Beaches in the Dominican Republic
2 beaches · 2 beach worlds
An island shared with Haiti, with a northern Atlantic coast and a southern Caribbean one that behave differently in any given month. The east around Punta Cana has the reef-protected sand and the largest concentration of all-inclusive resorts in the region; the north around Cabarete has the wind, which is why it became a kitesurfing centre and Bávaro did not; and the offshore sandbanks near Punta Rucia are reached only by boat. The Samaná peninsula in the north-east has the steepest coast and the humpback whales, which calve in the bay between January and March in one of the largest concentrations in the Atlantic. Pico Duarte inland is the highest point in the Caribbean, which is the reason the two coasts have such different weather. Access is a matter of practice rather than law: beaches are public, but the road frontage on the east coast is almost entirely hotel property and the marked public entrances are worth locating before arriving. Practically: sargassum affects the eastern shore between roughly April and August and the resorts clear it daily; hurricane season runs June to November; and the drive between the north and east coasts is longer than the map suggests.
The two are different kinds of shore. The sand is coral sand throughout, and both sit on water a reef protects. Together they account for 30 km of shore. · computed from the 2 records below
