Punta Cana and the north of the Dominican Republic in 7 days

Landing at Punta Cana airport with its straw hut roof, you're immediately in the tropical mood! How about starting our itinerary with a bit of adventure without driving too far? No problem, we're heading for Bavaro Adventure park, just 7 km north of the airport, just 7 minutes from the runways!

Bavaro Adventure Park

What can you do at Bavaro Adventure Park? Lots of adventures, as the name suggests, and you're spoilt for choice: zip-lining, buggies, horse-riding, floating down an artificial river in a buoy... and even swimming in a reconstructed cenote, just like in the Yucatan! The 44-hectare site has 5.5 km of ecological trails, enough to keep you going all day. And just in time, the park is open from 8.30am to 6pm!

⭐Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort

First night at the Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort, just to experience a large, upmarket all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana. While we're at it, we might as well try out the legendary Bavaro beach, the most beautiful in the whole Punta Cana area! And here, you're in luck: the Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort and Spa is part of a huge all-inclusive complex of four hotels bordering the magnificent Bavaro beach.

You have to get up early because there's a long way to go! It's a 342 km (over 4 hours) drive to Santa Barbara de Samana. And yes, you have to make a big diversions and go through the west and the capital Santo Domingo, whereas the town of Sabana de la Mar, from where a ferry takes you to Samana in 1 hour, is only 125 km further north. Yes, but it's a pedestrian ferry that doesn't take cars, which is a problem for a tour... It just goes to show how unspoilt the Samana peninsula is!

Taïno Park

There's no better way to familiarise yourself with the local culture and history than in this fun park, which tells the story of the Indian people who lived here before the arrival of the Spanish. Unfortunately, this people, the Taïnos, have disappeared... The park's facilities, located between the fishing village of Sánchez and the town of Santa Barbara de Samana (15 minutes away), form a chronological trail tracing the history of the country from the arrival of the Spaniards to the total extinction of the tribe.

In the afternoon, you can go for a swim in the bay, at the foot of the famous bridge linking three islets off the coast of Santa Barbara de Samana.

⭐The Bannister Hotel & Yacht Club

In the Dominican Republic, nothing brings Miami to mind quite like The Bannister Hotel. Located just outside the town of Samana in the Puerto Bahia marina, this hotel is a great stopover for guests planning a day or two in the area

A 15-minute drive to the west brings us to Santa Barbara de Samana, the peninsula's main town and the starting point for the whale-watching excursions. If you want to see the whales, you'll have to make sure your trip takes place between late December and mid-March, during the mating season when the humpback whales come to breed in the warm waters of Samana Bay, because it's a bit chilly off the coast of Newfoundland and Canada... What a thrill to admire their tails unfurling in this landscape surrounded by green hills!

Whale watching (and dolphin watching if you're lucky) lasts around 4 hours and ends with a picnic on the paradise island of Cayo Levantado. This is your chance to take a dip in one of the most beautiful beaches in the Dominican Republic: flour-soft white sand, crystal-clear turquoise water and coconut palms - a real paradise!

⭐Cayo Levantado Resort - All Inclusive

Reserved for adults, the Luxury Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado is an upscale hotel with a 24-hour all-inclusive formula and free Wi Fi. It is nestled on an exceptional site, the paradise island of Cayo Levantado, a must-see excursion on the Samana peninsula, reached after a 5-minute crossing by small motorboat. Here you will find two huge, superbly appointed swimming pools, a spa, a choice of five restaurants, four of which are à la carte, very comfortable rooms and a picture-postcard beach reserved for resort guests.

To the south of the Samana peninsula, 15km from the port of the town of the same name, also known as Santa Bárbara de Samaná, Los Haïtises National Park is a remarkable 208km² natural sanctuary that is best appreciated by boat (40-minute journey), departing from Samana, but also from Sanchez. Nicknamed the "Halong Bay of the Caribbean", it is home to mangroves, a multitude of islets (58 at last count) covered in cactus and lush vegetation, a rich tropical forest, multicoloured tropical birds and manatees.

⭐Viva V Samana by Wyndham- Adults Only - All Inclusive

Viva Wyndham V Samana is a 24-hour all-inclusive concept resort reserved for adults and lovers of Samana Bay, who will thus enjoy an ideal location to begin their discovery of the region, just 8 km from the typical village of Las Terrenas. A resort on a human scale, where you can enjoy a relaxed, chic atmosphere, quality entertainment, free Wi-Fi everywhere and a choice of four restaurants, three of which are à la carte. An address ideally located opposite the sublime, unspoilt beach of Playa Coson.

Head for the centre of the peninsula, a 35-minute drive away, for a day full of adventure to the El Limon waterfall, or salto de Limon in Spanish. The village of El Limon, 10 km from Las Terrenas, is the starting point for the visit to this superb waterfall. The excursion is akin to an expedition worthy of Indiana Jones!

