Duration:
Approx 12 Hours
Tour Type:
Morning

Los Haitises National Park

(11 customer reviews)

$129.00

A testament to the Dominican Republic’s natural beauty, Los Haitises National Park is a unique experience that will take you worlds away from your resort. Visit areas seldom seen by tourists as you come in closer contact with Dominican culture and the country’s amazing natural contrasts.

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Here’s What You Get

Do you want to visit an area of the Dominican Republic seldom seen by tourists?

If so, our trek to Los Haitises National Park is a true contrast with the all-inclusive resorts and tourist laden beaches of Punta Cana.

If you’re looking for intimacy and authenticity then carry on and read our description of the natural wonder that is Los Haitises…

The Park

Haitises means “highlands” or “mountain range” in Arawak (the Taino Indian language). Tucked in a remote corner of the Dominican Republic’s northeast region, the park is a 1,600 square kilometer humid forest with vast stretches of untouched mangrove forests, secluded beaches, ancient caves and the Dominican Republic’s most diverse collection of endemic flora and fauna. What was once a sacred, safe haven for the Tainos (the country’s original inhabitants) is now a mysterious and awe-inspiring draw for tourists willing to leave the beaten track.

And how do you get there?…

The Drive

From Punta Cana / Bavaro you head north into the eastern Oriental Mountain Range. Welcoming us is a windy, paved road that snakes through rolling green highlands and country villages, along the southern shores of Samana Bay. Your guide, meanwhile, brings the outside world to life explaining the daily routines of everyday Dominicans and highlighting some of the country’s natural produce as you pass countless agricultural and cattle farms. Our highlight stop, during the ride, is an adventurous ascent of the 1,000 foot peak – Montana Redonda. Known for its amazing vistas, Montana Redonda offers unforgettable views of Samana to the Northern horizon and the Oriental Mountain Range to the Southern horizon.

Once we arrive at Los Haitises…

The Tour

  • Catamaran – Aboard our catamaran we’ll maneuver through the meandering canals of the park’s majestic mangrove forests which act as an ideal home for hundreds of species of birds, fish, reptiles and crustaceans. Leaving the mangroves, the scenery opens up into the San Lorenzo Bay with photo-inspiring views of the park’s lush outcroppings.
  • Cueva de la Arena – Located on a secluded beach, the cave’s several waterfront caverns hold Taino carvings (petroglyphs) in the rock and sleepy bats in their natural habitat.
  • Cueva de la linea – Found deeper in the forest, this vast cave is filled with Taino drawings (pictoglyphs), giving us a better sense of Taino religion and culture before their society’s ultimate demise with the arrival of Europeans over 500 years ago.

It’s been a long day so you deserve…

Lunch at the Waterfalls

Paraiso Cano Hondo is a cozy eco-lodge at Los Haitises National Park. Transversing the property is a natural river landscaped into numerous waterfalls. You’ll be treated to a typical Dominican lunch of meat, fish, rice, beans, vegetables, salad and fruit. After lunch, swim in the river’s cool, refreshing waters born deep in Los Haitises; and after your swim wind down with some hot chocolate or coffee made at the eco-lodge.

Join us by booking now…

Only a certain numbers of individuals are permitted on the Los Haitises Tour and it’s only available 2 days a week. To secure availability bookings should be made in advance.

For a genuine contact with the Dominican Republic’s history, culture and natural beauty, join us on this unique adventure to Los Haitises National Park.

What’s Included

  • Round trip transport
  • Catamaran tour of Los Haitises
  • Professional guide
  • Lunch
  • Non alcoholic drinks

What to Bring

  • Comfortable clothing
  • Bathing suit
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Towel
  • Sneakers or flip flops
  • Camera
  • Sunscreen
  • Insect repellent
  • Cash
 The normal, non-stop, transfer time between Punta Cana and Los Haitises National Park is approx. 2 1/2 hours. The ride is part of the excursion as the tour guide discusses a great deal of Dominican culture and the everyday scenes taking place outside the bus. The stop at Montana Redonda can be on the way to the park or on the way back, depending on weather, and may be cancelled due to poor visibility.

11 reviews for Los Haitises National Park

  1. Matt (verified purchase)

    Tour was great. Tour guide, Sandro, was the best…very knowledgeable and a great excursion for those staying in Punta Cana.

