Jaragua National Park
Known for its large bird population and Taino paintings
more than 4500 years old. Includes both land and marine areas.
Features include dry forests, mangrove swamps, wetlands, several islands,
the bahia de Las AGuilas, and Lake Oviedo.
The park was added to the UNESCO Tentative List of
World Heritage Sites on November 21, 2001 in the natural sites
category. Located on the southwest coast of the far southwest
region of the Dominican Republic.
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Unesco Tentative List "Jaragua National Park" Article
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Wikipedia "Jaragua National Park" Article
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Grupo Jaragua Organization (supports the national park)
Armando Bermudez National Park
Mountainous interior national park located in the west central region
of the Dominica Republic.
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Wikipedia "Jose Armando Bermudez National Park" Article
Cabo Francis Viejo National Park
Located near Nagua, south of Rio San Juan,
northwest of Cabrera, and near
the north coast of the Dominican Republic.
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YouTube "Cabo Frances Viejo National Park" Article
Cueva de las Maravillas National Park
Known for the Cueva de las Maravilles (in English "Cave of the Mirascles")
and historic Taino paintings. Located near San Pedro de Macoris
on the south coast of the Dominican Republic.
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Explore Romana "Cueva de las Maravillas" Article
Del Este National Park
Parque Nacional Del Este extends between La Romana and the
mouth of the Yujma River on the southeast coast of the
Dominican Republic. The park is known for its dolphins
and many species of birds. One of its main visitor attractions
is Saona island (Isla Saona) which is a popular day trip destination.
Located south of Punta Cana and east of La Romana
on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic.
Covers a peninsula in the La Altagracia Province between
the towns of Bayahibe and Boca de Yuma.
The park was added to the UNESCO Tentative List of
World Heritage Sites on November 21, 2001 in the mixed,
cultural and natural, category.
- Cueva del Puenta (plus many other caves)
- Catalina Island
- Catalinita island
- Saona Island
BEST ACCESS: by boat from Bayahibe
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Explore Romana "National Park of the East" Article
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Lonely Planet "Del Este National Park" Article
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Moon "Del Este National Park" Article
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Nature Conservancy "Parque Nacional del Este" Article
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Seavis Bayahibe "Parque Nacional del Este" Tour
El Choco National Park
Known for Las Cuevas de Cabarete, or in English
"The Caves of Cabarete". Activities in the
park include swimming in the caves, horseback riding,
and orchid viewing. Located near Sosua and Rio San Juan and the
north coast of the Dominican Republic.
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Active Cabarete "El Choco National Park" Article
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Caribaya "El Choco National Park" Article
Isabel de Torres National Park
Located near Puerto Plata and the north coast of the Dominican Republic
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Caribaya "Isabel de Torres National Park" Article
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Fodor's "Mount Isabel de Torres" Article
Isla Cabritos National Park
National park established in 1996 that is centered around Isla Cabritos,
an island in Lake Enriquillo, the largest lake and lowest point in the
Dominican Republic and the entire Caribbean region.
Enriquilo Lake is situated at an elevation
of about 140 feet below sea level, it is approximately 77 square
miles in size, and it is three times more salty than the ocean.
The lake is also the home of about 500 American Crocodiles and
many flamingos, iguanas, and more than sixty species of birds. The
best time and place to see the crocodiles is in the morning
on the northeastern end of the lake.
Interior national park located near Jimani and the Haitian border
in the southwest region of the Dominican Republic.
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Caribaya "Isla cabritos National Park" Article
Jose Armando Bermudez National Park
Features some of the highest mountains in the Caribbean region:
Pico Duarte, La Pelona, Loma La Rucilla, and Yaque.
Located in the Cordillera Central mountain range in
the northwest central region of the Dominican Republic.
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Wikipedia "Jose Armando Bermudez National Park" Article
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Dominican Vacations Blog "Jose Armando Bermudez National Park" Article
Jose del Carmen Ramirez National Park
Situated in the northwest central region of the Dominican Republic
near one of the highest mountains in the Caribbean: Loma De la Viuda.
