Santiago and the Cibao Valley

Santiago, which is in the province of the same name, is in the agricultural heart of this developing Caribbean country. The Dominican Republic's second city, it's approximately 90 minutes south of Cabarete on the scenic Autopista Duarte. With a population of some 750,000, it's the intellectual, educational, and cultural center of the region. It's also the economic center of the fertile Cibao Valley, where most of the country's sugar, tobacco, and coffee are grown.

The city itself has many centuries-old buildings, architectural vestiges of its Victorian heyday, a dominating cathedral, an authentic fort cum museum, fascinating side streets, and a festive covered market dating from the 1940s. Visitors often take scenic horse carriage tours to soak up the atmosphere.

This charming provincial city can be home base for exploring the D.R.'s mountainous Cordillera Central, including the towns of Jarabacoa, Constanza, and the national park area of Valle Nuevo. Nearest to Santiago is La Vega, the somewhat quaint center of lower Cibao Valley. (La Vega Vieja was one of the oldest settlements in the New World.) If you head up to the mountains, plan on staying a couple of days in one of the atmospheric yet rustic lodges, and pack warm clothing for temperatures that can feel more like fall in New England. These mountains offer a respite from the island's hot temperatures and a complete change of pace. The air is crisp and pine-scented, and around every turn in the mountain roads is a panoramic view. It can be a glorious and unexpected experience in a Caribbean island best known for its beach resorts.

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