Cultural and natural heritage: Most relevant National Parks and Museums

SANTIAGO

Cultural Heritage
E. León Jiménez Culture Center
Tobacco Museum
Museum of the City of Santiago


BAHORUCO

Natural Heritage
- Scientific Reserve of Laguna Rincón, also called Laguna de Cabral.

DISTRITO NACIONAL (Santo Domingo)

Cultural Heritage
- Alcázar de Colón (Columbus’ Palace)
- Casa de Tostado (16th century)– Museum of the Dominican Family in the 19th century)
- Casa del Cordón (16th century) – Cultural Center
- Casa Museo de Duarte (Museum, in what once was his house, of the national independence hero Juan Pablo Duarte)
- Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse)
- Santa Bárbara Fortress
- Modern Art Museum
- Museum of the Atarazanas (ancient shipyards)
- Museo de las Casas Reales (Museum of the Royal Houses) Military hardware from colonial times.
- Museum of Contemporary Drawing
- Museum of the Dominican Man – Native Indian rock art
- National Museum of History and Geography
- Numismatic Museum
- Ruins of St. Francis Abbey
- Prehispanic Art Room
- Emiro Julián Sánchez Museum

Natural Heritage
- National Aquarium
- Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso Botanical Garden
- Larimar (blue amber) Museum
- National Museum of Natural History
- Amber World Museum
- Los Tres Ojos National Park
- National Zoological Park

EL SEIBO

Natural Heritage
- Scientific Reserve of Laguna Redonda and Laguna Limón

HATO MAYOR

Natural Heritage:
- Parque Nacional Los Haitises

INDEPENDENCIA

Natural Heritage
- Parque Nacional Isla Cabritos
- Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco

LA ALTAGRACIA

Natural Heritage
- Parque Nacional del Este

LA ROMANA (La Romana)

Cultural Heritage
- Altos del Chavon Regional Archeological Museum

LA VEGA

Natural Heritage
- Armando Bermúdez National Park
- Parque Nacional José del Carmen Ramírez National Park
- Scientific Reserve of Valle Nuevo

MARIA TRINIDAD SANCHEZ
Natural Heritage
- Marine Mammals Sanctuary


MONTE CRISTI

Natural Heritage
- Monte Cristi National Park

PEDERNALES

Natural Heritage
- Jaragua National Park

PUERTO PLATA

Cultural Heritage
- Fortress of San Felipe
- Natural Heritage:
- Dominican Amber Museum
- Mt. Isabel de Torres Scientific Reserve

SAN CRISTOBAL

Cultural Heritage
- Roberto M. Mojica Museum

Natural Heritage
- Pomier caves

Culture

The Dominican culture is the result of a centuries long mixing of native, Spanish and African traditions and folklore. The result can be perceived in religious beliefs, music, cuisine, literature, paintings and all other artistic realizations.

Cuisine
Dominican cuisine is the result of mixing traditional dishes from several cultures and the transformations and adaptations they experienced across the centuries, preserving dishes such as the indigenous cassava bread, which has arrived to our times unchanged in its ingredients and elaboration.
Among most remarkable dishes are:
Sancocho: a mix of several kinds of meat, vegetables, tubers cooked with plenty of water to form a thick soup.
Moro: rice with "guandules" (pigeon peas).
Fish in coconut sauce.
Rice with beans, accompanied with chicken or other meats.
"Mondongo": Beef or pork tripe stew.
Mofongo: Fried, mashed green plantains, mixed with pork cracklings and plenty of garlic. Served accompanied with a chicken soup.
"Puerco en puya" Spit roast pork, roasted over a woodfire.
Cassava bread: Grated yucca cooked on a hot plate. This is a Taino Indian legacy.

Carnival

Carnival celebrations date from the times of the Spanish conquest. At the beginning, it was celebrated during the days previous to Lent. Today, it takes place during February and the first days of March. This is a popular festivity where every town has its own characteristic costume. The most famous are:
The carnival of Santiago, where the "lechones" pepineros and joyeros (from the neighborhoods of Los Pepines and La Joya) dance and make their bells jingle and their whips crack on the floor to scare the passersby. There is also the voluptuous "robalagallina", a man disguised as a fat woman.
In La Vega, the "diablos cojuelos" get out of their caves filled with music and animation to parade along the streets and impress everyone with their spectacular costumes.
In the Puerto Plata carnival, seashells and sea join the ancestors’ legacy and become the "taimácaros"
Finally, the Santo Domingo Carnival is a magnificent cultural feast, a melting pot of every city and town in the country where you can appreciate the different traditions and costumes of every one of them, and where the elaborate carriages parade together with the more or less organized groups that together give Carnival its distinct color.

