Beyond Punta Cana: Samaná's whales, Las Terrenas, and the Zona Colonial

The Samaná peninsula in the northeast is the Dominican Republic many visitors never see: humpback whales in the bay from mid-January to March, the El Limón waterfall, and the beaches of Las Terrenas with a French-Dominican café culture. Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial is the oldest European city in the Americas, with cobbled streets, the first cathedral, and a lively night scene; it deserves two days. The 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua near Puerto Plata are a wet, cheap adventure.