Santiago de los Caballeros

Santiago de los Caballeros is the second largest city in the Dominican Republic and the center of the Cibao, the fertile valley between the Central and Northern mountain ranges where tobacco, cocoa, rice and coffee are grown. Founded at the end of the 15th century by Spaniards, including nobles who gave the city its name, it was rebuilt after earthquakes and wars and today is a city of commerce, universities and industry, with its own pride and a less touristy pace than the capital.

The city’s symbol is the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration, a white marble tower atop a hill, from which you can see the entire valley; it commemorates the war that restored the country’s independence in 1865. Near the old center, the cathedral and Fortaleza San Luis sit around Parque Duarte, and the Centro León, a modern cultural center, tells Dominican history and art.

Santiago is the capital of the Dominican cigar: factories in the city and nearby towns like Tamboril hand-roll the valley’s tobacco, and some accept visitors. It is also the land of traditional merengue, played with accordion, tambora and güira, and of a carnival famous for the lechones, masked characters with horns who take to the streets on Sundays in February.

For travelers, Santiago serves as a base to explore the Cibao and the mountains of Jarabacoa, about an hour away, and is a little over an hour from Puerto Plata.

This destination brings together 1 city: Santiago de los Caballeros.