|
 Scientific research - sanctuaries
National parks - protected areas
Natural monuments - wildernesses
These categories cover many lagoons, river estuaries, islands and bays.
The country's undersea world has excellent reef diving, good visibility, warm waters, wrecks, caverns and marine life offering a wealth of diving experiences around the island!
Encounter wildlife, both above and beneath the ocean, in a way you've only imagined...until now!
The Hispaniolian Rhino Iguana is one of the largest of the iguanas. Iguanas of the Cyclura genus are found on many Caribbean island, however the Rhinoceros Iguana is only found on the island of Hispaniola!
constuction.
A scientific, educational and cultural park exhibiting saltwater and fresh water marine life in their natural environments from local and foreign waters!
The Yuna watershed feeds Samana Bay, a refuge for sea turtles and manatees and a critical breeding and nursery habitat for the North Atlantic humpback whale!
In the Southwest, the sierra de Bahoruco is a forested highland which has, among other plants, 52 percent of the orchids found in the Dominican Republic; it also has many species of birds!
The bottlenosed dolphin is perhaps one of the most well known cetacean. The bottlenose dolphin may be best known as "Flipper" (as seen in hte television series). |
The Dominican Republic is a breathtaking island filled with fertile river valleys, forested mountains and soft, unspoiled beaches. Nature lovers and eco tourists are immersed in a dramatic landscape of 19 national parks, 15 natural reserves, 9 natural monuments, 6 six scientific reserves and 2 marine sanctuaries. The total number of protected areas (including panoramic routes, recreational areas and ecological corridors) is 67. All are under the control of the Direcci?n Nacional de Parques.
The beaches of Parque Nacional del Este provide nesting habitat for four turtle species. This park on the southeastern tip of the Dominican Republic is one of the Caribbean's largest marine parks. This intact coastal ecosystem is a nursery for 112 of the Dominican Republic's 303 bird species. Eight species of birds are found only on Hispaniola, including the ashy-faced owl and the Hispaniolan lizard-cuckoo. Four species of sea turtles use the park's shores as nesting sites. Manatees, bottlenose dolphins, numerous fish species and an immense coral reef system live in the park's offshore waters. Cueva del Puente is one of the 200 caves under Parque Nacional del Este
This geography is harmonized with signature merengue sounds that somehow narrate the culture.
2,000 year old rock art painted by orignal Taino, carib, and Igneri peoples. Discovered in 1851, some 54 of 200 caves contain some 6,000 images of birds, fish, reptiles and humans. The largest of the caves contain some 590 drawings, considered by scholars to be amoung the finenst Precolumbian rupestral works in the caribbean!
The Ashy-Faced owl is now considered to be one of the rarest owls in the world and is only found in the island of Hispaniola!
Los Haitises, on hte south coast of Samana Bay, is a protected costal region, whose land and seascape of mangrove and swamps, caves and strage rock formations emerging from the seais unmatched in the DR!
The Hispaniolan Solenodon is only found on the island of Hispanola. The Solenodon very much looks like a shrew, except it is much larger. Currently, the solenodon may only be serviving in two places in the Domincan Republic: Jaragua and Parque del Este National parks!
The topography of the Dominican Republic consist of a diverse range of highland and lowland areas, offshore islands, rivers and lakes, all which contibute in some way or other to adventure travel in the country!
The Isla Cabrito National Park in Lago Enriquillo is the smallest in the system; it is a unique enviornment, between four meters below sea level. 106 species of plant have been identified, including 10 types of cactus.
|
