City overview
The Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola with Haiti and offers more variety than anywhere else in the Caribbean, from Punta Cana's resorts to colonial Santo Domingo and the laid-back north coast around Puerto Plata. Jewish infrastructure here is the best in the region, entirely built by Chabad of the Dominican Republic under Rabbi Shimon Pelman, who also serves as shochet. Santo Domingo has a daily and Shabbos minyan, a mikvah, and Rimon Kosher Market — a full kosher supermarket with its own restaurant, a rarity in the Caribbean. A second Chabad centre opened on the north coast in Puerto Plata in 2025 with its own kosher restaurant and Shabbos services. Kosher catering delivers island-wide, including to Punta Cana resorts, though Punta Cana itself has no year-round kosher restaurant, permanent shul, or eruv.
Samaná Peninsula & Whale Watching
Dominican Republic · Whale-watching trips priced by operator; the peninsula and its beaches are free
A green peninsula of coconut plantations and beaches whose bay hosts thousands of humpback whales each winter — one of the most reliable whale-watching sites in the world.
Time needed
Two or more days
Hours
Whale season mid-January to late March
Tips
Humpbacks come to Samaná Bay to breed and calve between mid-January and late March, and sightings in that window are close to guaranteed. Outside it there are no whales at all, so time the trip deliberately. El Limón waterfall and Playa Rincón, often rated among the best beaches in the Caribbean, are both on the peninsula. Roughly two and a half hours from Punta Cana by road.
Phone
(809) 538-2494Website
https://www.whalesamana.com/Neighborhood
Samaná Province, north-east coast
Activity providers
Kosher map of Dominican Republic
Pick a place on the map or search an address or hotel to see what is kosher around it.