With hundreds of kilometres of stunning white sand bordered by crystal turquoise waters, the Punta Cana region of the Dominican Republic ranks as one of the world’s top beach destinations.
Most visitors to this region of the country are content to relax and take in the tropical landscape, feel the warm breeze and squish sand between their toes, but on a recent visit to the country, Bob and Maureen Pocock of Lacombe County decided to do a little bit more.
“We like beaches, but we’re not the kind of people who like to lie in the sun on the beach all day,” explained Bob. “We like to explore a place and learn about the culture and the history.”
During a two-week vacation at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Bob and Maureen Pocock enjoyed four day trips offered through a tour company at their resort.
Most days, they returned from their day trip in the late afternoon and headed down to the beach at about 4 p.m., when many of the other people were leaving and the beach was less crowded.
For them, this was the most enjoyable way to explore the Dominican Republic and get a taste of all it has to offer.
Day trip 1: Outback safari
The Outback safari was a full-day tour designed to give visitors an idea of what life is like for people who live in the Dominican Republic.
Travelling in an open-air truck with a canvas roof, the tour made stops at a local school and a typical country home before exploring the countryside further.
Along the way, the couple saw crocodiles, blue crabs and various types of produce, including pineapples, cocoa beans, coffee beans and sugar cane.
“Sugar cane is a huge crop grown on 600,000 acres,” explained Bob. “There are 18 sugar refineries, three breweries and 15 rum distillers.
“The Haitians, who share the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, harvest the sugar cane. One person is able to harvest up to two tonnes a day and is paid about $2 per tonne. Sugar cane used for rum and sugar is harvested manually and is cut off above ground, allowing it to regrow for another four or five years. Sugar cane used for molasses, biofuel, paper etc is mechanically harvested at ground level and needs to be replanted every year.”
Day trip 2: Capital delights
To explore the capital city of Santo Domingo, the couple travelled 500 km via motor coach on a 14-hour tour. After passing through the nearby city of Higuey, they travelled through many acres of sugar cane fields on their way to the capital. “The Dominican Republic is the world’s fourth largest producer of sugar cane and you could see sugar cane as far as the eye could see on the drive to the capital,” Bob said. “It reminded us of driving through Saskatchewan and seeing wheat stretching up to the horizon.”
Stops in the capital city included the underground lakes of Los Tres Ojos, Columbus Palace, the National Pantheon and the modern area of the city.
“Most of the Dominican people are devout Catholics,” Maureen explained. “We toured the oldest cathedral in America, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Encarnation, which is located within the walled Colonial city. Construction started on this building in 1523 and it was consecrated in 1540.
“We also saw the modern Basilica of Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia. This is the largest Catholic monument in the country and was built in 1954.
“The two buildings are wonderful examples of different architectural styles. Each contains beautiful statuary and paintings.”
Day trip 3: Higuey adventures
Higuey is the name of the city where most of the people who work at the Punta Cana resorts live. This tour included stops at a sugar cane field, a walk through the local market where most people purchase their food, a stop at a local school, a visit to a cigar factory and a drive into the mountains to visit a 500-acre farm.
“The local food market was very interesting and a little bit scary,” explained Bob. “The market was very busy with hundreds of little stalls selling all kinds of fresh fruit, sacks of coffee beans, cocoa beans and corn. The stalls selling fresh meat that was sitting out in the hot sun with flies swarming around it was the scary part.”
The other stop of particular interest to the couple was the farm.
“We experienced a 30-minute drive up a very bumpy mountain road to get to the farm,” said Maureen. “We were amused when our guide said that driving on a bumpy road is having a Dominican massage, but visiting the farm was interesting and worth the bumpy ride to get there.”
At the farm, they had the chance to see oranges, tamarinds and passion fruit growing and to sample grapefruit, pineapple and cocoa beans, and see how cocoa and coffee beans are processed.
Day trip 4: Shopping tour
The shopping tour included stops at a cigar factory, a rum factory, an ancient cave once inhabited by Taino Indians and the Palma Real Shopping Mall.
The tour was not quite what the Pococks expected, but it turned out to be a fun day with the highlights being the cigar and rum factories.
“We found the process of cigar making quite fascinating,” explained Bob. “Tobacco leaves are hand placed in a special rolling device to form the cigar. After the rolling step, the cigar is put in a press for one hour and then stored in a special dehumidifying room for 60 days before packaging. The six workers in the factory make 2,000 cigars each day this way.”
The fruit rum factory was also more interesting than they had anticipated. At the factory, you could purchase many different kinds of fruit flavoured rum including banana, coconut, pineapple, green lime and passion fruit, which were all very good.
“I think what impressed us most about the rum factory was watching the staff hand paint the outsides of the bottles,” said Maureen. “Their work was really beautiful and yet it seemed so effortless and quick for them.”
Tips for travellers:
• In addition to the above mentioned tours, there are many others including zipline adventures, catamaran cruising, snorkelling, diving and deep sea fishing adventures.
• For safety reasons, it’s a good idea to take a tour from a reputable tour operator rather than trying to explore on your own in the Dominican Republic.
• The Pococks pointed out that once you venture outside the hotel zone, there is a great deal of garbage everywhere. This was rather disturbing to them, but despite this, they highly recommend the Dominican Republic as a travel destination. “The weather is perfect and the resorts are excellent,” said Bob. “There is a lot to see and the people are a real treasure.”
• Direct flights to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, are available from Calgary or Edmonton with Air Transat, Sunwing, Air Canada Vacations and WestJet Vacations during the winter months. Non-direct flights are available year round. Contact your travel agent for details.
Debbie Olsen is a Lacombe-based freelance writer. If you have a travel story you would like to share or know someone with an interesting travel story who we might interview, please email: DOGO@telusplanet.net or write to: Debbie Olsen, c/o Red Deer Advocate, 2950 Bremner Ave., Red Deer, Alta., T4R 1M9.