Puerto Plata’s crown jewel attraction offers a day of hiking through thick forest, crossing footbridges and passing numerous flora before eventually reaching a rocky hilltop where you’ll begin making your way down by jumping or sliding down a series of waterfalls!
The Dominican Republic–on its northern coastline–is known for producing some of the clearest and oldest amber in the world, mined in Puerto Plata. The DR’s precious stone earned worldwide fame in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, which was inspired from Dominican amber pieces containing prehistoric insects. Today, you can tour the actual amber mines where the stone is unearthed, in the hills of La Cumbre–approximately 43 kilometers (27 miles) from Puerto Plata city, a community set against the Cordillera Septentrional. You’ll tour an on-site educational display on the history and property of amber, then hike the field leading to the mines, passing entrances to holes that run 61 meters deep (200 feet), and watch workers reappear with stones in hand. Purchase them raw on site at a fraction of the price–particularly blue amber, found only in the DR–to be later polished, carved, and set in jewelry of your choosing. You can also find various types of amber sold in jewelry stores around the country and at amber museums.