• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

Cascading in the Cordillera Septentrional mountain range.   (Photo: Courtesy of Iguana Mama)

If you want to a break from the sea, try canyoneering in the Cordillera Septentrional mountain range, about an hour inland from Cabarete. Iguana Mama runs trips from Cabarete (they’ll pick you up at your hotel at 8 a.m.) for tours with names like “the Magic Mushroom” and “the Big Bastard” ($79 half-day; $89–$109 full-day). Some require minimal climbing and offer lots of deep pools to swim in; others are utterly exhilarating, with scrambles up craggy cliffs and sudden, 60-foot plunges. Trips include transport to and from your hotel, all equipment, lunch, snacks, and drinks.

Dominican nightlife is high intensity, and you can sample it at La Barrica (Avenida Manolo Tavares Justo 106; no phone), just south of Puerto Plata town. A 35-minute taxi ride from Cabarete will run you between $25 and $40. Juicy dancing and aggressive flirting accompanies the raucous salsa and meringue music (sometimes spun, sometimes live). The club doesn’t bump till after 10 p.m., so there’s plenty of time for a pre-game nap.

Published on Dec 18, 2007 as a web exclusive.