Parque Nacional Los Haitises

Parque Nacional Los Haitises is one of the Dominican Republic's most spectacular natural areas. The name comes from the Taino word meaning "hilly land," perfectly describing the park's landscape of hundreds of forested mogotes — rounded karst limestone hills rising 30-40 meters above the coastal plain along the southern shore of Samana Bay.

Spanning approximately 1,600 square kilometers, Los Haitises is a biodiversity hotspot protecting one of the largest mangrove forests in the Caribbean, subtropical humid forests, underground rivers, and a dramatic coastline of caves adorned with Taino petroglyphs and pictographs dating back over 2,000 years. The park supports 112 bird species, including the critically endangered Ridgway's hawk and the Hispaniolan parrot, making it one of the most important bird areas in the entire Caribbean.

Los Haitises is a biodiversity powerhouse, harboring an extraordinary range of species in its varied habitats:

• Birds: Over 112 species including the critically endangered Ridgway's hawk (fewer than 500 remain, mostly here), Hispaniolan parrot, brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, roseate spoonbills, and white-crowned pigeons. The mangrove islands host massive nesting colonies of seabirds.
• Mammals: The West Indian manatee inhabits the bay's waters (rare sightings), bottlenose dolphins are regularly seen offshore, and the Hispaniolan hutia (a large endemic rodent) lives in the forest interior.
• Reptiles: Green iguanas, various anole lizards, and the Hispaniolan boa are present in the forests.
• Marine life: The bay waters support sea turtles, numerous fish species, and crustaceans in the mangrove root systems.
• Plants: The karst forests support a unique assemblage of trees, ferns, bromeliads, and orchids adapted to limestone substrates, while the mangrove forests include red, white, and black mangrove species.