The waterfall has to be earned! It's a 50-minute donkey or horse ride up a rainforest-covered mountain, after fording a river where the villagers bathe, along a path lined with mango, banana, cocoa and coffee trees. Once you reach the summit, at an altitude of over 360 metres, you can admire a panoramic view of the forest and the Atlantic Ocean. The last quarter of an hour is spent walking downhill. The sight of this superb 45-metre-high waterfall is breathtaking. You can bathe in clear, soft water in the heart of the jungle.

The more adventurous will brave the spray for a massage under the powerful jets of water that hide small caves. It's paradise!

The El Valle zip line

A 35-minute drive from El Limon, the longest zip line in the country, overlooking the lush El Valle, is another adrenalin-fuelled experience. The two of you can glide head downwards at a height of 122 metres at speeds of up to 64 km/h. So, course or no course?

In the late afternoon, return to Las Terrenas for a stroll through this charming town with its large French community. Renowned for its lively, friendly local life, this fishing village has numerous bars, discos and restaurants right on the water. A village of colourful houses, where life is bustling to the rhythm of the merengue and bachata: you're bound to meet new people! In the evenings, make the most of its wild nightlife!

You can party late into the night, and come back to sleep in the heart of Las Terrenas, at Hotel Alisei, facing a superb beach. A top-of-the-range address with its spa, large swimming pool and spacious, comfortable rooms equipped with a terrace and kitchen. This is not a resort and there is no all-inclusive package, entertainment or mini club. A quiet address ideal for couples.

Leaving the unspoilt Samana peninsula, we head for the Amber Coast, in the north-west of the Dominican Republic, on the way to Haiti. After a 2-hour drive from Las Terrenas, our first stop is Rio San Juan, to admire the superb 18-hole golf course at Playa Grande, designed by Robert Trent Jones. Take the opportunity to swim on this splendid beach, frequented by surfers and bodyboarders.

Playa Grande in Rio San Juan

On the Costa Verde, near Rio San Juan, one of the country's most beautiful beaches and the longest on the north coast lives up to its name. Bordered by coconut palms, it offers a wide stretch of golden sand stretching for several kilometres, where it's easy to get away from it all. A favourite weekend destination for Dominicans, it remains accessible to visitors who come from far and wide to enjoy its translucent waters. Restaurants, bars and musicians liven up the central area.

Gri Gri Lagoon in Rio San Juan

Just 10 minutes from Playa Grande, take a small, colourful motorboat to explore the Gri-Gri lagoon. You sail for 1 km through the mangroves, past magnificent mangrove trees that grow well above water level, and then along the coast to some of the region's most picturesque beaches, such as Playa Caleton. The lagoon is also a paradise for ornithologists and birdwatchers.

Cabarete

Just an hour's drive west towards Puerto Plata is the small fishing village of Cabarete, a paradise for surfers and kite surfers with a Wild West feel. Here you'll find a little boui-boui where you can eat local food by the beach in a typically Dominican atmosphere, to the sound of merengue and bachata! After eating a good lobster with your feet in the water, head to the el choco and las cuevas national park to explore the superb jungle caves just outside Cabarete.

Sosua

Continuing our journey along the Amber Coast, 20 minutes further west and we arrive in Sosua, an astonishing little town closely linked to the thousand Jews who settled here in the 1940s, fleeing Nazi persecution. After a quick visit to the synagogue and the Jewish museum, it's time to round off this day on the Amber Coast by heading west to its capital, Puerto Plata, just half an hour's drive away.

⭐Viva Heavens by Wyndham, All Inclusive Resort

Located opposite a superb 18-hole golf course, the Viva Wyndham V Heavens is a complete hotel with a 24-hour all-inclusive concept reserved for adults, where Wi Fi is free everywhere. It boasts a wide range of facilities, including a beautiful lagoon pool with a bar nestling under a cavern overlooked by a whirlpool. A spa, a gym, a superb disco and four restaurants, three of which are à la carte, complete the offer of the resort, set back from the beautiful Playa Dorada beach.

Puerto Plata

On the programme: a charming colonial town centre with adorable pastel-coloured Victorian-style wooden houses, an impressive 16th-century military fort, a stroll along the malecon bordering the Atlantic Ocean, and a visit to the Amber Museum and the Museum of Gregorio Luperon, the national hero. All this can be admired from the top of the only cable car in the Caribbean, which takes you to the top of the local mountain, topped by Christ the Redeemer.

Swimming with dolphins in Cofresi

A 15-minute drive west towards Haiti, fans of swimming with dolphins can realise their childhood dream at Ocean World in Cofresi. You can also feed the stingrays, admire the sharks and iguanas, watch sea lion shows, snorkel among the fish in an artificial pool and touch the parrots and toucans.

Children are particularly pampered, with pirate pools and water slides in a tropical forest setting.