5 pesos. As for the tickets, there are 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 pesos. It is also possible to use the US dollar as a second currency, since it is admitted in any establishment aimed at tourism. In addition, both US dollars and euros can be exchanged for pesos at any bank, exchange house and in many hotels.
     
    Accepted credit cards and travelers checks:
    In relation to credit cards, Visa or Mastercard, and travelers checks, both are accepted in most establishments, but in the case of cards you have to be careful to avoid their subsequent fraudulent use. , either in duplicate or by copy of number.
     

  • Electricity!

    Know what type of plugs and voltage I will usually find on my trip to the island of the Dominican Republic.

     
    An important fact to keep in mind before leaving for your trip to the Dominican Republic is that the sockets are of the American type: 110-120V / 60Hz. If you come from a country where this type of plug does not exist, such as Spain or Argentina, you must purchase an adapter to be able to use your electronic equipment.
     
    In relation to electricity, power cuts are part of daily life throughout the country and the only way to cope with them is to have a little patience, since they usually last for several hours. However, hotels, public centers and restaurants usually have their own emergency generator so as not to depend on constant electricity jumps.
     

  • Call by telephone!

    Know the most important prefixes to communicate by phone with, from and in the Dominican Republic.

     
    In the Dominican Republic there is an international prefix to call the country: 00 (international prefix) + 1 + 809 and then the place number; Conversely, from the island to a foreign country, it is 011 (international prefix) + country prefix and the number of interest.
     
    For example, the number of the embassy of Spain in the Dominican Republic would be: (00 1 809) 829 535 65 00, while the number of the embassy of the Dominican Republic in Spain is: (011 34) 91 431 53 95.
     

  • Traveling with pets!

    Find out about the documentation you need to travel with your pet to the Dominican Republic.

     
    If you want to visit the Dominican Republic with your pet, you need to know the essential documentation to enter the country.
     
    To introduce dogs or cats a veterinary certificate is required, with a maximum date of 15 days before the trip, generated by an authorized veterinarian in the country of origin. The document must confirm that the animal comes from an area where there have been no serious illnesses in the last three months and that it is in good health. In addition, the animal must have been vaccinated against rabies between one month and one year before travel, including the name and serial number of the product on the certificate.
     
    In the case of other types of pets, a permit generated by the livestock director of the Secretary of State for Agriculture of Santo Domingo will be necessary. In this case, the authorization must set the quarantine period that should apply, should the situation arise. The consequences of not complying with these import regulations are: either slaughter the animal or deport it back to the country of origin, and the expenses will be borne by the traveler himself.
     
    On the other hand, any type of bird must remain in quarantine for a minimum of 10 days.
     
    The last step for the formalization of the documents is to speak with the person in charge of animal control inside the airport to finish filling in the permission forms and who has a charge of US $ 10.
     
    For more information visit the page of the General Directorate of Livestock: http://www.ganaderia.gob.do/ or call their contact telephone number 1 809 535 9689.
     

  • Holidays!

    Find out about the most important holidays for Dominicans and the events that are celebrated.

     
    Throughout the year the Dominican Republic has an extensive list of holidays. In this sense, it is worth noting that non-working holidays cannot move, that is, they never change the day; while those holidays that are movable, will be celebrated on their official day when it coincides with Saturday, Sunday or Monday. If it corresponds to Tuesday or Wednesday, it will be held the previous Monday, and if it is Thursday or Friday, the following Monday.
     
    Here we offer the official dates considered holidays for Dominicans.
     
    January:
    January 1: New Year (NL).
    January 6: Three Kings Day (NL).
    January 21: Our Lady of Altagracia (NL), protector of the Dominicans.
    January 26: Day of Juan Pablo Duarte (NL), anniversary of the birth of the Father of the Fatherland.
     
     
    February:
    February 27: National Day. Independence Day of the Dominican Republic (NL).
     
     
    March and April:
    Easter (NL in education, but working in other sectors, except Good Friday).
     
