The origin of La Vega Real goes back to 1495 when Christopher Columbus arrived at Guaricano, dominion of the cacique Gaurionex. Armed with a royal edict to establish the third fort on American ground, Columbus oversaw the building of Fort La Conception (The Conception). However, its modest extension, Villa La Concepción, gained so much importance for its gold foundry, that it became a center of much activity. It may have been here, it is believed, that sugarcane was produced for the first time in the New Indies.

Five kilometers past La Vega, atop the Santo Cerro, is the first convent of the Order of Mercy a historical relic dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercies).

Here, for the first time the cross (symbol of Christianity in the Americas) was erected. Legend has it that in the midst of a bloody battle fought between the native Taínos and the Spaniards, the Viregen de las Mercedes appeared when cacique Guarionex tried unsuccessfully to burn the cross.

It was also here, in 1492, that Christopher Columbus planted the cross that had been given to him by Queen Isabel la Católica when he left Puerto de Palos de Moguer. Visitors can view a piece of the cross, preserved as a silent witness to the ignominious tragedy that was visited upon the indigenous people of the Americas. They can also contemplate the beauty of the Valle de la Vega Real from the very spot where Admiral Don Christopher Columbus exclaimed before its magnificence: “This is the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever beheld.”

How to Get There

Take Duarte Highway (#1), about 130 km from Santo Domingo.

Where to Go

Ruins of La Vega Vieja o Ruins of the Franciscan Monastery o Santo Cerro (Holy Hill) o La Plaza de La Catedral (Cathedral Plaza) o Balnearios of Bayacanes and Acapulco o During carnival season the beautiful countryside of La Vega is ideal for enjoying rural tourism.

.

Visitors who associate mountains with winter sports should be informed that these mountains offer a year-round very mild, cool temperatures; its monotonous tranquility is broken only occasionally by the chant of a nightingale, the mesmerizing notes of crystalline creek cascading down some falls, or a gentle breeze that gently caresses the pine trees.

“The Divine is omnipresent, but Constanza is the abode of the Divine.”

The valley of Constanza, at 1,200 meters above sea level, has the highest elevation in the country. Not surprisingly, in the Valle Nuevo temperatures dropped to 0º in the winter of 1999. In other areas of the region, however, temperatures fluctuate all year round in San José de las Matas, Constanza and Jarabacoa, between 5ºC - 12ºC. The climate here lends itself to the cultivation of any temperate-zone crop. The region is an important producer of garlic, potatoes, strawberries, apples, vegetables and flowers.

How to Get There

If driving, take the paved highway from Casabito. Rent a strong vehicle to climb the hill and make the day trip, as on occasions the fog affects visibility. On Duarte Highway, reduce the speed some 100 km after Bonoa. At Cruce del Abanico, there is a sign to the right indicating Exit 12, the way to Constanza. The route consists of about 50 kms of hairpin curves that snake their way under the watchful eye of a blue sky, and walls of mountains clad in greenery and wild flowers. If you are traveling by bus, you can take a taxi, moto-concho, or horse to get there.

Companies offer excursions on all-terrain vehicles, monster trucks and safari jeeps. You can tour forests and botanical gardens and go to Las Pirámides located in the National Park and Scientific Reserve of Valle Nuevo. You can even plan to go on a nocturnal hare hunt. According to experts, this may be the geographical center of the island; and the alpine vegetation that surrounds the area, among the coldest in the country, has been the subject of comparative studies with Europe’s Alps. It is worth enjoying this spectacle that the Salto de Aguas Blancas offers at 1,680 meters above sea level. Indeed, with year-round temperatures between 10ºC to 12ºC, the Arroyazo and the Balneario Las Palmas have become a favorite vacation spot for Dominicans during la Semana Santa (Holy Week).

“ land of eternal spring “

According to legend, “Jarabacoa”, which in the melodious Taíno tongue means “place where the water flees, owes its names to the love story between a beautiful Taíno damsel and a handsome Spanish gentleman.

The geography of the Jarabacoa Valley, perched atop the Cordillera Central at more than 500 meters above sea level, explains the year-round mild and even cool climate.

With an average annual temperature of 22ºC, this part of the country is the home of eternal spring. Here, the trill of the nightingale, and the whispers of the soft zephyr among the pines are a call respite, reflection, contemplation, and prayer.

How to Get There •

Metro Tours offers transportation from its bus station in Santo Domingo. If driving, take Autopista Duarte from the north, past La Vega Real, the industrial free-zone facilities, and the ornamental plants put together by the Salesiano School of Agriculture. You are now Jarabacoa-bound. After some 24 kms on the Federico Basilis Highway, the journey is over. Transportation options in Jarabacoa are: taxi, moto-concho, or horseback.

Where to Go

The area is ideal for eco-tourism as well as adventure tourism. Rancho Baiguate has routes designed with different options that allow you to whitewater raft along the rivers. An excursion for the most adventurous is canyoning, a rappel down the Jimenoa Canyon, a drive to the water falls in four-wheel, off-road vehicles (Quad Runners), tubing along the Jimenoa River, a visit to a coffee factory, an ascent of Pico Duarte or paragliding with a pilot instructor (from a hill 200 meters above sea level) to experience nature’s peace and masterpieces: the fragrance-filled air, and the sight of fruits and vegetables that adorn the fertile Jarabacoa Valley. Phone:  809-686-2923.

Nestled within the Cibao valley, the fertile land suitable for the cultivation of nearly everything is the province of Santiago de los Caballeros, the industrial center of the country. Its capital, of the same name, is the second most important city in the nation and is recognized internationally for its tobacco industry: large plantations, a long-standing tradition of cultivation, harvesting, processing, marketing, and a relatively affluent populace whose wealth derives from this industry.

Tobacco production includes varieties of blond, burley, wrapper and black.

Santiago is the pride of the Dominican Republic’s tobacco industry. Its cigars are offered to the international market in much the same way as our Taíno ancestors offered them as symbols of peace to their friends and guests. Our country produces two-thirds of the premium, hand-rolled cigars sold on the international market.

How to Get There

Metro Tours offers transportation from its bus station in Santo Domingo. If driving, take Autopista Duarte (#1) from the south to the north to the Monument of the Heroes of Restoration, an impressive white marble structure that welcomes you to the city. Within the premises, the exceptional murals of the Spanish painter Vela Zanetti are exhibited.