The DR is of course well known as a destination for marvelous beaches, cool adventure sports, and the historic corners of its capital Santo Domingo. Much more "under cover," if you will, is what's underground: thousands upon thousands of caves, the most of any Caribbean country. It's a subterranean world filled not just with amazing formations and even lakes, but also the artifacts of ancient civilisations.
The country averages one cave for each square kilometre of territory, but has areas where they're especially concentrated, such as Los Haitises National Park, with more than 15,000, thanks to the filtration of rainwater into the porous local limestone - an erosion which over aeons has created passageways of extraordinary beauty.
Luckily for visitors, many of these caverns are accesssible to the public - adding another dimension to the country's ecotourism, cultural, and even adventure offerings (more about that below) - along with a literally cool respite from the usually sultry temperatures on the surface. A few have been turned into organised attractions, while many others can be visited for free, but it's highly recommended to hire guides, both for safety reasons as well as to guide you to lesser known areas of the caves and relate the histories and legends that surround them.
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