Vos vacances dans le sud

Puerto Plata

Puerto Plata

With 200,000 residents, Puerto Plata is the largest city on the Dominican Republic's North Coast. The center of the town is called Old City and it is here that Puerto Plata's famed Victorian houses and narrow streets can be found.

While Puerto Plata itself isn't a top tourist attraction, vacationers who want a more cultural experience will enjoy visiting its quaint Parque Central which features a two-story Victorian gazebo. This area also features an array of eclectic bars and restaurants.

North Coast

It seems that each of the Dominican Republic's major regions has a nickname and the North Coast is no different. Featuring the popular towns of Puerto Plata, Cabarete and Sosua, the north coast has been referred to as the Amber Coast due its the prevalence of this semi-precious gem the Discovery Coast thanks to Christopher Columbus discovery of the island of Hispaniola at Cape Isabela and the Silver Coast, after Columbus named the area Puerto Plata or silver port because of the effect the sun made on the water as he approached.

Regardless of what visitors call it, the north coast brings together some of the country's best features - lush jungle forests, rolling mountain ranges, ethereal blue waters and golden sand beaches. And it is because of these characteristics that this area is today considered the country's most versatile playground. Here vacationers can jump river beds on a mountain bike, fight the waves on a kiteboard, test their strength on a rock face or rub elbows with the rich and famous who come for the north coast's luxurious new accommodations. No matter what activity visitors choose to partake in, however, they'll find that everything here is done with legendary Dominican flair.

Snorkeling and diving in Puerto Plata

Heading west from Sosúa along the north coast are interesting wrecks off the shores of Cofresí and Monte Cristi. In 1563, the three Spanish ships Santa Catalina, San Jorge and Santa Maria were caught in a storm and crashed into a reef in the Monte Cristi area. While the Santa Maria has been salvaged, the other two ships drifted off the reef and sank between 60 and 90 feet.