Music

Güira (percussion instrument played by moving a scraper along a metal cylinder), tambora (a two-headed drum) and accordion are the instruments that gave its particular sound to the original "merengue típico" or "perico ripiao" as it is commonly called. It came down from the mountain ridges that surround the Cibao Valley and permeated all aspects of Dominican society making everybody dance to its lilting and contagious rhythm.
Later on, tambora and güira put the accordion aside, and joined trumpets and keyboard to create the merengue we know today, which pretty much as the original perico ripiao is a mix of ancestral rhythms and cultures.

Taxis and Hotels

Taxis
The taxi service in the main cities like Santo Domingo, Santiago and others is very efficient since several companies exist that offer this service, unlike other cities where there are very little.
Before taking a taxi it is recommended to ask the tariff to the taxi driver, since many abuse in the price and still more if you are tourist or foreign. Another possibility is to call or request someone to call a taxi company and to ask the tariff by telephone before they send the taxi.


Hotels
You can find hotels ranging from the luxurious five-stars, the all-inclusive and the very fashionable boutique hotels, to the very economic and comfortable inns and apart-hotels. The last ones are not generally included in the lists of the travel agencies nor in the telephone directories, so if you want to find one of these hotels you must ask around a little bit.

Eating outside and Supermarkets

Supermarkets
Here countless domestic and international products can be found, fresh and of good quality. It is possible to find the products that you were used to in your country, but as they are imported, prices can be a bit high.


Eating outside
The gastronomical supply is very varied and cosmopolitan, numerous à la carte and fast food restaurants exist to fit every budget.

Bringing animals to the country

The entrance of animals to the country is controlled by the Animal Health Department, which depends on the Secretary of agriculture.

In order to enter cats and dogs the following documents are required: Certification of vaccination against rage, and health certificate obtained in the country of origin.

There is no import tax on the entrance of these animals.

In order to enter other animals, please ask for up-to-date information in the department of Agriculture and National Zoo.

Currency

The official currency is the Dominican peso, but in tourist areas it is also possible to pay with American dollars and Euros.
If you want to know the day’s currency rate look for it in the newspapers or ask in the commercial banks, there they will give you reliable information.

Utilities

Gas

In Dominican Republic there is no gas piping network. Gas cylinders are used instead, which must be filled periodically. Several companies offer the service of picking the cylinder at your house and filling it.

Modern buildings exist that have gas system by pipe and a central tank. In these cases, the expenses are included in the building’s monthly maintenance bill.

Water

Tap water in the country is not fit for consumption, it can only be used for personal hygiene and cleaning. It is recommended to buy drinking water in the supermarkets, which sell it in large bottles and at a good price.

Electricity

The electricity service has been improving through the years, but it remains somewhat precarious and deficient. This has forced most users of this service to acquire an alternative electrical source, either a battery inverter, an autonomous power generator or even solar panels.

Telephone and Internet

The country’s telephone system is very advanced, and one of the best of Latin America, staying through the years to the vanguard of the new technologies. It is for that reason that to acquire a cell phone here is easy and economic, long distance call services distance work very well and the Internet can be found in both dial-up and ADSL versions. In addition to that, it is possible find a number of internet cafés in the main cities and tourist spots of the country.

Cable TV

This service is economic and accessible, and it offers to its users a great variety of national and international channels.

Driving in Dominican Republic

Before embarking in the great adventure that is driving in Dominican Republic, it is advisable to take several days to observe the behavior of the Dominican driver.
When eventually the decision is taken to sit in front of the steering wheel in the country it is a good idea to drive defensively, paying extreme attention, because it is very frequent that a driver gets in our track without previous warning. Many people drive thinking that they always have the preference, so forget about every rule you learnt in the drivers’ school, and don’t expect people stopping at the "stop" sign. Here you will have to learn it all again and not necessarily in a book but rather day-to-day observing and having much patience…

Language and Education

Language
The official language in Dominican Republic is Spanish; but it is possible to find small communities of foreigners where other languages are spoken.

