Monte Cristi

Monte Cristi is located at the far northwest of the Dominican Republic, near the border and the mouth of the Yaque del Norte river. It’s a landscape different from the rest of the country: dry, with cacti, white salt flats and mangroves, and the Atlantic Sea a deep blue. Few tourists come here, and the place keeps the pace of a small inland town.

The region’s symbol is El Morro, a limestone table about 240 meters high that rises beside the sea, a few kilometers from town, inside Monte Cristi National Park. At its foot are pale-sand beaches and calm water. Offshore, the Cayos Siete Hermanos are seven sand islets with reefs and seabirds, reached by boat.

The town, San Fernando de Monte Cristi, was an important port at the end of the 19th century when it exported timber and tobacco, and it preserves wooden Victorian houses and a public clock brought from France. In the house where Máximo Gómez lived, hero of Cuba’s independence wars, he and José Martí signed the Manifesto of Montecristi in 1895.

It’s a destination for those looking for nature, diving and nearly empty places, with simple lodging and about two hours from Santiago.

This destination brings together 1 city: San Fernando de Monte Cristi.