Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WEST OF SANTO DOMINGO
Heading west from the city takes you not only in the opposite direction to the eastern beach
resorts but also to a different DR - one whose landscape isn't defined by tourism but
scenes of ordinary, everyday life. From Santo Domingo, Hwy 2 cuts inland to the provin-
cial capital of San Cristobal and from there it continues south to the city of Baní. Hwy 41,
north to San José de Ocoa, takes you into the foothills of the Cordillera Central.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Baní
POP 92,153
Notable mainly as a convenient stopping point for those driving between Santo Domingo
and Barahona, Baní also marks the turn-off for the beach and sand dunes of
Las Salinas
,
25km to the southwest.
Sights
NATURE RESERVE
Monumento Natural Dunas de las Calderas
(admission RD$50, guide per groups of 10 RD$300; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun)
This pro-
tected reserve, part of the Península de las Salinas, is 20 sq km of gray-brown sand
mounds, some as high as 12m. A guided tour offers views of the dunes and beaches beyond
and is well worth a look if you want to see a unique landscape in the Caribbean. The brown
sandy beach nearby gets crowded on weekends, and is particularly popular with wind-
surfers. Weekdays, it's all yours.
To get to Las Salinas, take Av Máximo Gómez 400m west of Parque Duarte and turn left
at the Isla gas station onto Av Fernando Deligne; this eventually bears right onto a single
paved road that passes through several small 'towns,' at least one of which has an ATM.
There's a naval station at the end of the road; continue past the guard's pillbox and turn left.
Follow this road into town. The entrance to the dunes is 1.5km east of Salinas Hotel & Res-
taurant, a great place to bed down if you come.
