Dominican Republic

Saona Island: The headline natural attraction, reached by catamaran for 70-100 dollars including lunch. Perfect for photographs with starfish in the shallows, though expect an enormous number of people on the sand.

Humpback whales in Samaná Bay: Viewing runs strictly from January to March. A boat costs 50-70 dollars booked directly at the port in Samaná, and it is one of the strongest experiences the country offers.

27 Waterfalls of Damajagua: Near Puerto Plata and made for anyone who likes adrenaline. Fifteen dollars gets you a guide and equipment for jumping into the natural pools, with routes at different difficulty levels.

Los Haitises National Park: A reserve of mangroves and caves that still hold indigenous rock art. A boat trip among the limestone islets costs 50-80 dollars, best started from Samaná port.

El Limón waterfall: Hidden in the Samaná jungle, around 50 metres high. Trail entry is 5 dollars but the path is deep mud, so most people take a horse and handler for 20-30 dollars.

Alcázar de Colón: The Columbus family home in Santo Domingo, now a museum, at 3 dollars entry. The first cathedral in the Americas stands nearby and is free to enter if you cover your shoulders.

Columbus Lighthouse: A vast concrete cross on the capital's waterfront. Overrated: the building looks grim and is often closed, so seeing it from outside on a walk is quite enough.

Currency: The Dominican peso (DOP), at roughly 60 to the US dollar in 2026. Shops and taxis will take dollars, but the change comes back in pesos at a poor rate, so use pesos.

Cards: Visa and Mastercard work in hotels, restaurants and supermarkets across the tourist areas. Amex is much less widely accepted. Outside the resorts, assume cash.

Exchange: Change dollar notes at official Casas de Cambio. Airport rates are typically 10-15% worse, so change only enough there to cover a taxi.

ATM fees: Local machines charge foreign cards 3-5 dollars per withdrawal and cap each one at around 15,000 pesos, which makes small withdrawals bad value. Take out larger amounts less often.

Taxes and tipping: Restaurant bills carry an extra 10% tax and 10% service. Even so, it is customary to leave the server another 5-10% in cash if you enjoyed the meal.

Item	Price (USD)
Lunch in a comedor	4
Restaurant dinner for one	25
Mangú with salami breakfast	3
Presidente beer 0.5l	3
Bottle of Brugal rum	8
Coffee 250g	2.5
Mamajuana kit	2
Taxi across town	10
Guagua ride	1.5
Bus to Punta Cana	10
Car hire per day	60
27 Waterfalls entry	15
Whale watching boat	60
Saona Island excursion	85
Hostel bed	20
Guesthouse room	50

Intercity coaches: Caribe Tours and Metro are the best way to move around. The capital to Punta Cana costs 8-12 dollars. The air conditioning is glacial, so carry a jumper.

Guaguas: Small minibuses running within provinces at 1-2 dollars. No timetable, they leave when full. Cramped, but they reach remote beaches for almost nothing.

City taxis: In Santo Domingo, Uber costs a fraction of a street cab. Street drivers have no meters, so name the price before you get in or you will be handed an inflated one at the end.

Car hire: From 40 to 100 dollars a day. You need an International Driving Permit and a credit card for the deposit. Intercity roads are good, but provincial ones are full of potholes.

Driving style: Chaotic. Motorcyclists routinely ignore lights. The local convention is to use the horn to announce any manoeuvre, since indicators are treated as decorative.

Metro: Santo Domingo has two modern lines, the fastest way across the city without traffic. A ride is about 0.6 dollars and you need a rechargeable card to enter.

Motoconchos: Popular but genuinely dangerous moto-taxis for short hops at 100-200 pesos. Helmets are rarely offered and drivers weave, so use them only as a last resort.

Getting there: Punta Cana and Santo Domingo have non-stop flights from New York, Miami, Toronto, Madrid, Frankfurt and Paris, with charter capacity from across Europe in winter. Connecting through a US airport requires a valid US visa or ESTA even in transit.

All-inclusive: The backbone of Punta Cana. A night in a five-star resort runs 150-250 dollars per person and covers food, alcohol and entertainment. Good value if you only plan to be on the beach.

Apartments: In Las Terrenas and Cabarete this is the smart choice. A flat in a gated complex costs 40-80 dollars a night, letting you live among expats and cook your own seafood.

Boutique hotels: For the history, book in the Colonial Zone of the capital. Hotels in sixteenth-century buildings cost 60-100 dollars. Avoid the business districts, which are noisy and less safe.

Budget guesthouses: Outside the big resorts you can find rooms for 30-50 dollars. Check the windows have mosquito screens, since mosquitoes are active year-round and carry disease.

Surf camps and hostels: Concentrated on the north coast, with dorm beds at 15-25 dollars and an easy social scene. Punta Cana has almost none, because the coastline is solid resort.

Booking: International platforms cover the country thoroughly. For small guesthouses in Samaná and the north, messaging the owner on WhatsApp often gets a better rate.

Power: Sockets are US-style flat two-pin at 110 volts. If your devices are 220-volt only they may not work at all, so check before you pack. Blackouts are common in cheap accommodation, so bring a power bank.

La Bandera: Rice, red beans and stewed meat. In a local comedor an enormous plate costs 4-5 dollars, and it is the cheapest filling meal an independent traveller will find.

Mangú: Mashed green plantain with fried onion, cheese and salami, eaten for breakfast at 2-4 dollars. Available in almost any café in the morning and it keeps you going until late.

Sancocho: A dense stew of several meats and root vegetables, traditionally cooked on Sundays. A bowl in a restaurant runs 7-10 dollars. Heavy, but culturally central.

Water: Never drink tap water here, not even in hotels. Use bottled for drinking and for brushing teeth. Ice in larger restaurants is generally safe.

