Discovering Paradise
Discovering Paradise
Explore & Protect
Discover the Dominican Republic's stunning protected areas, from tropical rainforests and cloud forests to marine sanctuaries and desert landscapes.
Where ancient caves meet emerald mogotes
A vast expanse of karst limestone mogotes, mangrove forests, and coastal caves along the southern shore of Samana Bay. Home to Taino cave art and over 110 bird species.
The Dominican Republic's tropical island paradise
A large tropical island within Parque Nacional Cotubinama, famous for its picture-perfect white sand beaches, shallow turquoise waters, and natural pool with starfish.
Tropical forests, Taino caves, and the famous Isla Saona
A coastal national park protecting subtropical humid forests, limestone caves with Taino art, coral reefs, and the famous Isla Saona. One of the most visited parks in the country.
The Caribbean's largest protected wilderness
The largest protected area in the Caribbean, encompassing dry forests, coastal lagoons, pristine beaches, and important nesting grounds for sea turtles and flamingos.
Where humpback whales come to breed each winter
The Marine Mammal Sanctuary of the Dominican Republic, protecting the warm waters of Samana Bay and Silver Bank where humpback whales breed each winter.
Summit the Caribbean's highest peak
Home to Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean at 3,098 meters. Vast Hispaniolan pine forests and alpine meadows in the heart of the Cordillera Central.
Jump, slide, and swim through 27 natural waterfalls
A series of 27 cascading waterfalls connected by natural limestone pools in the northern foothills. Jump, slide, and swim through a tropical river canyon.
The most beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic
Widely considered the most beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic — an 8-kilometer stretch of pristine, undeveloped white sand in the remote southwest.
A 52-meter jungle waterfall with a natural swimming pool
A spectacular 52-meter waterfall plunging into a natural swimming pool, reached by a scenic jungle hike or horseback ride on the Samana Peninsula.
Underground lakes beneath Santo Domingo
A system of three underground limestone caves with crystal-clear freshwater lakes, located just minutes from downtown Santo Domingo. A natural wonder beneath the city.
World-class snorkeling on an uninhabited island
A small uninhabited island renowned for world-class snorkeling on "The Wall," pristine beaches, and easy access from La Romana and Bayahibe.
The Caribbean's richest birding destination
A mountainous park with dramatic elevation changes from sea level to 2,367 meters, hosting the richest bird diversity in the Caribbean and vast pine and cloud forests.
Cable car to a mountaintop botanical garden
A mountaintop park above Puerto Plata reached by the Caribbean's only cable car, featuring a botanical garden, Christ the Redeemer statue, and panoramic views.
Crocodiles, iguanas, and the Caribbean's lowest point
The largest lake in the Caribbean and the lowest point in the Antilles, home to wild American crocodiles, rhinoceros iguanas, and flamingos in an arid desert landscape.
The Dominican Alps — frost, pines, and mountain meadows
A high-altitude park in the Cordillera Central known as the "Dominican Alps," with pine forests, cloud forests, and frost-covered meadows above 2,200 meters.
Flamingos, iguanas, and a surreal salt lagoon
A large hypersaline lagoon in the southwest famous for its flamingo colonies, rhinoceros iguanas, and otherworldly mangrove-island landscape.
Shipwrecks and coral reefs at Santo Domingo's doorstep
The first underwater national park in the Dominican Republic, protecting coral reefs, sunken ships, and a Taino archaeological site just east of Santo Domingo.
Cloud forest sanctuary of the endangered green ebony
A pristine cloud forest reserve in the Cordillera Central protecting the endangered ebony tree (Magnolia pallescens) and rich highland biodiversity.
6,000 Taino cave paintings in the Caribbean's richest archaeological site
The largest collection of pre-Columbian cave art in the Caribbean, with over 6,000 Taino pictographs and petroglyphs in a system of 55 limestone caves.
The Caribbean's only desert dune system
The only sand dune system in the Caribbean, a striking landscape of desert-like dunes rising above the southern coast near the town of Bani.
Wilderness solitude in the Cordillera Central
Protecting the southern slopes of the Cordillera Central, this park shares the Pico Duarte massif and guards critical watersheds feeding the Yaque del Sur river system.
El Morro, coral reefs, and frontier wilderness
A coastal park featuring the iconic El Morro mesa, mangrove-lined cayos, pristine coral reefs, and important seabird nesting colonies in the remote northwest.
Accessible cloud forest in the northern mountains
A highland scientific reserve in the Cordillera Septentrional protecting cloud forest, endemic species, and critical watersheds for the Cibao Valley.
A hidden mangrove wilderness teeming with birdlife
Vast coastal mangrove wetlands at the mouth of the Yuna River, protecting critical nursery habitat for fish, crustaceans, and migratory birds.
Remote mountain wilderness along the Haitian border
A remote mountain range straddling the Haitian border with pristine cloud forests, pine stands, and the freshwater Lago de Hoyo de Pelempito depression.
Community-protected forest and a solenodon stronghold
A community-managed scientific reserve protecting one of the last remnants of lowland subtropical humid forest on the north coast, critical for endemic species.
Mountain forests named for a Taino queen
A park protecting pine forests and mountain landscapes in the southwestern highlands, named after the legendary Taino queen who resisted Spanish conquest.
Untouched wilderness in the remote northwest
One of the most remote and pristine national parks in the Dominican Republic, protecting dense mountain forests and the headwaters of the Artibonito River.