There is a lot of history that can be found on the island of Hispaniola, the landmass that houses Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Within the latter’s capital, much of this can be found in its Colonial Zone. But if you look hard enough, you can find some interesting history in slightly stranger locations in Santo Domingo…
Ruinas de Engombe
View from an upper floor in the Palacio de Engombe
This is a park called Mirador Oeste: west viewpoint. We did not come here for history. We came here to give the dogs a different place to walk. Turns out there are a few ‘Mirador Oestes’ around, including a residential estate, but we eventually got to the park.
The river which passes the park forms the border between two provinces
A spectacular tree inside Mirador Oeste
The park itself? Very different from our usual spot of Mirador Sur. Much more overgrown, less manicured, and a feeling of being off the beaten track.
Maxi walking more than 10 metres before 'feeling tired'
A lot wilder, and more mosquitoes, than Mirador Sur
There are apparently many trails in the park - I’d be interested in finding them in the future, as they weren’t particularly apparent on our walk. We did end up at the Haina river. It didn’t look that appealing.
Apparently the main trail is a 5 km loop
Look closely and you'll see quite a bit of trash in the river
What was more appealing - well, more intriguing - was a set of stone structures near where we had parked our car (I can’t call it the park entrance). Having no idea what they were, I looked them up. We found that they are called Ruinas de Engombe: Engombe Ruins.
The area is part of a tentative UNESCO list called 'First Colonial Sugar Mills of America'
The area spans almost 6 square kilometres
The word engombe is actually of African language origin, meaning cattle or cow. There weren’t any here in 2026, and I’m not sure how many there would have been in 1526, either. What there were at that time were Spanish colonisers, who had established the city thirty years earlier.
The palace has architecture associated with the city's Colonial Zone
The estate was home to the country's first goat breeding programme in 1535
One of the early successes for Europeans in what they called ‘The New World’ was in sugar production. Many of the main buildings of Engombe are the remains of a sugar mill complex. There is a main manor, a trapiche (sugar press), a warehouse and a chapel. Well, remnants of them.
The area was one of the most powerful early sugar complexes in the Americas
The ruins were declared a protected monument in 1993
There were many stray dogs in this area
The most striking building, arguably because of it having two floors, is the old palace. This was the main residence and administrative centre for the sugar mill complex. The shell of the building looks spectacular from many angles, and provides interesting views from slightly higher up.
The construction date - 1535 - was etched into its walls, making this a rare precise piece of archeological evidence
That stone was removed by vandals in 1963
The building is about 10 metres tall
There weren’t that many people around on this Sunday lunchtime. Possibly more dogs than people, meaning we had to pick Mini and Maxi up to keep them away from canine trouble. One of the main uses of the buildings these days is for photography. A woman was having a photo shoot inside one of the ruins.
Apparently you don't need to pay to have a photoshoot here
This alley was where some of the photos were being taken
The ruins were a pleasant surprise to find, considering we were only looking for a different spot for dog walking. Hopefully Santo Domingo has many more hidden secrets to uncover!
It quickly became evident that in order to enjoy life in Santo Domingo, we would need to…get out of Santo Domingo. Regularly. Having bought and collected a car in early September, we used it on the first weekend of the month to get out of the city.
Freedom to explore! Within reason...
Playa Najayo
Specifically, we wanted to dip our toes in the Caribbean Sea. Santo Domingo itself is on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic, but…well, you wouldn’t want to be swimming there. Nice enough to look at from the Malecon, mind.
Santo Domingo's coastline as seen from a Malecon run I did when I visited in 2022
Playa Najayo isn't a beach affected by mass tourism
Not wanting to negotiate the traffic of crossing the city (even on a Sunday morning), we headed west for about 30 kilometres on the Palenque highway. The closest beach to Santo Domingo in this direction seemed to be a place called Playa Najayo (Na-HA-yoh).
The drive takes about one hour
It is in San Cristobal province
Driving here is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I’ve never checked my blind spot - and both lanes either side of me - so often in my life. Even then, a moto carrying two large flagons of water almost careered into us as I was doing a three-point turn from being sent the wrong way by Waze. Nonetheless, I was able to enjoy some of the scenery as we navigated west, then south, towards the beach. Mainly because there were trees and a river.
The truck ahead was filled with green plantains
We drove past a baseball game
Not soon enough, the road meandered along the coastline and we got our first glimpse of sand. I wouldn’t call it white sand: those beaches are elsewhere in the country. I wouldn’t call it soft sand, either. However, it was a beach! Nestled in a cove with cliffs at one end!
The beach had quite a few pebbles , particularly under the water
According to one website, it is the 66th best beach in the DR. Surprised they didn't have a plaque for that.
All beaches in the DR have public access. There weren’t too many people at Playa Najayo, probably due to it being quite small, quite early on a Sunday morning, and a bit cloudy. This was perfect for us as it allowed Mini and Maxi to frolic on the sand and in the sea. Well, Maxi in the sea. Mini thought the waves were too strong.
Sand!
Sea!