Interior national park located near San Juan de la Maguana in the west central
region of the Dominican Republic.
NOTE: Is it within Armando Bermudez National Park?
La Caleta Underwater National Park
The first submarine park in the Dominican Republic.
Situated adjacent to Las Americas International Airport,
about 12 miles from the national capital city of
Santo Domingo de Guzman, between Santo Domingo Este and Boca Chica,
on the south coast of the Dominican Republic.
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Come to Santo Domingo "La Caleta Underwater National park" Article
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Wikipedia "Parque Nacional Submarino La Caleta" Article
La Isabela National Park
Santo Domingo de Guzman.
Located in northwest region of the Dominican Republic
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Access DR Dot Com "Visit the La Isabella Settlement" Article
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UNESCO "Archaeologial and Historical National Park of the Villa of la Isabella, Puerto Plata" Article
Los Haitises National Park
Located in a remote area on the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic
just south of the Samana Peninsula. Includes parts
of Samana Bay and more than 700 plants and 100 bird species.
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Go Samana "Los Haitises National Park" Article
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Wikipedia "Los Haitises National Park" Article
Monte Cristi National Park
Located in the far northwestern corner of the Dominican
Republic near the Haitian border.
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Wikipedia "Monte Cristi National Park" Article
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Wikipedia "Monte Cristi Pipe Wreck" Article
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El Morro Eco Adventure Hotel
Juan Bautista Perez Rancier National Park
Known locally as Valle Neuvo,
Located near Constanza and the Valle Nuevo Region.
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Fire Destroyed Parque Nacional Juian Bautista Perez Rancier (Video)
Sierra de Baoruco National Park
Mountainous park situated in the interior of the Dominican Republic
in the southwest corner of the country. The mountains are a continuation
of the Massif de la Salle Mountain Range in Haiti. The park ranges
in elevation from about 4,800 feet to more than 7,000 feet. Attractions
in the park include more than 50 species of birds and more than 160 species
of orchids, including 32 orchids that are endemic to Hispaniola island.
Note that exploring the park requires either a four wheel drive vehicle
or an off road motorcycle.
Sierra de Baoruco National park is located near Lake Enriquollo and the town of Barahona.
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Caribbean Birding Trail "Sierra de Baharuco National Park" Article
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Wikipedia "Baoruco Mountain Range" Article
Parque Nacional Jaragua
Covering 140 square kilometers, this is the largest of all the national parks and includes the islands of Beata and Alto Velo. Receiving an annual average rainfall of only 10 to 28 inches, the vegetation is mostly subtropical dry forest and thorn forest, cacti being the most predominant.
Approximately sixty percent of the country’s species of birds inhabit the region, among them the nation’s largest population of flamingos, as well as American frigate birds, roseate spoonbills, black-crowned tanagers, great egrets, herons, terns, and spoonbills. In 2001 scientists identified the world’s smallest gecko on Alto Velo - the Dwarf Gecko (Sphaerodactylus cochranae) measures 1.6 centimeters across.
The Ricord iguana (Cyclura ricordii) and the rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta) also inhabit the region, both of which are endemic to the Dominican Republic. On the southern coast of Isla Beata there are caves with Taino pictographs and petrographs.
Parque Nacional de Los Haitises
Easily accessible by boat from either Santa Barbara de Samana, or Sanchez, Los Haitises stretches for approximately 200 sq. kilometers along the coast (south side of the Bay of Samana), and for approximately 1000 sq. kilometers from Sabana de la Mar in the east to Sanchez in the north.
Famous for its caves depicting many Taino drawings and carvings dating back to the 16th century, the coastline is also home to red and white mangrove swamps, lagoons, cays, and reef systems that are an ideal breeding ground for a number of birds, including the brown pelican, blue heron, frigate, roseate tern, and northern jacana.
