Dominican Republic

Lonely Planet Dominican Republic (Country Guide)

Catch the sunrise from the Caribbean's highest peak, dance in Spanish colonial streets during Carnival, glide through mangrove forests in search of gentle manatees - or find that deserted beach with pure white sand and clear blue seas. This essential guide will help you discover the many faces of this island paradise.

Get Active with our comprehensive coverage of the island's adventure sports, from hiking up Pico Duarte to world-class kiteboarding at Cabarete.

Live Like A Local - discerning eating and entertainment listings show you where to get the best pastelito and catch the latest baseball game.

Relax & Recharge in the best all-inclusive resorts or away from the crowds in a bungalow on the beach.

Plan The Perfect Getaway with dedicated itineraries, including beach-hopping, national parks and the highlights of Santo Domingo.

¡HABLA ESPANOL! with the help of our practical Spanish language chapter.

Top 10 Dominican Republic (EYEWITNESS TOP 10 TRAVEL GUIDE)

Whether you're looking for the finest cuisine or the least expensive places to eat, the most luxurious hotels or the best deals on places to stay, Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides provide useful information by local experts to find the best of everything at each destination.

Frommer's Portable Dominican Republic (Frommer's Portable)

Put the Best of the Dominican Republic in Your Pocket

* With the island's best beaches, resorts, and attractions.
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Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.
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Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget.
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Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.
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The best hotels and restaurants in every price range, with candid reviews.

Frommer's. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

And avoid tourist traps. At Frommer's, we use 150 outspoken travel experts around the world to help you make the right choices.

Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com

Lonely Planet Dominican Republic and Haiti (Lonely Planet Dominican Republic & Haiti)

From the spectacular beaches and rich history of the Dominican Republic to the vibrant art and Vodou rituals of Haiti, Hispaniola captivates every intrepid traveler. Our updated and easy-to-use guide shows you where to revel during Carnival, merengue all night, relax on the sand, and cavort with crocodiles.

• tips on diving, snorkeling and windsurfing spots, and great hiking routes
• places to stay and eat for any budget: from modest pensions and cafés to world-class resorts and restaurants
• straightforward information about the current political climate
• practical Spanish and Creole language section
• 49 detailed city and regional maps

Dead Man in Paradise: Unraveling a Murder from a Time of Revolution

The award-winning story of a nephew's search for the truth behind his uncle's murder— described by CBC radio as "equal parts Ian Rankin, Jan Morris and Joan Didion."

At nightfall on June 22, 1965, amid the turmoil of the Dominican revolution and U.S. military occupation, a soldier emerged from the outskirts of a small town to report that he had just shot and killed two policemen and an outspoken Catholic priest. It's the opening scene in a mystery that, forty years later, compels writer J.B. MacKinnon— the priest's nephew, born five years after the incident—to visit the island nation for himself. Beginning with scant official information, he embarks on a chilling investigation of what many believe was a carefully plotted assassination—and on a search for the uncle he never knew.

Winner of Canada's highest award for literary nonfiction, Dead Man in Paradise takes MacKinnon to corners of the country far from the Caribbean paradise seen by millions of tourists; he meets with former revolutionaries and shadowy generals from the era of dictatorship, family members of the slain policemen, and struggling Dominicans for whom the dead priest is a martyr, perhaps even a saint. Along the way, he uncovers a story inseparable from the brutal history of the New World, from the fallout of American invasion, and from the pure longing for social justice that once touched a generation. Part memoir, part travelogue, part mystery thriller, Dead Man in Paradise is "a testament to the enduring virtues of literary journalism" (The Georgia Straight).

Dominican Republic In Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture (In Focus Guides)

Currently one of the biggest tourist destinations in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic has much more to offer than its idyllic beaches. "Dominican Republic in Focus" is a authoritative and up-to-date guide to this vibrant country. It explores the land, history and politics, economy, society and people, culture and includes tips on where to go and what to see. Photos and maps.

