Parque Nacional Los Tres Ojos

Parque Nacional Los Tres Ojos (The Three Eyes) is one of the most unusual natural attractions in the Caribbean — a system of open-air limestone caves containing three crystal-clear freshwater lakes, located in the heart of Santo Domingo's eastern suburbs. Used by the Taino people as a sacred site and water source, the caves were rediscovered in the 20th century and designated a national park.

Visitors descend a stone staircase into the cave system, where walkways lead past the three interconnected lakes — Lago de Azufre (sulphur lake, with a greenish tint), La Nevera (the refrigerator, naturally cold), and Lago de las Damas (ladies' lake, the deepest at approximately 8 meters). A fourth lake, Los Zaramagullones, is accessible via a small hand-pulled ferry boat that crosses through a cave passage. Stalactites and stalagmites line the cave walls, and sunlight streaming through the cave openings creates dramatic lighting effects on the water. Despite its tiny 0.1 km2 footprint, Los Tres Ojos attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.