Page 2: Puerto Plata  and Sosua

Low tide at a sheltered cove near Puerto Plata on a warm November day.

The town of Puerto Plata is the center of a low-key resort area on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic.  Beautiful resorts are scattered along this coast facing the Atlantic Ocean.  Much of this coastline is still undeveloped.  

Puerto Plata is home to Brugal rum and you can take a tour of their bottling factory, then enjoy samples in an open-air tasting room.  (For more about rum, see the bottom of this page.)

After you have sampled your fill of rum,  visit the old Spanish fort, Fuerte San Filipe, in the foreground of the photo, below.  You will hear some fairly gory tales by the local tour guide.  And some of his stories may actually be true!

The harbor at Puerto Plata is where locals claim that Christopher Columbus first landed.  Santo Domingo, on the other side of the island, also makes a claim to Christopher Columbus, including his burial site.

Santo Domingo's claim is challenged by Spain which asserts that it has Columbus's remains buried in a cathedral in the Spanish city of Valladolid.  Oh, that Columbus--what a popular guy, even after all these centuries! 

For people more interested in outdoor activities, there is a zipline just outside of Puerto Plata.  It is a thrilling ride.

Visitors can also play with the dolphins at the Ocean World theme park to the west of Puerto Plata or take an afternoon catamaran tour of the coastline. 

Sosua, a village to the east of Puerto Plata, has a beachfront market, primarily for visitors.  It's a colorful place to pick up a sarong or souvenir.  If you turn the opposite direction from this photo you will see contemporary low-rise condos about a half-mile away.

On your way to Sosua you will pass miles of sugar cane fields and may even see the cut cane being hauled by ox carts.  They still use massive wooden ox carts to carry the cane from the field to the rum factory!

Back to Page 1 of Visiting the Dominican Republic         
See a Dominican Garden 

Take these Hot Gardens online preview tours, too:    

Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden  - near Pasadena

Huntington Gardens Desert Garden - near Pasadena

Descanso Gardens - near Pasadena

Arlington Garden - in Pasadena

Getty Villa Gardens - Malibu

South Coast Botanic Garden - southwest Los Angeles

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden - Claremont, California

Santa Barbara Gardens - Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden  - Santa Barbara, California

Tucson Public Gardens  - Tucson, Arizona

Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden  - Phoenix, Arizona

Balboa Park Gardens - San Diego, California

Tropical Garden in the Dominican Republic

Shore Acres Gardens - Coos Bay Oregon

San Luis Obispo Creek Park - San Luis Obispo, California

Japanese Garden - Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California

Japanese Garden - Long Beach, California