They were pretty strong, with a bit of a cross current to boot. Maybe another reason why the beach was sparsely populated, save for a family of about 10 or so jumping up and down in the waves closer to the rocky cliffs marking its end. Having read about it since, Playa Najayo is “not a typical tourist destination” and “calm and uncrowded”. It had quite an authentically local vibe.
You can see the family in the middle distance in the water
The fishing boats aren't just for show: we saw a man setting up to take his boat out
Really what you’re here for are pictures of dogs on a beach, so here you go:
Maxi loved it until being swallowed by a wave
Mini was a bit more reluctant to swim in the sea, even with her lifejacket
There are hundreds of beaches on the edges of the Dominican Republic. My guess is that beaches to the east of the capital are more frequently visited, and would have what one would stereotype as more of a ‘beach vibe’. Playa Najayo, with its quiet charm and relatively easy access from our side of Santo Domingo, doesn’t have that. For that reason, it may well be revisited.
Moving to Santo Domingo has resulted in some quite major changes for myself, Hannah and the dogs. Among some more challenging moments, there is one beacon of light - or green - in the city that is a relative oasis: Parque Mirador Sur.
Grass: a rare sight in Santo Domingo
The park was created in 1970
The capital of the DR is probably the biggest city we have lived in together. It definitely is the place that has felt most like a city. Busy, dirty, noisy. And that is just the street that we currently live on.
A common sight in our area, even though there are a lot of bins (the blue tubs in the right of the picture)
This intersection becomes very busy in the afternoon and evening
We also have been placed in an apartment, which is a new experience for Mini and Maxi. No garden with animals to entertain them for hours on end. No garden in which to toilet freely. No stimulation, essentially, which means that they are very animated whenever there is noise coming from the hallway. Our door is opposite the lift. There is therefore a lot of animation, usually in the form of barking.
We invested in a 'puppy patch' for the girls to use as a toilet: they prefer sitting on it...
What's behind the door?
Trying to walk the dogs is particularly challenging. The temperatures here are high, with the real feel and humidity increasing the heat stress. During the day, the ground is too hot for them to walk on. This, in addition to the business, noise and quite frankly filthy streets, mean that the dogs don’t really want to walk anywhere. There is one patch of dirt within 500 metres of the apartment at which we hope they do their business. Not ideal when they need to be taken out multiple times a day.
I have no idea about the bin collection schedule, but bins almost always seem full
There's a pavement under there somewhere
We are nothing if not creative and resilient, however. One example is putting the dogs into backpacks and walking them 1.5 kilometres or so to the ‘nearby’ park. Over two very busy roads. I’ll talk about driving another time, but that is an added stress.
Maxi enjoying life in the backpack
Mini taking in the sights from up high
But let’s focus on the positives. That park is called Mirador Sur: “south viewpoint”. If you reach certain sections, and squint a little bit, you can see the sea, so possibly, technically true. But the park is so much more than a viewpoint.
The road you can see on the left is usually closed to vehicles, allowing it to be used for exercise
This pond is next to a restaurant
Not all green spots are green - that top green section on this map is the Olympic Centre, which has almost zero grass
Its size, for one thing. Mirador Sur is quite narrow, but stretches for 5 kilometres across the western side of Santo Domingo. It is described as the ‘great green lung’ of the capital - as there aren’t many green spaces in the city limits, it isn’t hard to hit that description. But it is green, full of trees, and wonderful.
Sources I found suggest there are 77 types of tree, and over 34,000 trees, in the park
This tree is sometimes referred to as a 'flamboyant tree'
It’s the place to take your dog. There is an official ‘dog park’ about halfway through the park, which has become more accessible since we got a car. In between her not being nice to other dogs, we managed to get Mini to run up and down the bridge.
It has a few different structures, but mainly is a space where your dog can be off the lead
Queen of the Bridge
Parts of the park are named after one of the country’s most famous politicians: Dr Joaquin Balaguer. He was the 41st, 45th and 49th president of the Dominican Republic. The revered leader used to go for walks in this park to maintain his health. That legacy has been built upon hugely, as exercise is the main reason most people use the park.
Lots of sports...but not the national sport - baseball is banned in most parts of the park
I ran with a group one Saturday morning - we met at 5:30am, and had started running at 5:50am
On a map, it looks like a road bisects the park horizontally. In reality, it is the southern edge of the park, as the limestone rock drops off sharply after it. The road is used by cars at certain times on weekdays, but the rest of the time it is closed to road traffic. 2 lanes are reserved for cyclists, one for runners and walkers, and one…for rollerbladers.
The length of the park road is 5 kilometres
It is mostly unshaded, meaning you are in the sun if you run later
This is my running oasis. It is the lifeline for many other athletes as well. This place is busy in the mornings. When I say mornings, I mean any time after 5am. Running at a time like 9am is insane in this heat.
Sunrise during a run
Just the 97% humidity for a Saturday morning run...
Taking the idea of Central Park in New York City, Mirador Sur is an area of nature within a concrete jungle. It’s an area of cleanliness within a city of trash. It’s an area of peace within a city whose volume is often turned up to 11. We are hoping to move apartments to be nearer to the park: it would transform our feelings about Santo Domingo.
An aerial view from a local website showing the scale of the park