Education
The public education system is deficient. That is the reason why private education or private schools are recommended, many of which offer an excellent academic formation. Several private institutions exist where the education is bilingual and others where the classes are taught in English or French in their totality.
As far as the university education goes, the country counts on excellent private universities in the main cities of the country, specifically in Santo Domingo

Banks

Several financial institutions exist that offer banking services such as loans, credit cards, savings deposits, current accounts etc.
Within these institutions we can mention the commercial banks, the loan agencies and the savings and loans associations.
Within the main commercial banks and savings and loans associations we can mention:
Banco Popular
Banco Leon
Scotiabank
Banco de Reservas
Banco del Progreso
Banco BHD
Cibao Savings and Loans association
La Nacional Savings and Loans association

Las Galeras, Samaná.

Welcome to Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean sea. It shares the island of Hispaniola, one of the Greater Antilles, with the Republic of Haiti, occupying two thirds of the island’s area.

Its geographic position is 68° 19´ and 73° 31´ West longitude and 17° 36´ 19° 59´ North latitude. Its limits are: to the north the Atlantic Ocean, to the south the Caribbean Sea, to the east th eMona Channel, that separates it from the island of Puerto Rico, and to the west is the Republic of Haiti.

The Dominican Republic’s coastline has in addition the Banco de la Plata and the Banco de la Navidad, which is visited by humpback whales in winter which come to lay eggs during this season in front of the coasts of Samaná.

The Dominican Republic occupies a surface of 48.511,44 km ² on the main island, and the area of keys and adjacent islands is of 159,38 km ², giving a total area of 48,670.82km ². The largest distances are: East to West 388kms (Cabo Desengaño - Las Lajas) and of North to the South 264 km. (Cabo Beata - Cabo Isabela). The country has 1.576 km. of coastline and 488 km. of land border with the Republic of Haiti.

The adjacent islands to the Dominican Republic are: Saona, Beata, Alto Velo, Catalina, Catalinita, María and Cabras. The keys are the following ones: Ratón and Caballo Blanco, near the Saona island; Siete Hermanos, Las Ballenas, Limón, Jackson and Cañas in the North; Agua Dulce, Puerto Viejo, Los Frailes and Paisaje in the southwest; and Limón Levantado, Buen Hombre, La Farola, Alcatraz, Ganas, Pascual and Crenas in the northeast, in the neighborhoods of the peninsula of Samana.

72% of the surface of the Dominican Republic is occupied by mountain ranges, among which stand out three great mountainous systems: The Central Mountain range, the greatest mountainous system of the country and with the highest peak of the whole Archipelago of the Antilles: Pico Duarte, with 3.175 m over the level of the sea. The Northern mountain range in the north separates the coastal plains of the Atlantic coast from the Cibao Valley, being the Peak Diego de Ocampo its greatest elevation.
In the East Region there is the Eastern Mountain range, that puts a limit to the coastal plains of the Caribbean.

Among the most important rivers of the country they are: the Camu, San Juan, Amines, Soco, Mao, Yaque of the North, Yaque of the South, Yuna, Artibonito, Ozama, Higuamo, Nizao and the Haina.

The Enriquillo lake is greatest of the Antilles, between the Mountain ranges of Neiba and Bahoruco, and at 42mts under the level of the constitutes one of the most important ecosystems of the island. Other lakes of importance in the country are: The Lagoon of Rincón or Cabral, The lagoon of Oviedo, and the Round lagoon and Lagoon of Limón in the province of El Seibo.

Buy or Rent a House

Promise of sale
Most real estate operations in the Dominican Republic begin with the signature of a sale promise or purchase option, where the buyer gives a deposit or advance to the seller who therefore is committed to sell its property to the buyer, under the terms contemplated in the promise or option.
With regards to binding contracts or sale promises it is recommended to look for a good, trusted lawyer, so that he can advise about the contract and its clauses.
Purchase of properties by foreigners.
There isn’t any restriction to the purchase of buildings on the part of foreigners at the present time in Dominican Republic.
Inheritance and real estate rights
The foreigners can inherit real estate in the Dominican Republic; nevertheless if they are not residents in the country, the inheritance deeds can increase in a 50% over what a resident would pay.

Renting a property
If you intend to rent a property in the Dominican Republic, it is advisable to start searching well in advance, to see and compare the different offers that exist in the market, and to reserve as soon as you find something suitable, since rental properties have much demand.
Rental prices will depend on the area, distribution, whether it is furnished or not, and of course the size of the property.

Within the most common requirements to rent a building there are:
To present a guarantor who commits himself to cover any debt in case the tenant does not pay.
To sign a rental contract, which will stipulate:
The price decided between the tenant and the proprietor or administrator of the building.
Duration of the contract.
The sum of money that is given in deposit.
Details of the tenant, proprietor or administrator of the building and the guarantor.

Can the owner of the rented property ask the tenant to vacate the property or increase the rent at any time?
The answer is no. A decree exists In Dominican Republic since 1948 on control of house rentals and oustings, that it is very clear as regards the rights and duties that the tenant has, and specifies in its article 2 that without the written consent of the tenant, it is absolutely prohibited for a landlord to increase the rent over the amount that at the moment is being paid for that reason, unless he is authorized by a resolution of the Bureau of control of house rentals and oustings. It also establishes that the landlord cannot demand a tenant to leave a property arbitrarily.

Taxes

Tax on real estate property, sumptuary housing and not built urban lots (IVSS)
This it is the tax that is applied to the commercial premises, sumptuary housing (houses or apartments) and lots located in urban zones that have not been built, whose estimate value is greater than five million pesos (RD$ 5, 000,000.00) [law 18-88].
These houses, lots and premises are taxed with 1% applied on the value of each building that exceeds to the five million pesos (RD$ 5.000.000,00).
Premises, houses and urban lots whose value is inferior to this amount are exempted from this tax.
Also, they are exempted from this tax the constructions and lots belonging to the Dominican State, beneficial institutions, religious organizations and Diplomatic legations. In addition the buildings whose proprietor is over sixty and five (65) years of age, provided the property has never been transferred and the owner does not have another building registered to his name.
Income tax
Based on a sliding scale whose top is currently at 30% but it is going to be gradually lowered during the next four years down to 25%
Value Added Tax
The ITBIS, local equivalent to the Value Added Tax of many other countries, taxes goods and services and currently is calculated at the rate of 16%
Company tax
Recently raised to 30%, it will be gradually lowered, in parallel with the income tax, down to 25% during the next years.
Interests on bank accounts
These are tax free at this moment, both for residents and non residents. However this might change in the future, as there are ongoing discussions about this subject in the Parliament.
Purchasing a property
At the present time real estate operations are regulated by the real estate registry law of 2005 that intends to regulate and adjust all the property rights, as well as the liens and other charges to the property.
The title certificate constitutes the document par excellence to prove the right of property from the seller to the buyer.
In a transaction, the following things are required:
1.- Seller and buyer must appear before a Notary to subscribe a transaction contract that will contain the legal description of the building to be sold, the sale price and any other condition of the sale.
2.- The transaction contract will have to be presented to the local branch of the Internal Revenue Service, in order to pay the transfer taxes that consist of 4,4% of the market value of the building, distributed in the following way:
a) 3% as tax on real estate transfer (Law 288-04)
b) 1,3% of taxes on documents (Law 835-45). More precisely: RD $232 for the first RD $20,000 and RD $13,000 for the rest.
c) Minor expenses by diverse concepts: stamps, check certification, taxes on checks, gratuities etc.
It should be emphasized that taxes are calculated on the market value of the transferred building (Art. 288-04) as assessed by an appraisal conducted by governmental authorities and not on the price stipulated in the price of transaction.

Health

The public health system in Dominican Republic is very precarious and deficient. Therefore it is highly advisable is to attend a private health center.
Several private medical centers of excellent quality exist in the country, well equipped, with excellent doctors and first class service.

Health insurance
In year 2001 law 87-01 that creates the Dominican system of social security was promulgated.
The Dominican Republic has several companies ARS (Health Risk Insurance) that offer a great variety of health plans and services, adapted to every budget and necessity.
These insurers generally are affiliated with the main clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and doctors of the country.

Employment

In Dominican Republic, there is not such thing as a work permit. Any foreigner who has a visa or residency card is authorized to work in Dominican Republic, as well as any foreigner who has a work contract with legally established company, is eligible for Dominican residence.
Working hours.- In Dominican Republic the standard work week is 44 hours and the work day is 8 hours, although this can vary according to the companies.
The employee has the right to 36 hours of uninterrupted weekly rest, which is decided by the parts.

Is it easy to find a job in Dominican Republic?
The unemployment rate in the Dominican Republic is high, for that reason it is recommended that a foreigner who wishes to work in the country should explore with time and see the real possibilities to obtain an employment, make contacts, and try to get a real job offer, before actually moving to the country.

Visas, Residence, Immigration and Documentation

Foreigners can obtain the right to reside in the Dominican Republic acquiring, in a first stage, a residence visa issued by the Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs, and later on a residence card, (first provisional, then definitive), issued by the Department of Migration.

