Travel guide
Dominican Republic

The 12 keywords Dominican Republic

1. #Bachata

This danceable, folkloric rhythm, which originated in the Dominican Republic, became popular in the 1960s and especially since the 1980s with the development of tourism. The bachata is a mixture of bolero, musical influences of African origin and other sounds evoking the merengue, the cha-cha-cha or the tango. Typical!

2. #Baseball

Baseball (or béisbol) is the national sport par excellence, followed with fervor by a whole people: attending a game in the Dominican Republic really immerses you in a local and authentic atmosphere! This sport arrived in the Dominican Republic with the Cuban sugar cane planters who fled Cuba during the 10 years war.

3. #Carvanal

The carnival in the Dominican Republic is one of the most authentic of all the Caribbean. The Dominican particularity is that it takes place twice a year, on the anniversary of the national independence day, February 27, and of the restoration of the Republic, August 16. Masked parades, rum and good humor!

4. #Redshirt

If you see someone waving a red rag at the side of a road, be careful! It means animals in transit or roadworks. Slow down! The herd, or even a single cow, is usually behind the next bend in the road. Some vehicles also hang this piece of cloth to indicate a balanced load.

5. #Concón

This is the part of the rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan and is slightly burnt when it is prepared. It is customary in all families after finishing the first course to ask enthusiastically who wants concón, which is usually served with red beans. Dominicans love it, and we recommend it...

6. #Dominos

This is the traditional men's game played everywhere on the island and at all hours. A wobbly table and a few chairs are all the players need to set up and improvise a game that can last for hours. Particularly skilful, the players hold the dominoes in one hand and slam them noisily down on the board.

7. #Gallera

Almost every village has its own gallera, the arena where cockfights take place, a popular and highly prized pastime. The fights take place on weekends. The punters get excited as the fights take place, and the atmosphere is often very electric. A practice that remains questionable from an ethical point of view.

8. #MassTourism

Tourism is the first source of foreign currency of the country. The most frequented areas are concentrated in the peninsula of Samaná, the north coast from Puerto Plata to Cabarete, the south coast in the region of Juan Dolio and the Coconut Coast with the spot of Bavaro - Punta Cana. It is there that the tourism in formula all-inclusive proliferates.

9. #Merengue

Classified as a UNESCO heritage site in 2016, merengue has a prominent place in the country. While the locals love to dance to some twenty rhythms, the most famous remains the merengue, a mixture of Spanish and African culture, influenced by the güira, an instrument made of a cylindrical brass rasp on which a scraper is rubbed.

10. #Moto concho

If it is the cheapest way to get around the Dominican Republic, it is far from being the least dangerous. Since 2006, the motorcycles conchos (diminutive of moto con chófer - motorcycle with driver) gathered in union, the prices should be about the same everywhere, but in reality it is not. Do not hesitate to negotiate.

11. #Piropos

Don't be offended if you are approached in the street with " mi amor, mi cielo or corazón ": these little tender words are part of the common vocabulary for women, children and, incidentally, men. They simply show the kindness of the Dominicans. In the car, a horn blast will say the same thing.

12. #Plátano

This is a plantain banana, low in sugar, but high in starch, which makes it firmer, giving it a good resistance to cooking. Very abundant, it is one of the most consumed foods. It can be prepared in many different ways, fried or mashed, sweetened or salted, for example in a tostones way (fried slices)