Puerto Plata
The Dominican Republic's northern Amber Coast, with a Victorian old town and a cable car up the mountain, plus diving in Sosúa and kitesurfing in Cabarete to the east.
Puerto Plata lies on the Atlantic coast in the north of the Dominican Republic and is the main city of the Amber Coast. Founded by the Spanish in 1502, it prospered from the tobacco trade in the 19th century, leaving the old town filled with colourful Victorian wooden houses. The area breaks down into three main zones: in the city, there's the Mount Isabel de Torres cable car, Fortaleza San Felipe, the Amber Museum and the Malecón seafront; 25–40 km to the east, Sosúa and Cabarete are the hubs for diving, kitesurfing and nightlife; and to the west and southwest lie the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua, the archaeological site of La Isabela, and the Paradise Island sandbar off Punta Rucia. The best time to visit is the dry season from December to April; kitesurfing conditions are best in Jun–Aug and Dec–Mar; Aug–Oct is hurricane season. Gregorio Luperón International Airport is about 15 km east of the city, right next to Sosúa and Cabarete, with some direct flights from Europe and North America; buses from Santo Domingo take about 4 hours, and locally people get around by taxi and 'guagua' minibuses. Allow 3–5 days: stay in Puerto Plata to explore the city, or base yourself in Cabarete for water sports.
Top sights
- Teleférico Puerto Plata (Pico Isabel de Torres) – The only passenger cable car in the Caribbean. It climbs to a summit of nearly 800 m, where a Christ statue overlooks the city and the Atla…
- 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua – A canyoning adventure of jumping and sliding through natural rock chutes, the most thrilling outdoor experience in northern Dominican Repub…
- Fortaleza San Felipe – A 16th-century Spanish headland fort, one of the oldest surviving defensive works in the Caribbean.
- Cayo Arena (Paradise Island) – A small white sandbar in the sea surrounded by clear shallow water and coral reefs. It is the most classic snorkeling day trip on the north…
- Victorian Downtown & Parque Independencia – Colorful Victorian wooden houses left from the 19th-century tobacco boom, surrounding a central park with a white gazebo.
- Amber Museum – The Amber Museum housed in a Victorian mansion, displaying Dominican amber with insects, lizards and other fossils trapped inside.
- Ocean World Adventure Park – A seaside marine theme park in Cofresí with sea lion shows, a tropical bird park and a shark pool. It is well suited to families.
- Malecón de Puerto Plata – A seafront promenade stretching several kilometers along the Atlantic, where locals stroll, snack and watch the waves in the evening.
- La Isabela Archaeological Park – The site of the first European settlement in the Americas, founded by Columbus in 1493. Foundations of his residence remain by the sea.
- Playa Dorada – An all-inclusive resort beach east of the city, with long golden sand and an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones.
Where to eat
- Le Petit François – A beachfront restaurant on Playa Dorada in Puerto Plata, run by a Quebecer, where you can order lobster, fried squid an…
- Los Tres Cocos – A thatched-roof, open-air eatery in Cofresí, west of Puerto Plata, run by an Austrian head chef who greets guests perso…
Itineraries
- Amber Coast: Puerto Plata & Cabarete – Based in Cabarete, explore the north coast's waterfalls, historic old town, sandbar snorkeling, and lagoons
- Capital, Central Highlands & North Coast – Traverse the island by bus, from the colonial old town through mountain villages to north coast surf beaches