Visa classification

Type / Symbol / Number of entries / Validity

Diplomatic / DM / Multiple Entries / 60 days
Official / OM / Multiple Entries / 1 year

Courtesy / CM/ Multiple Entries / 1 year
CS / Single Entry / 60 days
CM / Multiple Entries / 60 days

Business / NS / Simple business (Single entry) / 60 days
NM / Multiple businesses (Multiple entries) / 1 year

Dependency / DPM / Multiple Entries / 60 days
DPM / Multiple Entries / 1 year

Tourism / TS / Single Entry / 60 days

Residency / RS / Single Entry / 60 days

Student / E / Multiple Entries / 1 year

These visas are issued by the Service by the Consular Service of the Dominican Republic or by the Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs.
The nationals of some countries are exempt from the visa formality thanks to the existence of visa waiver agreements, when the object of the trip is contemplated in an international agreement. In these cases, their nationals will be able to enter Dominican territory for a period of sixty (60) days, with the acquisition of the denominated ¨tarjeta de turista¨. This card can be acquired by the sum of U.S. $10,00 at the airport of arrival in the Dominican Republic.
The visas will be issued on valid passports or other suitable travel documents to eligible foreign nationals.

Provisional and Definitive Residency permits
In order to obtain the provisional or definitive residency permit, it is indispensable to have entered Dominican territory legally and to fulfill a series of requirements asked for by the Department of Migration, such as: to have a clean criminal record in the country, (German citizens who must also bring a certificate clean of criminal record from their country of origin), demonstrate economic solvency or have a stable job in the Dominican Republic. Both the provisional and definitive residency permits are issued by the Department of Migration.
The whole process may take about three and a half months, but when it is over, a foreigner who obtains the provisional or definitive residence has the right to work and to create a company in the same conditions and rights as a Dominican citizen.

Naturalization procedure
The Dominican constitution establishes the requirements to obtain Dominican nationality. These are:
By birth.- Those born in Dominican territory, they are Dominican. It is necessary to clarify in this regard, that the children of foreigners who are on leave, that is to say, tourists, or are in diplomatic missions, or that have entered the country illegally, cannot opt in this way for the Dominican nationality.
By origin.- Those with Dominican father or mother, they can opt for the Dominican nationality.
By law.- Those that nowadays have the Dominican nationality by virtue of previous constitutions and laws are Dominican.
By naturalization.- Those that fulfill the legal requirements to obtain it:
Having resided in the country for at least six months after having obtained legal domicile (permanent residence card).
Justify an uninterrupted residence of two (2) years at least;
Justify an uninterrupted residence of at least six (6) months, if they have founded or maintained industries, or if they are proprietors of buildings in the country;
Having resided in the country for six (6) months, if they have married a Dominican citizen;
Those that have obtained authorization of the president, whenever they justify to have a plot of land cultivated in the country;
Those that have served the Armed Forces;
Those that have participated in the agricultural colonies of the State;
Those who have obtained a special concession from the President which may be granted for having served the DR with merit..

How to get there

By Air
The Dominican Republic has modern international airports in the main cities of the country, with capacity to accommodate big aircrafts and at which the main commercial flights arrive from all parts of the world.
The international airports are: International Airport of the Américas, located in Santo Domingo, the capital of the country; International Airport Gregorio Luperon in Puerto Plata; International airport of El Cibao in Santiago; International airport María Montes in Barahona; The International Airport of La Romana; The International Airport of Punta Cana in Higuey.

By Sea

The main seaports for tourism are the tourist port of Sans Souci, the tourist port of Don Diego and the Ferry Terminal Cristóbal Colon in Santo Domingo. La Romana has a port of embarkation and international a tourist wharf. In Puerto Plata the port is going to be expanded to allow cruise lines to stop there.

Climate

The Dominican Republic has a tropical climate characterized by an annual average temperature that oscillates between 18°C and 25°C, being January the coldest month and August the warmest month. The daily temperatures will vary depending upon whether we are in a inland valley or a coastal plain.
As far as rain is concerned, there are two main seasons, rainy (April - June) and dry season (December - March). All over the country it is possible to observe a great variety of local and regional microclimates, classified into up to 39 different zones, with 8 main types.
Annual average rainfall oscillates between 350mm. And 2,743 mm. For the North coast the rainiest time of the year is between the months of November and January. For the rest of the country the rainiest time is between May and November, with an average rainfall of 2000 mm; March is the driest month in most of the country, with less than 500 mm of average rainfall.
The hurricane season begins the 1st of June and ends the 30th of November.