Chicharrón: Pork skin fried until it shatters, sold at roadsides and markets for 1-2 dollars. Extremely rich, and Dominicans eat it with cassava flatbread.

Seafood: Buy fresh fish in the morning from fishermen or eat at the cafés in Samaná. A lobster dish costs 15-20 dollars, cheaper than in Punta Cana. Ask for it in tomato sauce.

Drinks: Presidente beer arrives in frosted bottles. A bottle of Brugal rum is 8 dollars in a supermarket. Try mamajuana, the herb-steeped rum locals treat as a natural aphrodisiac.

Fruit: Buy at markets only. A huge papaya or a hand of mangoes costs under 2 dollars, and the small bananas and local honey pineapples are the pick of the bunch.

Is the Dominican Republic safe for tourists? Theft and violent crime are real risks, including daytime robberies. A hotel stay does not make every trip outside its grounds safe. Plan transfers, keep valuables out of sight and avoid isolated areas after dark.

Street crime. Motorcyclists can grab bags or phones from pedestrians and through open car windows. Keep your bag away from the road, close vehicle windows and do not resist an armed robbery.

Travelling alone. Avoid walking alone at night. Use a hotel-arranged or registered taxi rather than accepting a lift from someone you have just met. Sexual assaults have also been reported at beach resorts; keep drinks in sight and be cautious about invitations from strangers.

Driving and excursions. Road accidents are a serious risk. Avoid intercity driving after dark and check a tour operator's safety equipment and insurance before booking. Read our driving and rental guide before hiring a vehicle.

For the rest of your route, use the Dominican Republic guide and check the entry requirements before buying tickets.

Music: Merengue and bachata play everywhere. If you start moving to it in a supermarket queue, locals will approve rather than stare. Music is the main form of expression here.

Dominican time: Total relaxation about the clock. An hour late is not disrespect. Accept it as part of the mentality and stop planning back-to-back appointments.

Baseball: The national sport and a genuine passion. If you visit between October and January, go to the stadium in the capital. A 5-10 dollar ticket delivers more than any excursion.

Church etiquette: This is a conservative Catholic country. Men need trousers and women covered shoulders in churches. Swimwear belongs on the beach and in hotels only.

Talking: You will hear "¿Cómo estás?" dozens of times a day. A short, positive answer is what is expected. Dominicans are warm and will always offer advice.

Carnival: February brings vivid processions with the horned diablo cojuelo masks. It is the best time to see genuine folk culture that has not been adapted for visitors.

Pride: Locals are very patriotic. Never criticise the way of life in conversation. Praise the landscape, the coffee or the rum, and you will be welcome anywhere.

Operators: Claro leads on coverage. Buy a SIM at an official office with your passport. A 10 GB data package costs 15 dollars and works reliably across the country.

eSIM: The most convenient option, activated before you land so you skip hunting for a SIM at the airport. Packages start around 12.5 dollars for 5 GB.

WhatsApp: The primary communication tool. Guides, restaurants and drivers all use it, and even market stalls often have a number for orders.

Navigation: Google Maps works fine, but drivers prefer Waze, which handles Santo Domingo traffic better and warns about potholes on rural roads.

Language: English is rarely understood outside hotels. Dominican Spanish is fast and swallows word endings, so download an offline translation pack before you need it.

Wi-Fi: Free in every hotel, but speeds are often too low for video calls. If you plan to work remotely, budget for mobile data on Claro, which delivers consistent 4G.

English	Spanish	Pronunciation
Hello	Hola	OH-la
How are you?	¿Cómo estás?	KO-mo es-TAS
What's up! (slang)	¡Qué lo qué!	keh lo KEH
Please	Por favor	por fa-VOR
Thank you	Gracias	GRA-syas
How much is it?	¿Cuánto cuesta?	KWAN-to KWES-ta
That's very expensive	Es muy caro	es mwee KA-ro
Make it cheaper	Más barato	mas ba-RA-to
Where is the toilet?	¿Dónde está el baño?	DON-de es-TA el BA-nyo
The bill, please	La cuenta	la KWEN-ta
I don't understand	No entiendo	no en-TYEN-do
I need a doctor	Necesito un médico	ne-se-SEE-to oon MEH-dee-ko
Help!	¡Ayuda!	a-YOO-da
Beer / Water	Cerveza / Agua	ser-VEH-sa / AH-gwa
So good!	¡Qué rico!	keh REE-ko
Tomorrow / Now	Mañana / Ahora	ma-NYA-na / a-OH-ra
Beach	Playa	PLA-ya
Good	Bien	byen
Yes / No	Sí / No	see / no
Cool, sorted (slang)	Tranquilo	tran-KEE-lo
Goodbye	Adiós	a-DYOS

Your embassy: Most missions are in Santo Domingo. Save your own country's address and out-of-hours number in case of a lost passport or a serious incident.

Dialling for help: 911 covers all services. In tourist areas it is often faster to call POLITUR directly on +1 809 200-3500, where staff speak English.

Electricity: 110 volts, with US-style type A and B flat-pin sockets. Devices rated only for 220 volts may not work at all, so check chargers before you pack.

E-Ticket: Complete the free immigration form on the official portal at eticket.migration.gob.do, no earlier than 72 hours before departure. Beware of lookalike sites charging 50-80 dollars for it.

Bus timetables: Check caribetours.com.do and metroserviciosturisticos.com. On popular routes over holidays, buy at the counter in advance.

Health: Take out comprehensive insurance. Private hospital treatment for visitors is very expensive and the public system is not equipped for emergencies involving foreigners.

Sun and water: SPF 50+ and bottled water are the two things that most often go wrong for first-time visitors. Buy both on day one.