Samaná, Los Haitises

Covering an area of 1,600 km², Los Haitises National Park is one of the jewels of the Dominican Republic’s national park system. Los Haitises, which translates to “mountainous land” in the Taino language, attracts multiple visitors who come here by boat to see its magnificent series of rock formations rising out of the water. The park also boasts lush mangroves along its bay, which is adorned with cays home to multiple bird colonies and a series of caves known to have the most petroglyphs and pictographs in the country.

You can easily spot the endangered Ridgway’s hawk, the Sierra woodpecker, Hispaniolan woodpecker, as well as pelicans, herons, egrets and other majestic birds flying through the park’s expansive landscape. Los Haitises also boasts one of the Dominican Republic’s rainforests. Explore the park by boat from Samaná, climb its rainforest to see the flora up close, or kayak through its lush mangrove system.