From Cibao International Airport in Santiago, the surrounding region opens up quickly, with mountain towns, river valleys, and the north coast within easy reach. Santiago de los Caballeros is the Dominican Republic's second city and the heart of the fertile Cibao Valley. It is a proud, hardworking place known for cigars, merengue tipico, and one of the most colorful carnivals in the Caribbean.

Ways to spend your time in Santiago: - Climb the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration for views across the city - Explore Centro Leon, a museum of Dominican art, culture, and history - Tour a cigar factory and see tobacco rolled by hand - Visit the Fortaleza San Luis and the streets of the old center - Catch live merengue tipico, the accordion-driven folk style of the Cibao - Join the Santiago carnival in February, with its devil characters in spiky masks - Eat la bandera, the classic plate of rice, beans, and meat - Try chicharron and fried pork snacks from a roadside stand

Jarabacoa, about an hour south, is the mountain escape of the Dominican Republic, with pine forests, waterfalls like Salto de Baiguate, and rafting on the Yaque del Norte. La Vega, roughly 40 minutes away, has its own famous carnival, and Puerto Plata on the Atlantic coast is around 75 minutes north, with a cable car up Mount Isabel de Torres. Constanza, a cool highland valley full of farms, is about two hours away. Santiago gives you a true taste of Dominican life away from the resorts.