Brazil
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
French Guiana
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Germany
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Denmark
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
the Netherlands
Hungary
Ireland
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Norway
Poland
Portugal
the United Kingdom
the Czech Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Mexico
South Africa
Fiji
2 cities
Province · Costa Leste: Punta Cana e La Romana
La Romana
La Romana is the smallest province of the east: the sugar city, Casa de Campo and Altos de Chavón above the river, the village of Bayahibe, Isla Catalina and the Cueva de las Maravillas on the border.
In the photo: Altos de Chavón above the río Chavón (La Romana)
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
The province
Get to know La Romana
La Romana is one of the country's smaller provinces, on the southern coast of the east, between San Pedro de Macorís and La Altagracia. The landscape is endless sugarcane fields: the city of La Romana grew around a large sugar mill in the early 20th century and still depends on it, as well as on the port that receives cruise ships.
The guide lists La Romana and Bayahibe as destinations in the province. Beside the city, the Casa de Campo development brings together golf courses, a marina and Altos de Chavón, a stone village in 16th-century Mediterranean style, built in the 1970s on a high bluff above the río Chavón, with a church, amphitheater and viewpoint. In front of the port, Isla Catalina has a calm-water beach and a coral wall for diving.
Bayahibe, the fishing village that became a diving center and the port for boats to Isla Saona, lies on the eastern edge, next to Playa Dominicus and the trails and caves of Parque Nacional Cotubanamá. West of the city, on the border with San Pedro de Macorís, the Cueva de las Maravillas houses hundreds of Taíno paintings in illuminated chambers.
The southern coast cuisine features fried fish, lobster and lambi (sea snail), and in the bateyes, the cane workers' villages, the culture of Haitian origin and of the English-speaking Caribbean islands left its own music and festivals.
Destinations
1 destination in La Romana
Cities
2 cities in La Romana in the guide
La Romana
Capital
La Romana
La Romana is the capital of the province of the same name, a sugar-mill town and cruise port on the south coast. To the east is Casa de Campo, with Altos de Chavón, the stone village above the Chavón River; to the west, the Cueva de las Maravillas, with Taíno paintings; and in front of the port, Isla Catalina, with a beach and diving.
La Romana
Bayahibe
Bayahibe is a fishing village founded at the end of the 19th century that became the departure point for boats to Isla Saona and the diving center of the southern coast. It has a calm beach, small inns, seafood restaurants and the pier in the village center. Nearby are Playa Dominicus, with a blue flag, and the trails and caves of Parque Nacional Cotubanamá.
When to go
From December to April it usually rains less and the sea is calm for boats to Isla Saona and Isla Catalina; this is the high season. On La Romana's coast, June to November is hurricane season, with more frequent rain from August to October. Diving in Bayahibe is good year-round, except on stormy days.
Getting there
La Romana International Airport (LRM) is a few kilometers from the city and Casa de Campo. The airports in Punta Cana (PUJ), about an hour away, and Santo Domingo (SDQ), around an hour and a half via the highway, have more flights. There are buses from Santo Domingo to La Romana and vans from La Romana to Bayahibe.
Your questions
Frequently asked questions about La Romana
What to do in La Romana province?
Visit Altos de Chavón and the Cueva de las Maravillas, take a boat to Isla Catalina and Isla Saona, and dive or sunbathe in Bayahibe and Playa Dominicus.
Is Altos de Chavón an old village?
No. It was built beginning in 1976, imitating a 16th‑century Mediterranean village, using stone and the work of local craftsmen.
La Romana or Bayahibe: where to stay?
Bayahibe has the fishing village, guesthouses and the boat pier; Casa de Campo is the upscale resort community; the city of La Romana has shops but little beach.
Is the Cueva de las Maravillas far from La Romana?
About 15 km west of the city, on the road to San Pedro de Macorís.
Can you go from La Romana to Santo Domingo in a day?
Yes, it's about an hour and a half on the highway; many people do the reverse trip to visit the Ciudad Colonial.