| Tips and photos of unusual, out-of-the-way Santo Domingo attractions, posted by real travelers and locals. Santo Domingo Map |
 | Santo Domingo Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 25 |  |
 Children of Los Mameyes by damaris05Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Santo Domingo?
Read reviews about Santo Domingo Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
one of the most visited monuments in santo domingo, it probably doesnt warrant to be labelled as 'off the beaten path', but i have classified it as so, because it did take a bit of effort to get out there. basically, i gave up on the bus idea and blew some money on a taxi.
and yes, it was a bit of a waste of time. basically, the faro a colon is a huge concrete block of a monument that supposedly houses the remains of colombus (hence the name meaning 'lighthouse of colombus'. along the huge hallway preceding the 'remains' (disputed by italy and spain) there is a museum dedicated to the seafaring ways of the explorers of the americas.
the most funniest thing i learnt about this ugly monument however, was the fact that at night, huge light beams are meant to shoot out into the night sky from the top of the monument, but it hardly ever happens because when they put the lights on, the neighborhoods surround the faro are blacked out! so much light and power being wasted while people in 'third world' conditions dont get power. no wonder they rarely ever turn it on!
located on parque mirador del este, around US$3 to enter, closed mondays. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
close to the faro a colon is an unusual system of caves and sinkholes, that are known as 'los tres ojos', or 'the three eyes'. they are called this because there are three sinkholes in the ground, and at the bottom of each are beautiful crystal blue pools of water.
formed by water shaping the limestone rocks, the caves can be entered by climbing down some rock-cut stairs. once in the caverns, there are paths that you can walk on and see the pools of water, the stalactalites, and the plant life that lives in the caves. the caves were very cool, but inside it was sooooo humid, as soon as you entered you would just start dripping with sweat. take lots of water, and take your time!
located at the parque mirador del este, approx. US$2 entry, 9-5 opening times.
Leave a Comment
|
Los Tres Ojos are 3 lagoons inside 3 caves, and then there's a fourth eye, an "open lagoon", that's not considered an "eye". All of them are fed by a subterranean river. The taíno people, the islands first habitants, used these caves for religious ceremonies.
At the beginning all 3 caves were one but an earthquake made them in the shape they are today. The lakes are fed by an underwater river called Brujuela. All caves have stalagmites and stalactites, some even joined together.
Lake 1 = Lago de azufre (sulphur lake): it has beautiful bluish water which doesn't really contain sulphur but calcium carbonate. There are fish in this lake, some imported from Venezuela that you'll see closest to the sunlight and some national fish who like the dark parts of the cave.
Lake 2 = La Nevera (the fridge): it's called like that because the sunlight never comes in. It has clear water. From this lake you take a boat to the fourth lake (or eye) called Zaramaguyones lake (Los Zaramaguyones) and back to the second lake so that you can continue on to the third one. On one of the stones on the fourth lake you can see a petroglyph made by Taíno indians, sort of in the shape of a happy face.
Lake 3 = Las Damas (ladies' lake): in this lake the Taíno women would bathe with their children while the men would bathe in the first and second lakes.
And we have lake 4, also known as Zaramaguyones lake.
The boat trip costs 10 pesos for adults and 5 pesos for children if you don't take a guide, if you do then the trip is included in his fee. We can recommend the guide Nicolás, who charges 300 pesos or 10US. The admissions fee is 50 pesos for adults, 20 pesos for children and 30 pesos for students with a student ID.
Address: Av. Las Américas.
Tel. nr: 809 472 4204.
Access: About 1.5km from Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse) - walkable if you're armed with comfy shoes and you don't feel like paying for a taxi. If you do take a taxi, negotiate a fare before getting in.
|
| | |
the jardin botanico nacional are an oasis in the calm of a city with over 2 million people. the day i was there it was humid as hell, and about to storm, and i think i was the only person in the whole of the gardens, apart from the old men who were working on the pruning and upkeep of the gardens.
the gardens were fascinating, with many different styles. the japanese garden was my most favorite, but i also enjoyed seeing the many flowering species. the succulents and cactus section was pretty cool as well.
located on ave. de colombia, admission approx US$2.50 and open every day of the week. Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Santo Domingo?
