The Dominican Republic is more than that island with many baseball players in the Caribbean. The country is famous for lush rainforests, pristine beaches, and being an island it has some fantastic marine opportunities. Check out one of these Dominican Republic adventures. Consider a Caribbean holiday on this beautiful island.
Climb Pico Duarte
Pico Duarte is the highest mountain in the Caribbean at an astonishing 10,164 feet. It is part of the Cordillera Central Range. There is a well maintained trail system leading to the top of the mountain with travel agencies in the town of Jarabacoa able to help tourists make the climb. A more adventurous route can be taken from the town of San Juan de la Maguana. Trips from here take four days and three nights staying at well maintained shelters where locals will cook for you and help you camp along the way.
Visit Los Haitises National Park
This national park is part of the largest estuaries in the Caribbean home to mangrove swamps, subtropical forests, and pristine keys. It is located in the remote northeast corner of the country. It is a stunning landscape of rainforest, ocean bays, mangroves, and islets. Due to the different ecosystems, there is a wide array of flora and fauna with some birds found only here in the Dominican Republic. Most visitors arrive via guided tours from Sabana de la Mar on the south coast of Samaná Bay, and from Samaná on the north coast.
Whale Watching at the Marine Mammal Sanctuary of the Dominican Republic
This sanctuary situated off to the Northeast Coast is a huge swath of ocean protected with strict guidelines to the number of craft that can enter the area. Humpback whales can be seen here from January 15 through March 15. During this season no boat can enter these waters without a permit.
See Crocodiles at Lake Enriquillo
Crocodiles live in the ocean, so they are obviously used to salt water; however, there are very few salt water lakes around the world populated with this giant reptile. Lake Enriquillo in the Domincan Republic is one of these lakes. Lake Enriquillo is the lowest area in the Caribbean and covers 145 square miles. Boat tours and nature tours abound in this area. Cabritos Island is a must see as it is famous for crocodiles and flamingos.
Jaragua National Park
Located in the Pedernales Province in the southwest of the country, Jaragua National Park is the largest protected area in the Caribbean. The park includes a vast array of ecosystems including forest, mangrove, scrub, and marine. One of the many highlights of the park is Lake Oviedo, which has a beautiful unique green color due to limestone sediments that seep in through underground water flow. The lake is notorious for flamingos and other bird life.
Copyright © 2015 by Traveling Ted. This article was written by Ted Nelson and originally published on travelingted.com.
*Image of tropical Beach, Saona Island, Dominican Republic via Shutterstock
*Image of uninhabited island in the Haitises park in the Caribbean via Shutterstock