The Rough Guide to The Dominican Republic Map (Rough Guide Country/Region Map)

Insight Guide: The Dominican Republic & Haiti (1st Ed)

Insight Guides, the world's largest visual travel guide series, in association with Discovery Channel, the world's premier source of nonfiction entertainment, provides more insight than ever. From the most popular resort cities to the most exotic villages, Insight Guides capture the unique character of each culture with an insider's perspective. Inside every Insight Guide you'll find: .Evocative, full-colour photography on every page .Cross-referenced, full-colour maps throughout .A brief introduction including a historical timeline .Lively, essays by local writers on the culture, history, and people .Expert evaluations on the sights really worth seeing .Special features spotlighting particular topics of interest .A comprehensive Travel Tips section with listings of the best restaurants, hotels, and attractions, as well as practical information on getting around and advice for travel with children

The Rough Guide to Dominican Republic

Occupying the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic (or the DR, as it's often known) is the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean, somewhat of a surprise given its relative poverty and previous instability, not to mention the allure of nearby islands that perhaps are more wholly given over to holiday-makers. What traditionally attracts most visitors are the parts of the country that do most resemble the image of a Caribbean playland, the crystal-clear waters and sandy beaches lined with palm trees, of which the DR has plenty. This vision of leisurely days spent by the sea and romantic nights filled with merengue and dark rum is supported by what turns out to be the largest all-inclusive resort industry in the world; if you're looking to pay a set rate for airfare, hotel, food and drinks - and have a carefree Caribbean vacation behind the protection of a fenced-off compound - you can't do much better than here.

Unfortunately, such a "perfect" vacation would mean missing out on much of what makes the Dominican Republic so special. Set on the most geographically diverse Caribbean island, it boasts virgin alpine wilderness, tropical rainforests and mangrove swamps, cultivated savannas, vast desert expanses and everything in between within its relatively small confines - slightly smaller than the US states of New Hampshire and Vermont combined. The opportunities for ecotourism and adventure travelling are staggering: if you were so inclined, in a single week you could scale a 150-metre waterfall on a rope, mountain bike across remote dirt tracks, ride the best windsurfing waves in the hemisphere, trek to the top of a 3000-metre mountain, and head out in a fishing boat to see dozens of humpback whales crashing about in a scenic bay.

The Dominican Republic also lays claim to some of the more intriguing culture and history in the area, dating back to its early cave-dwelling groups, the Tainos, who recorded much of their activities in the form of rock art - it's quite likely you'll find yourself clambering down a dark cave to view some of these preserved paintings during your stay. In addition, as Dominicans are often quick to point out, their land was the setting for Christopher Columbus's first colony, La Isabela, and Spain's first New World city, Santo Domingo, at the end of the fifteenth century. Though the island quickly lost this foothold, the events that took place during its brief heyday did much to define the Americas as we know them, and examples of period architecture - both preserved and in ruins - remain scattered across the country, most notably in the colonial heart of Santo Domingo, today the nation's capital and centre of industry.

During the intervening centuries the Dominican people have endured much hardship - interminable civil strife in the nineteenth century, an oppressive dictatorship in the twentieth, intermittent occupation by Haiti, Spain and the United States, and a boom-and-bust economy centred first on tobacco, later on sugar, that never allowed the country to stand on firm economic footing. Even today, the DR remains a nation in transition. Despite owning the highest growth rate of any country in the hemisphere, in part due to the all-inclusive tourist industry, eighty percent of its people live in poverty. Santo Domingo has grown into a heaving metropolis, five times larger than the next biggest city, and much of the rest of the country is made up of rural tobacco towns or tiny fishing villages often held at the mercy of tropical rainstorms, hurricanes and frequent power outages.

The Dominican people have dealt with these tough circumstances in ever- resourceful ways: extended families maintain close ties and pool their assets, most village homes are built one brick at a time (sometimes taking two generations to complete), and informal shoestring transportation systems connect nearly every city and village in the country. Another coping mechanism has been the extreme pride that residents take in the diverting rhythms of merengue and bachata - the national musical forms - and in the exploits of homegrown baseball players made good in the North American big leagues. And even if the Latin American "maana" culture stereotype sometimes holds true, with service that can be less than prompt, any frustrations are more than compensated for by the island's beauty and its surprisingly cheap price: along with its less politically stable neighbour, Haiti, the Dominican Republic is the last true budget destination left in the Caribbean.

AAA Essential Dominican Republic, 3rd Edition (Essential Dominican Republic)

Discover the essence of this land of contrasts with AAA Essential Dominican Republic. Explore the shimmering harbor town of Puerto Plata, swim at the beautiful beaches of Punta Cana, hop aboard a whale-watching cruise in Bahia de Semana or stroll the cobbled streets of the medieval village of Rio Chavon.