Plan a Gap Year Abroad in the Dominican Republic

CIEE's Gap Year Abroad offers high school graduates an incredible opportunity to go abroad and immerse themselves in the Spanish language, Dominican culture, and South American environment.

Santiago de los Caballeros, the Dominican Republican's second-largest city, is the breadbasket of the nation. Its chief source of revenue is agriculture, and as the commercial hub of the fertile Cibao Valley, it relies on sugarcane, coffee, cotton and tobacco for its economic prosperity.

Built at the foot of the Cordillera Central mountains, Santiago has the country's best museum, the Centro Leon, which houses one of the leading contemporary art collections in the country and also serves as a cultural center, offering artistic workshops and seminars as well as concerts, film festivals, and temporary exhibits.

On a hill overlooking Santiago is its most visible and recognizable sight, an eight-story marble monument dedicated to the Heroes of the Restoration. The view of the city and surrounding mountains from the top is impressive. Besides the allure of the view, Santiaguero families often gather here to fly kites on breezy days.

Carnaval is its most popular festival and Santiago's colorful parades are among the most famous in the country. The traditions of its artistic and extravagant caretas or carnival masks, has blossomed into an annual competition leading up to this big fiesta. The celebration lasts the entire month of February.

Because of its proximity to the mountains, Santiago serves as a base for a variety of outdoor activities, such as hiking in the nearby mountains, river rafting, horseback riding and canyoning, an activity combining the skills of rappelling, swimming, climbing and rafting.

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