DR's La Romana Features History and Eco-Tourism
Value-Priced All-Inclusive Caribbean Resort Area More Than Beaches
Mar 22, 2009
The Dominican Republic's La Romana region harbors some of the Caribbean's top value-priced, all-inclusive resorts, but it also is home to Ponce de Leon's fortress of a house, caves with Taino Indian pictographs, and mangrove islands swarming with majestic frigate birds.
La Romana in the Dominican Republic is a place lost in time. Sugarcane is harvested by hand in La Romana and often loaded on wagons pulled by oxen. Villagers fish out of colorful, hand-made wooden sailboats. At the same time, luxury yachts are in abundance and celebrity homes line the shore.
History and Eco-Tourism in the Domincan Republic's La Romana Region
Before Christopher Columbus landed on the western side of Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, in 1492, Taino plied the waters in dugout canoes. The native people also filled many of the island's caves with petroglyphs and pictographs. Rrock-art rich caves abound in the area, particularly in the large Eastern Natural Park.
The park includes the protected mangrove islands and turquoise waters of Calderas Bay frequented by nesting majestic frigate birds. Mating and nesting season is December to May, a dazzling spectacle. During the season the males' large neck sacks were inflated and the seabirds were in all their scarlet-throated glory. Frigates roost in mangrove branches and hover overhead, their wings, spanning as much as eight feet, outspread.
The park is also know for its pristine, palm-lined beach on Saono Island. Columbus took refuge behind the island from a hurricane in September of 1494, and then granted Saono to a friend. As you sunbathe on the island a local may be good enough to cut the tops off of fallen coconuts for visitors to refresh themselves by drinking the milk.
Divers and snorkelers can check out local sites through the PADI scuba diving center at the Oasis Canoa resort. There are deep-water wall dives near Saono and Catalinita islands as well as shallow-water snorkeling tours.
Boce de Yuma and Ponce de Leon in the Dominican Republic's La Romana Region
Boca de Yuma, a small fishing village on the high banks of the Yuma River, where Ponce de Leon set sail to conquer Puerto Rico, overlooks there dramatic views both of the river's mouth and the Caribbean. Street vendors offer freshly cooked parrotfish and lobster.
Several outdoor discos are popular for playing meringue and bachata tunes in the evening. Nearby the town is the Berna Cave, a huge cavern with plentiful Taino rock art, but one needs to be fairly agile to get close to the petroglyphs and pictographs.
For those who need a level walkway and handrail, Las Maravillas Cave at Cumayasa between San Pedro and La Romana is a better choice. That cave also features an elevator for the handicapped.
While in the Boca de Yuma area, visitors will also want to check out the Ponce de Leon museum near the town of San Rafael de Yuma. The famous New World explorer came to the Dominican Republic on Columbus' second voyage and established a profitable farming operation around the two-story stone house, now the museum. The museum includes a bust of Ponce de Leon and his armor as well as the home's original furnishings.
Altos de Chavon in La Romana
Stone construction continues to be used to build fine homes throughout the La Romana area, and was used in the 1970s to build Altos de Chavon in the in the style of a 16th century Mediterranean village.
The cultural center perched above the Chavon River is a must-see. Not only does it offer a regional archaeological museum that details the history and culture of the Taino, but also its home to an art and design school, artisan shops and 5,000-seat amphitheater.
La Romana promises to grow as a tourist destination, catering to various tastes while preserving its history and ecological treasures.
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