Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ritory, the majority of which is semihumid forest. The park is also home to 539 species of
flora, 55 of which are endemic. There is also a good variety of fauna: 112 species of birds,
250 types of insects and arachnids, and 120 species of fish. There are occasional sightings
of West Indian manatees and bottlenose dolphins, and the much rarer Haitian solenodon, a
small bony animal with a long snout and tiny eyes.
There's a
park office
( 809-833-0022; 8am-3pm)
in the parking lot in Bayahibe, where
you must pay your entrance free and obtain a mandatory wristband. One entrance is at
Guaraguao, a ranger post 5km past Dominicus Americanus. The other entrance is in the
town of Boca de Yuma, on the eastern side of the park. There is a ranger station there but
no formal services. A road leads along the coast for several kilometers and has a number
of nice vista points.
Isla Saona
There's a reason why boatloads of tourists descend upon this island daily. The powdery,
white-sand beach doesn't seem real from afar, and a dip in the aquamarine surf is a gentle
restorative, like the waters of the most luxurious spa; palm trees provide a natural awning
from the intense sun. All of this would be perfect if it weren't for the fact that ear-splitting
dance music is blasted from competing sound systems and vendors wander the beach in
search of buyers in need of hair braiding, shells and other knickknacks. There isn't much
coral to speak of, much of it damaged by heavy boat traffic and inexperienced snorkelers.
Most of this 12km by 5km island is taken over by various companies and all-inclusive re-
sorts that have set up lounge chairs, small dance floors, bars and buffets.
Mano Juan
(popu-
lation 500) is the only established community on the island which is separated from the
mainland by the narrow Paseo del Catuano.
The majority of visitors are ferried to Bayahibe early in the morning from resorts fur-
ther east expecting a booze-cruise-like experience, and they usually aren't disappointed.
Most trips include a catamaran ride out to the island and then a speedier motorboat trip
back, or vice versa. A stop at the
piscina natural
, a shallow sandbank that extends far from
the shore and has crystal-clear water, often includes young Dominican men and women
wading through the water serving up glasses of rum and soda to tourists in need of a
drink. The buffet lunch tends to be large and quite good. Unless you specifically request a
trip that avoids the standard stops, don't expect a peaceful paradise, much less a protected
national park. The dive shops in Bayahibe tend to offer more-rewarding trips that stop for
lunch at Isla Saona, but only after visiting other spots for hiking, snorkeling or both.
NATURE RESERVE
