The Ritz Cabarete Luxury Beachfront Residences - Cabarete, Dominican Republic

A 45 minute drive southeast of Santiago, in the heart of the Cordillera Central mountain range, you'll find Jarabacoa. This town has been a popular summer place for wealthy Dominicans for some time but adventure-sports tourism has made it increasingly more so. It's a natural hub for those wanting to participate in these types of activities - the surrounding nature offering mountain fresh air, tall pines, huge waterfalls and many river rapids. It's also a starting point for those wanting to hike Pico Duarte, highest peak in the Caribbean, at 3087 meters (10,128 feet). Tour operators provide river rafting, kayaking, canyoning, hiking, climbing, paragliding and horseback riding trips in this area from all over the country. The town itself is quite enjoyable whether you participate in these activities or not, offering a nice temperate climate, good restaurants and hotels, and nightly baseball games at the field on Calle la Confluencia.

Be a millionaire for a day as you sail on a 54ft catamaran along the North Coast from the Bay of Playa Dorada to the beautiful bay of Sosua. Let the wind carry you to magnificent hidden beaches bordered by crystal clear waters and enjoy the wild, intact beauty of the Dominican Republic's fine sand beaches.

Find out why the dolphin swim is the most popular program at Ocean World! During your 30-minute encounter you'll dance, hug, pet and swim with the dolphins. Finishing with a spectacular dorsal fin tow, your dolphin encounter is assured to be the most memorable highlight of your Puerto Plata vacation!

Whale-watching season in the DR starts 14 January and continues through 15 March. Sometimes the season extends itself through the end of March. Thousands of humpback whales from the North Atlantic migrate to the waters of the Dominican Republic each winter to mate and give birth. Their most popular winter rendezvous is Silver Bank, the 3,000-square-kilometer reef system approximately 70 miles north east of Puerto Plata. Humpback whales have been wintering near Samana for centuries.

Go where the tour buses cannot as you enter the depths of the island exploring the unspoiled Dominican countryside. Traveling by 8x8 monster truck allows you to see breathtaking landscape while traveling along back country roads, crossing rivers, streams and sugar cane fields. Visit small colorful villages and see how the local people live, their typical homes and a school. For the coffee connoisseur, take some time to taste the locally brewed Dominican Coffee, one of the country's most famous products.