Baní

After driving past plush fields of sugarcane that wave through the countryside, you’ll reach the town of Baní. The saltpans of Las Salinas [1], south of the city, are what have given Baní its major economic lift. Keep your eye out for roadside stalls selling mangoes. The mango banilejo has turned Baní into the mango capital of the country, and it is making its way into the international market as well.

While they might be the smallest mangoes you’ve encountered, they will be the sweetest you’ll ever eat. Other crops in the area are coconut, yucca, plantains, and onions. Chivos (goats) are raised here.

A lovely, friendly, prosperous, and clean town, Baní has very few tourist curiosities but is a great place for travelers to stop for the night if they can’t make it to their final destination. It was here that the Cuban liberation fighter, Máximo Gómez Báez, was born on November 18, 1836.

Baní is known as the “city of poets” and was named to honor the Taíno cacique Baní, who is said to have been a very wise man.

You’ll need a little desire for adventure to come to this part of the country. Construction on the road from San Cristóbal–Baní has been a little paralyzed as of late, but if you have a fixed need for discovery, following the “Route of the Mango,” as it has been dubbed, will pay off with many rich discoveries along the way.

Getting Baní

Guaguas to and from Santo Domingo [2] (US$2.75) are based out of the terminal a half block away from Parque Central every 15 minutes.

At a terminal west of the park on Máximo Gómez, you can find the buses whizzing by headed for Barahona [3] (US$4.50) from Santo Domingo every half hour to hour. The ride to Barahona is two hours.

There is no major bus company terminal in Baní.

Walking around in Baní is easy and quite pleasant as it is a very small and clean town. As always, though, there are motoconchos buzzing about if you’d like to flag one down to take you around town or to the beaches, although it’s not recommended since the road to the beach tends to be as smooth as a runway on Mars.