Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2017 | Page 247

PLACES OF INTEREST in the Dominican Republic
Silver Coast
On the Dominican Republic’s northern edge
hemmed in by the Cordillera Septentrional
mountain range to the south, the Silver Coast
comprises of 300kms of seemingly unending
beaches. Surprisingly though these beaches are
devoid of the crowds found on the other parts
of the island, especially around Santo Domingo.
These are the beaches it is believed on which
Columbus first landed even though the first
settlements were built around Santo Domingo in
the south.
Cibao
The Dominican Republic has the highest peaks
in the Caribbean, some higher than even North
America’s Appalachians. Cordillera Central
mountain range that houses these peaks has long
been known as Cibao (Rocky Land) but today the
word is applied more to the fertile Cibao valley
which lies between these and the Cordillera
Septentrional mountain range to the north. It is in
this valley that you will find the country’s second
largest city Santiago, with its legendary nightlife
and some of the world’s best cigars.
Photo Credit: Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism