Discovering Paradise
Discovering Paradise
A primordial landscape of mangrove forests, limestone mogotes, and Taíno cave art
Type
National Park
Location
Samaná Bay
Entrance Fee
RD$200 + boat tour ($50-80 USD)
Hours
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM daily
Duration
4-5 hours (boat tour)
Best Time
Dry season (December-April), morning departures
Difficulty
Easy-Moderate
Guided Tours
Available
Parking
Available
Accessibility
Boat-based tour is accessible; cave visits require walking on uneven terrain
Los Haitises National Park is one of the Dominican Republic's most extraordinary protected areas — a vast wilderness of towering limestone mogotes (haystack-shaped hills), dense tropical rainforest, intricate mangrove channels, and caves adorned with ancient Taíno petroglyphs and pictographs.
The park's name comes from the Taíno word "haitís," meaning highlands or mountainous land. Covering over 1,600 square kilometers along the southern shore of Samaná Bay, it's a biodiversity hotspot home to over 700 plant species, 110 bird species, and several endangered animals including the Hispaniolan hutia and rhinoceros iguana.
Most visits to Los Haitises are by boat, weaving through the mangrove channels and stopping at key sites:
Most visitors take a boat tour from Samaná town or Sabana de la Mar. Tours can also be arranged from Las Terrenas. The boat ride itself is part of the experience.
Absolutely — it's one of the most unique natural sites in the Caribbean. The combination of mangrove forests, Taíno cave art, and dramatic limestone formations is unlike anything else in the region.
Technically yes, but a guided boat tour is the standard and recommended way. The park is remote, and navigating the mangrove channels requires local knowledge.