We are now into week three and, so far, I have been able to maintain writing these short weekly travel blog posts. Thanks again to everyone who has taken time out of their day to read about my weekly exploits and hopefully you have been enjoying hearing about our time in the Dominican Republic, which feels a world away from the cold, rainy days back home in London. This week has seen us do a lot of beach hopping and get well acquainted with mosquitoes and visit some of the more 'untouched' areas of the Dominican.
Weekly Round-Up
We spent the majority of this week based in the remote northeastern region of the Dominican Republic known as the Samana Peninsula. Specifically we travelled as far as the road would take us, ending in the beachside village of Las Galeras. We stayed in a few different accommodations all along the coast, each one just as remote as the last before finishing the week by getting on a plane and heading to our next Caribbean country, the island of Sint Maarten.
Travel
We started the week based in the village of Las Galeras. This tiny settlement is found at the end of Highway 5, the road which runs from Samana and is the only way in/out of Las Galeras. The village is pretty small but has a large expat community, including a very very tasty French owned bakery that we frequented daily.
It definitely had an 'undiscovered' feel to it, especially in comparison to some of the other Dominican destinations we had visited. Granted it was pretty difficult to access (we had to hire a car from Samana) but once there we found a Caribbean paradise seemingly untouched by large resorts and mass tourism. We spent the first part of the week walking to the various beaches that were to be found in and around Las Galeras. We fell in love with the La Playita, a tiny sheltered beach with super cheap sun loungers, a restaurant and beautiful (although some what cold) water which was ideal for swimming. We also visited Playa del Aserradero, a huge sweeping bay lined with palm trees that we had to ourselves for most of the day. This beach has a huge hotel behind it, the only big resort in Las Galeras, that is due to open in the next few months. Supposedly it has rooms for 700-1000 people and I imagine it will give the whole area, including the village, a completely different vibe once open and causing it to lose some of that 'undiscovered' charm.
Alongside beach hopping we visited Cueva Duarte, a cave system that is home to a big colony of bats. You can actually walk all the way through the cave but it is completely pitch black and so a head torch would be required. To highlight just how un-touristy Las Galeras is, Cueva Duarte is situated down an unmarked, overgrown footpath and we were the only people in there when we visited - despite it being an attraction that we would happily have paid an entrance fee for.
Having stayed in Las Galeras itself we headed down the coast and stayed for a few nights on the, slightly more wild, eastern edge of the peninsula. Instead of beaches we found dramatic cliff faces and hills with unbelievable views out across the Atlantic ocean. We stayed at the very impressive Casa El Paraíso, a remote ecolodge on the cliff side and it was the absolute perfect place to spend a chilled Valentines Day - with one of the best meals we have had this trip!
On the final day of the week we headed to the main airport, Santo Domingo, to catch our flight to the next destination of the trip - the tiny Caribbean island of Sint Maarten.
Wildlife
The one thing that the Dominican Republic seems to be lacking is a wildlife spotting scene. There are definitely some interesting animals to be found here but not much of the tourism is catered to seeing them.
Whilst in Las Galeras the animal we became most acquainted with was the mosquitoes. This area of the Dominican has a very tropical climate which, whilst lovely to enjoy, is perfect habitat for mosquitoes. Whilst we had definitely seen more of these pesky insects elsewhere on our travels the ones here seemed to be extra bitey... Whilst sitting on the beaches of Las Galeras and staying up in the mountains we were able to spot a few birds. One that we saw in great numbers were the turkey vultures. We often would see these large black birds ominously sweeping overhead and we got a very closeup view of their huge wingspans from our open balcony in Casa El Paraíso.
We also discovered that this particular accommodation is owned by a pair of veterinarians and, on the property, they had a number of animals that they had rescued as part of their work. There were a trio of macaws, a number of small songbirds and one, very sassy flamingo. All had previously been pets on the island but, with their owners unable to take care of them anymore, the pair of vets have them housed at their remote lodge.
The best wildlife viewing came when we were staying on the eastern edge of the peninsula. From our room we were able to see out across the bay and we were lucky enough to see a number of humpback whales. Having seen these majestic creatures up close the previous week we were overjoyed to see more jumping, blow-holing and tail diving from our vantage point on the cliffs. Having attempted specific whale watching tours a few times before, in other countries, and not seen any we were in total awe of just how many humpback whales come to the Samana Peninsula and, if they are a creature you would like to see, I would highly recommend visiting here in order to do so.
Other News
My website is currently in a transitional phase and therefore there are a number of pages that are currently incomplete. One area that I have recently added to my webpage is the travel guide section. I am hoping that this will become a focal point of my travels and allow others, who are planning or thinking of similar trips for themselves, a place that can be used to find detailed information for a variety of countries and destinations - all accompanied by my photographs! Although some of the links might not work at the moment I would love to find out what you guys think about this new venture?
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