Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
High-power lights on the roof can project a blinding white cross in the sky, but are
rarely turned on because doing so causes blackouts in surrounding neighborhoods.
Jardín Botánico Nacional
(National Botanic Garden; 809-385-2611; Av República de Colombia; adult/child RD$50/40;
9am-6pm, ticket booth 9am-5pm, open-air trolley every 30min until 4:30pm; )
The lush grounds
span 2 sq km and include vast areas devoted to aquatic plants, orchids, bromeliads, ferns,
endemic plants, palm trees, a Japanese garden and much more. The grounds are spotless
and the plants well tended, and it's easy to forget you're in the middle of a city with a met-
ropolitan area of over two million people. The exhibits in the on-site
Ecological Museum
(
9am-4pm, ticket booth 9am-5pm)
explain the country's major ecosystems, including mangroves
and cloud forests, plus a special display on Parque Nacional Los Haitises.
An open-air trolley takes passengers on a pleasant half-hour turn about the park and is
especially enjoyable for children. The garden hosts a variety of events, including an orch-
id exhibition and competition in March and a bonsai exhibition in April. A taxi from the
Zona Colonial costs around RD$300.
GARDEN
Los Tres Ojos
(The Three Eyes; Parque Mirador del Este; admission RD$50; 8am-5pm)
Consisting of three very
humid caverns with still, dark lagoons inside and connected by stalactite-filled passages,
this is a mildly interesting site frequented by organized tours. The caves are limestone
sinkholes, carved by water erosion over thousands of years. Unfortunately, the tranquility
of the setting is usually upset by guides aplenty (who are unnecessary) and vendors ag-
gressively hawking their services and wares at the entrance.
The entrance is a long stairway down a narrow tunnel in the rock; once at the bottom,
cement paths lead you through the caves or you can visit them by boat for another RD$20.
CAVES
Parque Mirador del Sur
(Southern Lookout Park; Av Mirador del Sur)
A long tree-filled corridor atop an enormous lime-
stone ridge, this park is riddled with caves, some as big as airplane hangars. One of the
caves has been converted into a restaurant, another into a dance club. The park's seem-
ingly endless paths are a popular jogging spot for 30-something professionals, many of
whom live in the middle- and upper-class neighborhoods north of the park.
PARK
