Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park & Reserve
(
NATURE RESERVE
829-470-1368;
www.puntacana.org
; admission adult/child US$25/12, with guided tour US$50/25;
8:30am-5pm)
Though development may eventually cover every inch of the Dominican
coastline, for now there are still large areas of pristine coastal plains and mangrove
forests. About 500m south of (and part of) the Puntacana Resort and Club, this ecological
park covers more than 6 sq km of protected coastal and inland habitat and is home to
some 100 bird species (27 of which are indigenous species native only to the DR), 160 in-
sect species and 500 plant species.
Visitors can take very worthwhile three-hour
guided tours
in English, French, German or
Spanish through a lush 30-hectare portion of the reserve with 11 freshwater lagoons all
fed by an underground river that flows into the ocean. The tour also includes a visit to the
park's botanical and fruit gardens, iguana farm (part of a conservation program) and a
farm-animal petting zoo.
The visitor center has a great collection of insects that was compiled by entomology
students from Harvard, and interesting maps and photos of the area. The park is operated
by the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, a nonprofit foundation created in 1994 that
works to protect the area's ecosystems - including 8km of coral reef along the reserve's
shoreline - and to promote sustainable tourism and hotel practices. Nearly 4 hectares of
the reserve are dedicated to the Center for Sustainability, a joint project with Cornell and
other American universities to survey and study native plants, birds and insects. Unfortu-
nately, there is no hotel pickup service and only invited guests or guests of Puntacana Re-
sort and Club can do self-guided tours; a roundtrip cab here including two to three hours
waiting will cost around US$90 from Bávaro or El Cortecito.