Read reviews about Santo Domingo Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
The theater started as a home for independent theater but grew up to be the "home" of painting/photography exhibitions, courses within theater, photography, dance, etc, small concerts, poet reunions, movie shows, and some contests: painting, story telling, photography, theater, music, etc. The movies they show aren't what one would call "commercial" and they usually organize cycles where all movies belong to a specific theme, like comedy cycle. These shows are every Tuesday at 8pm and cost 30DOP per person.
Casa de Teatro is located in an old house at Zona Colonial and has a 2-floor café bar and a patio. They combine the charm of the past with what today has to offer as well as promises of future talent.
Address: Calle Arzobispo Meriño 110, Zona Colonial. Around 2 blocks from the Cathedral.
|
 Int'l Film Festival (from
their website) by marielexoteria
They move to a different movie theater and dates every year so check the link below for location and program (sorry, only in Spanish).
|
The book fair is a yearly event a week long every April. All the major (and smaller) book shops have a stand there selling books at a discount prices. Every fair has a special guest country and they make seminars, expositions, etc about it.
There are other events like theater, shows, concerts and workshops.
Address: Plaza del Conservatorio Nacional, Avenida Cesar Nicolás Penson esquina Alma Mater
Access: Walking distance from the intersection of Av. 27 de Febrero and Tiradentes, close to UASD University.
|
 La casa de Hernan Cortes by alfredopLeave a Comment
|
In Santo Domingo there are 2 streets named after 2 Swedish people. The first one, and the one I actually remember hearing the name of (although I didn't know who he was until I moved here), is Olof Palme. This street is located in the neighborhood called Los Prados and unfortunately it gets misspelled as Olaf Palmer or Oloff Palme.
The other street is named after Erik Ekman, a botanist that collected plant specimens in Dominican Republic. The street is called Erick Leonard Ekman (misspelled again). Erik Ekman died in Santiago de los Caballeros in 1931 and there's a sign and a statue in his honor, by his grave.
Edit Apr 2009: in adittion to having Volvo cars and buses, Scania trucks and Saab cars, we also have knäckebröd from the brand Wasa, as seen in the first picture of this tip. I found the bread on Jumbo, the supermarket on Megacentro.
|
| | |
|
| Best Santo Domingo Travel Deals |
Lodging Hotel
Up to 50% off Hotels at Expedia. No Expedia change or cancel fees! Local Hotel Reviews
Read Reviews & Listings for Local New York Hotels at Switchboard. Newark NJ Hotel
Brand New Facility & Shuttle Bus 11 Minutes from the Newark Airport! Dominican Republic Sale
Save up to 70% on Dominican Republic Vacation Packages w/ Air! Dominican Hotels
Save Up To 50% on Hotels! Great Dominican Republic Hotel Deals. Sponsored Links
- Napolitano Hotel And Casino
51 Ave. G. Washington, Santo Domingo - Hilton Santo Domingo
George Washington Avenue #500, Santo Domingo - Gran Bahia Principe Samana
Ctra Samaná-Las Galeras s/n Los Cacaos (formerly Occidental Gran Bahia), Santo Domingo - Sofitel Nicolas Santo Domingo
Calle Las Damas Cuidad Colonial, Santo Domingo - Courtyard Santo Domingo Downtown
50A Maximo Gomez Ave, Santo Domingo - Hotel El Senorial
Presidente Vicini Burgos 58 Gazcue, Santo Domingo - Hotel Dona Elvira
207 Padre Billini Zona Colonial, Santo Domingo - Hotel Santo Domingo
Av Independencia esq Abraham Lincoln, Santo Domingo - Barcelo Lina Santo Domingo
Máximo Gómez-Esq 27 de Febrero, Santo Domingo - Renaissance Jaragua Hotel And Casino
George Washington Ave. 367 Apto. Postal 769-2, Santo Domingo - Apart-Hotel Plaza Colonial
Calle Luisa Pellerano (at Julio Verne) Verne, Santo Domingo - Continental Hotel
Av. Máximo Gomez No. 16, Santo Domingo - Cervantes Hotel
Cervantes 202 Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo - Don Juan Beach Resort
Abraham Nunez St, P.O. Box 1348 Boca Chica Beach, Santo Domingo - Occidental El Embajador
Avenida Sarasota 65, Santo Domingo
|
