Catamarans leave Bayahibe each morning for the pale beaches of Saona across clear, calm water. Closer to town, the Chavón River bends through green jungle below the stone terraces of Altos de Chavón. Offshore, Catalina Island hides a coral wall that snorkelers come back to.
Back in the center, families fill Parque Duarte on warm evenings, and winter nights belong to Toros del Este baseball. Expect heat all year, with a drier season from December to April and short, heavy showers from May to November. A Local Friend can pull up a chair for you at a fried-fish table by the water that you would never have spotted alone.
