Show description

Within the tourism industry, in fact, it’s often the US$1 RD$28 currency of choice. You can always RD$10 US35¢ pay in pesos if you prefer, however. 50 dollar, which means that official exchange rates can change rather drastically from day to day. Unofficial rates may vary even more, as exchange houses try to undercut the competition by offering more pesos per dollar. As this book went to press, the peso was RD$28 for US$1 – a reflection of the steep devaluing of the peso in recent years (the peso had held steady at RD$12 until 2001, then started a rapid decline).

Also overseen by the national parks department are a variety of national monuments, recreational areas, ecological corridors, and panoramic routes, totaling about 70 in all. As you travel around the country, watch for the bright yellow and green “Parque Nacional” signs. There’s often a ranger station nearby, where you’ll typically need to pay a fee of RD$50 to enter the park. u The Major National Parks Armando Bermúdez & José del Carmen Ramírez National Parks Located in the Cordillera Central, the DR’s highest mountain region and known locally as the “Dominican Alps,” these two adjacent and almost identically sized national parks together protect more than 1,500 square miles (3,885 square kilometers) of mountain territory and the rainforests and flora and fauna within.

To the west, along the Haitian border, the land alternates between rugged mountainous terrain and arid, desert-like plains, characterized by 12 Climate dry scrub and cacti. This is the most sparsely populated region of the country. All of Hispaniola is an active seismic zone, with periodic earthquake activity. The DR has suffered at least 10 major quakes since the 16th century, and several cities and towns have been reduced to rubble more than once. 5 magnitude) was in September 2003 on the north coast, causing at least three fatalities and damaging buildings in Puerto Plata and Santiago.