     
    April:
    April 14: Pan American Day.
     
     
    May:
    May 1: International Labor Day (M).
    Last Sunday of May: Mother's Day.
     
     
    May and June:
    Corpus Christi (NL Corpus Thursday).
     
     
    July:
    Last Sunday of July: Father's Day.
     
     
    August:
    August 16: Restoration Day (NL).
     
     
    September:
    September 24: Our Lady of Las Mercedes (NL), patron saint of the Dominican Republic.
     
     
    October:
    October 12: Discovery of America.
     
     
    November:
    November 1: All Saints' Day (NL).
    November 6: Constitution Day (M).
     
     
     
    December:
    December 24: Christmas Eve (working until noon).
    December 25: Christmas Day (NL).
    December 31: New Years Eve (working until noon).
     
     
     
    * M: Movable.
    NL: Non-working.
     

  • Embassies!

    Know all the necessary information about your country's embassy on the island of the Dominican Republic.

     
    All embassies and consulates are located in the city of Santo Domingo. Below you will find the data of each one of them.
     
    Embassy of Spain:
    Address: Av. Independencia, 1205 (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 535 65 00.
    Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
    Web page: http://www.exteriores.gob.es/embajadas/santodomingo/es/Paginas/inicio.aspx
     
     
     
    Embassy of Argentina:
    Address: Av. Máximo Gómez, 10. Gazcue (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 682 09 76/809 682 29 77.
    Hours: Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
    Web page: http://edomi.cancilleria.gov.ar/
     
     
     
    Embassy of Chile:
    Address: Av. Anacanoa, 11. Mirador Sur Park (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 797 24 33/809 797 28 89.
    Hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
    Web page: http://chileabroad.gov.cl/republica-dominicana/
     
     
     
    Colombian Embassy:
    Address: Calle Andrés Julio Aybar, 27. Ensanche Piantini (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 562 16 70.
    Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
    Web page: http://republicadominicana.embajada.gov.co/
     
     
     
    US Embassy:
    Address: Av. República de Colombia, 57 (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 567 77 75.
    Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
    Web page: http://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/index.html
     
     
     
    Mexico's embassy:
    Address: Calle Arzobispo Meriño, 265 e / Las Mercedes. Colonial Zone (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 687 64 44.
    Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
    Web page: http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/republicadominicana/
     
     
     
    Embassy of Peru:
    Address: 31 Mayreni Street. Los Cacicazgos Urbanization (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 482 33 00/809 482 33 44.
    Hours: From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
     
     
     
    Embassy of Venezuela:
    Address: Av. Anacanoa, 7. Mirador Sur (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 537 88 82.
    Web page: http://www.embajadavenezuelard.org/index.php/secciones/seccion-consular
     
     
     
    Canadian Embassy:
    Address: Av. Winston Churchill, 1099. Citigroup Tower at Acropolis Center, 18th floor, Ensanche Piantini (Santo Domingo).
    Telephone: (001) 809 262 31 00.
    Web page: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/dominican_republic-republique_dominicaine/
     

  • Traveling with disabilities!

    Learn about the measures being worked on the island to offer the best services to the disabled.

     
    In the Dominican Republic, the National Council on Disability (Conadis) works intensively to empower the island and its accommodations for people with disabilities.
     
    At the moment, they already have some hotels and around 19 beaches with ramps that allow wheelchair access to the beach. Work is underway to enable flat areas in order to better accommodate a population sector that also has the right to enjoy the Dominican Republic.
     

  • Politics!

    Learn about the Dominican Republic's political regime and find out how its powers work.

     
    The Dominican Republic has a presidential parliamentary system of government. It is a representative democracy divided into three constituent powers: the executive, the legislative and the judicial.
     
    The executive power is made up of the President of the Republic, who acts as Head of State and Government, and the Vice President, elected by the people to govern for a period of 4 years.
     
    The legislative power is developed in the National Congress, formed by the Senate, made up of 32 senators representing the 31 Dominican provinces plus the National District; and the Chamber of Deputies. All also elected by popular vote to carry out their functions in a period of 4 years.
     
    The judicial power is held by the Supreme Court of Justice and is the one who chooses the judges of the rest of the provinces.
     
    The country has a multi-party system, which is why a large number of political parties opt for both the executive and legislative branches.
     

  • Religion!

    Find out which is the most practiced religion in the Dominican Republic as well as other very relevant ones.

     
    Due to the great migratory flows, the Dominican Republic currently has a great variety of religions constituting itself as a country that allows religious freedom.
     
    The most practiced religion is still Catholic, since more than 50% of Catholics are counted among the Dominican population. Evangelical religion and atheists follow. In addition, you can also find religions such as Buddhism, Judaism, Islam or the traditional Chinese religion, among many others.
     
    Despite the fact that the Catholic religion began to lose weight among the population at the end of the 19th century due to lack of financing and support programs, Dominicans still have two important religious figures: the Virgen de las Mercedes, as patron saint of the country, and the Virgin of Altagracia, as its protector.
     
    However, the religious freedom found in the Dominican Republic has also allowed the enrichment of all the cultures that coexist on the island.
     

  • Flag!

    Discover the flag of the Dominican Republic and the revolutionary meaning it has for Dominicans.

     
    The national flag of the Dominican Republic is one of the main patriotic symbols of Dominicans.
     
    Created during the Independence period, it was born from the idea of ​​the Dominican liberal politician Juan Pablo Duarte, and was carried out by Concepción Bona and María Trinidad Sánchez. It was first hoisted in 1844 by the Dominican activist Francisco del Rosario Sánchez.
     
    The flag is formed by a large white cross in the center that divides the banner into four rectangles, while the coat of arms of the Dominican Republic stands out in the center of the crosshead.
     
    Regarding the upper rectangles, the left one, placed next to the pole, is stained ultramarine blue; while the right is vermilion red. The lower ones are opposed, being red the one on the side of the pole and blue the right rectangle.
     
    The colors used in the flag have a relevant meaning for Dominicans. Red symbolizes the blood spilled by the fighters of the wars of independence; blue represents the sky that rises over the country and from where God protects the nation and its ideals of progress; white is a symbol of peace and unity among Dominicans.
     
    An alternative theory considers blue as an expression of the liberators' struggle to bequeath a free nation to future generations, while white signifies God's care for the nation.
     

  • Shield!

    Discover the coat of arms of the Dominican Republic and discover the national meaning of each symbol.

     
    The coat of arms of the Dominican Republic is one of the most significant national symbols for the country, since it represents the Free, Independent and Sovereign State.
     
    Created at the time of Independence, like the flag, it has been altered over time on countless occasions. The current form was designed by the Dominican politician Casimiro Nemesio de Moya in 1913 and is included in article 32 of the Constitution.
     
    Since then we can see an English type coat of arms (rectangular) with the upper protruding edges, the lower ones rounded, and the center ending in a point.
     
    Due to the chromatic symbology, the colors are shared with those of the national flag and arranged in the same way.
     
    Thus, red recalls the blood of the combatants during the struggles for independence; blue symbolizes the firmament that covers the country and from where God protects the nation and its ideals; white expresses peace and union among Dominicans.
     
    An alternative theory considers blue as a symbol of the battles to bequeath a free nation to the following generations, while white refers to God's care for the nation.
     
    In the center of the shield is the open Bible in the Gospel of Saint John, 8, 32. On it stands a cross that, next to the holy book, emerges from a trophy consisting of two spears and four national flags without a shield.
     
    The blazon is framed between a laurel branch on its left and a palm branch on its right.
     
    Over the shield, there is an ultramarine blue ribbon with the phrase: "God, Country, Liberty"; while in the red band located in the lower part of the emblem it is written: "Dominican Republic".

 

 

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