The inland areas are littered with thousands of limestone promontories or mogotes, some rising up to 300 meters in height. These buttes are covered with tropical humid forest. The area is also home to an abundance of American cedar and Dominican mahogany.
Parque Nacional El Morro de Monte Cristo
Bordering Haiti and stretching over 500 square kilometers this park consists of subtropical dry forest, the Los Cayos de los Siete Hermanos (the Seven Brothers Cays) many coastal lagoons with dense mangroves, and the 700 foot El Morro, a limestone mesa towering above a lovely golden sand beach.
One of the driest regions of the Dominican Republic, averaging only 2-3 inches of rain annually, the area mainly consists of dry sub-tropical forests and marine and land ecosystems. The outlying group of islands (Los Siete Hermanos) is home to a variety of seabirds, such as brown pelicans, great egrets, yellow-crowned night herons, red-footed gannet, and frigate birds.
Parque Nacional Armando Bermudez
Adjacent to Parque Nacional Jose del Carmen Ramirez
Armando Bermudez National Park covers the north of the Cordillera Central
(Central Mountain Range)
ABOUT THE ABOVE 2 MOUNTAIN PARKS
This was the first national park established in the Dominican Republic in 1956, and is host to the highest peak in the Caribbean, Pico Duarte, at an elevation of 3,175 meters (10,414 feet). Climbing Pico Duarte is one of many popular great eco-adventure tours available on the island (see our section on adventure tours). The other three highest mountains in all of the Caribbean are also located here – La Pelona (3,087 meters), La Rucilla (3,049 meters), and Pico Yaque (2,760 meters).
With an estimated average annual rainfall of between 2 to 4 meters (8 to 13 feet!) these two parks are also the source of 12 of the country’s most important rivers, including the two largest, the Rio Yaque del Norte and RioYaque del Sur. Two damns that supply hydroelectric to the Cibao Central (including the city of Santiago), and areas to the northeast are also located in the region.
Average temperatures in the region range between 12 and 18 degrees celsius (53 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit) and the vegetation is classified as subtropical rainforest. The vegetation is extremely diverse and changes with the altitude, ranging from juniper, wild tamarind, mountain wild olive, West Indian cedar in the lower areas, to ferns, palms, and pine trees in the upper regions. Birdwatchers will be delighted to encounter the varied birdlife in the park, such as the Hispaniolan parrot (Amazona ventrallis), Green-tailed warbler (Microligea palustris), Antillean siskin (Carduelis dominicensis), Hispaniolan woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus), Palm chat (Dulus dominicus), plus many others, all of which are endemic to the island. The Palm chat – Cigua palmera in Spanish - is
Parque Nacional Jose del Carmen Ramirez
Adjacent to Parque Nacional Armando Bermudez.
Jose del Carmen Ramirez covers the south of the Cordillera Central
(Central Mountain Range)
Parque Nacional del Este
Encompassing approximately 400 square kilometers in the southeast corner of the Dominican Republic and including Isla Saona, this dry, flat terrain is home to a variety of plant life, many of which are endemic to the country, along with over 100 species of birds.
There are several caves in the park which contain pre-Columbian pictographs and petrographs but three that are worth a visit if you have the time and energy for the hike it will take to get to them. They are Penon Gordo, Cueva del Puente, and Cueva Jose Maria, and are good for exploring to view Taino pictographs and the stalagmites and stalactites. A good flashlight and boots are definitely needed for those adventuring to these areas.
Worth a mention though not yet open to the public is the recently discovered remains of a Taino settlement referred to as La Aleta. Located far into the park and only accessible by helicopter, a team of archaeologists from the United States believe this was the site of the reported 1503 massacre of approximately 7000 Tainos by the Spaniards.
Isla Saona is popular for its powdery white-sand beaches and crystal turquoise waters. There are only a few inhabitants (around 300) which reside in two small fishing villages, and further settlement on the island is prohibited. The island is approximately 100 square kilometers and you will find a large species of birdlife there and in the surrounding mangrove swamps and lagoons, many of which are endemic to the island.
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