Heart of Hispaniola

Sit back and relax as you travel to Santiago de los Caballeros, which is also known as the ‘heart city’ due to its location in the centre of the Dominican Republic. The city was founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World. Today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first "Santiago" of America) is the 2nd largest metropolis in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. This fertile area in the Cibao Valley is renowned for Dominican tobacco, coffee, cocoa and rum. You’ll visit the oldest cigar factory in the Dominican Republic, La Aurora, to see how skilled craftsmen and women produce cigars to high quality standards. During your visit to The Centro León, Cultural Centre you can view exhibitions of anthropological, archaeological, ethnological collections related to Dominican culture. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Then on your way back to Puerto Plata, you’ll make a photo stop at the Monumento a los heroes de la Restauracion.