National Parks

National Parks

National Parks

The national parks are spaces that enjoy a certain legal status which encourages the protection and conservation of the natural resources. The beauty of the landscapes, the varied ecosystems and the unique flora, fauna and geological formations all possess ecological, aesthetic, educational and scientific value.

The Dominican Republic possesses the following parks:

Lake Enriquillo National Park

Lake Enriquillo National Park is comprised of Lake Enriquillo and the surrounding area. It is located in the Neiba Valley in the southeast section of the country. The park has a striking landscape, with the Neiba range to the north and the Bahoruco range to the south. Both mountain ranges reach more than 2000 meters above sea level.
At 265 square kilometers, this park is the largest in all the Antilles, although the area is not constant.

Cabritos Island National Park

The Cabritos Island National Park is comprised of a small island within Lake Enriquillo, located in the southwest of the country between the Neiba Range and the Bahoruco range. It is bordered in part by the international highway which connects the Dominican Republic with Haiti and is approximately 12 square kilometers.

The island’s vegetation is dry and thorny tropical forest with little rainfall and a hot climate that varies little throughout the year.

The wildlife is rich and varied, with reptiles such as the American crocodile. It is also hosts over a hundred species of tropical birds, among them the heron and the flamingo.

Los Haitises National Park

This park encompasses the municipality of Sabana de la Mar in the province of Hato Mayor, as well as the Monte Plata and Samaná provinces. Its borders and area have been changed several times and are currently undefined.

Los Haitises constitutes a tropical karst (topography of carbonate rock) in limestone hillocks. Its vegetation is humid tropical forest. It is one of the most biodiverse areas of the Caribbean with more than 700 plant species.

The landscape of Los Haitises National Park features the striking San Lorenzo Bay as well as impressive cays and mangrove forests.

Jaragua National Park

This park occupies the southern tip of the Barahona Peninsula, in the southeastern Dominican Republic. It encompasses the Beata and Alto Velo islands as well as the cays known as Los Frailes and Piedra Negra. With its 1,374 square kilometers, the Jaragua National Park is one of the largest protected areas of the Caribbean islands.

The Jaragua National Park uniquely and incomparably represents the pristine nature of the Antilles, particularly the arid ecosystem and the sea coast ecosystem

In addition to the twelve types of land vegetation, the park has beaches, rocky coast, wetlands, sea grass, coral reefs, cays and islands.

Jaragua is also the habitat of many resident and migratory birds. More than 130 species of birds have been counted, with 76 native species, 10 endemic and 47 migratory species.
 
Armando Bermúdez National Park

The setoff in which this park is located is abrupt and it shares with the José del Carmen National Park the distinction of being the highest park in the Antilles. The Duarte Peak is 3,175 meters above sea level, followed in order of magnitude by La Pelona peak (3,097 meters), the Yaque peak (2,760 meters) and La Rusilla peak (3,038 meters.)

Native pine is the most abundant flora of this park. Among the bird species there is the cockatoo, native to the island of Hispaniola; the woodpecker; the Dominican Republic’s national bird, the palmchat, as well as the parrot and the red-tailed hawk. Among the mammals found in the park are the wild boar, the hutia rodent and the mouse.

José del Carmen Ramirez National Park

Contiguous with the Armando Bermúdez National Park, this park possesses the largest hydrologic resources. The José del Carmen Ramirez and the Armando Bermúdez parks are where the major rivers originate that irrigate the San Juan Valley and provide electrical energy for the surrounding area. The Southern Yaque River and all its tributaries begin here, watering almost 80,000 hectares.

The temperature levels in the park are low, between 12 and 18 degrees centigrade. In the Valley del Tetero there are frosts with temperatures dropping to 4 or 5 below zero centigrade. These temperatures favor camping activities.

The principal species of this protected area are biologically significant due to their location in the high mountain region.

Sierra del Bahoruco National Park

This national park constitutes an example of climactic stability in the arid southeast of La Española. The vegetation varies widely from dry forest at sea level to humid forest in the park’s center.
The geological makeup of the Sierra del Bahoruco is cemented of a limestone sub-terrain, which is sedimentary and contains important species of algae.
The vegetation is quite varied and of great scientific and botanic interest. There are vast pine forests, large broad-leaf trees, and ecologically important examples of mixed forest.

Del Este National Park

This trapezoid-shaped park is located in the extreme southeast corner of the country. It is 310 square kilometers, including the island of Saona.

There are three types of terrain in this park classified according to Holdridge: subtropical humid forest, subtropical dry forest, and transitional forest – a mixture of tropical and dry.

The main species of plant are the sea grape, mesquite and Hispaniolan mahogany.

There are 112 identified bird species within the park limits which make up more than half the species found in the whole country. Of that total, 8 are endemic to the island and 11 species are endemic to the Caribbean.

Marine mammals found in the park include the endangered manatee and the dolphin.