  2. Chantal (verified purchase)

    What an amazing day! With the travel, it makes for a very long day, but it is time well spent! From the 360 degree view at the top of a mountain, to discovering the mangroves by boats, seeing Taino drawings in a cave, taking a dip in a river and seeing coffee, cacao and bananas trees, pineaple and aloes plants, everything was simply amazing and fun. Paolo, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable and had an answer to everything. In addition, he was fluent in 7 languages. Although I had not realized that the tour could be offered in French, he switch from English to French as soon as he found out I was a French canadian. Could not ask for more.

  3. Marcus (verified purchase)

    This was the only tour that we could find from Punta Cana to Los Haitises, and makes for a long day, but is more than worth it. This was our third visit to the DR, and the tour was probably our highlight. The drives across the island were enlivened by commentary from our excellent, multi-lingual guides, as well as stops in local towns and villages, and the visit to Los Haitises itself was amazing. We took a boat from a remote area through the mangroves and out into the Gulf of Samana, where we saw lots of birdlife and visited several caves. I would say that the Taino pictographs were a personal archaeological highlight, in a lifetime of travel. We had a lovely Dominican lunch at a remote waterfall, and our guide made sure that we were never hungry, buying food from local vendors out of his own money. Highly recommended.

  4. Alina (verified purchase)

    The trip to Los Haitises Park was amazing, our guide Simon was the best we ever meet. He explain us lots of things and he was very involved in this trip. I recommend this tour- very professionals guys. Choose this company for Los Haitises Park trip and ask for Simon as guide, you will not regret.

  5. Jada (verified purchase)

    Great excursion. On the way we stopped for fresh mandarins, we also stopped at a locals farm for lunch of crackers, fresh picked pineapples and papaya. Tasted pure fresh honey, unrefined chocolate and coffee. Was all delicious and the people were fantastic. Very friendly and warm. We traveled over the mountains to the park where we boarded a small boat. Down the a canal to a bigger boat. On the way we saw mangroves, herons, red legged crabs, etc. Once on the bigger boat we traveled around the island and the tour guide, Roberto, was very friendly, informative, funny and made you feel really relaxed. There was nothing you saw that did not go unexplained. Then we went to two separate caves that were once used by the Taino Indians before they were slaughtered by the spaniards. Very interesting if you like that kind of thing. From there we went to a local farm where we had a wonderful lunch of fish, chicken, rice, beans, and fresh fruit and great coffee. You could also take a swim in the pond which had its own waterfall. It was a full day but a fun day, well worth the time Best part of our vacation.

  6. Zaire (verified purchase)

    This was one of the greatest excursions I’ve been on in any country! The tour through the town was amazing and our tour guide Wilson aka “Pinky” absolutely made this trip awesome! He went above and beyond to make sure that everyone had a wonderful time! I would recommend this trip to anyone! Lots of fun!

  7. Nathan (verified purchase)

    Great Company. Polite, Respectful, Honest, Trustworthy and Punctual. Highly Recommend using them for all excursions and airport transportation.

  8. Carolyn (verified purchase)

    Excellent way to visit the countryside and see how the real people of the Dominican Republic live. From Punta Cana, it is a full (13 hours) day trip but well worth it in my opinion. Instructive and entertaining.

  9. Lamar (verified purchase)

    The best time of my life! You deserve infinite stars. Kindness and affection, these were really dream moments. I went to The Los Haitises Park tour and it was a paradise. We visited a Dominican home and met local people and they were wonderful! What a great experience!

  10. Mallory (verified purchase)

    My husband and I took the Los Haitises National Park Tour in December. We found this to be a great way to get outside of our resort and see other areas of the Dominican Republic. It is quite a long bus ride, but the tour guide did a nice job of telling us about the surrounding areas so the time passed quickly. The national park was beautiful with a nice boat ride. The waterfall / swimming was particularly enjoyable for us. We found the visit to a local house at the end to be a bit invasive, but overall this was a wonderful experience. We would highly recommend it.

  11. Raul (verified purchase)

    This was our favorite excursion!!! Our guide, Roberto, was the most knowledgable, fun, entertaining and enthusiastic, he far exceeded our expectations!!! Learning about the land and cultures was very eye opening and intriguing. Johnathon, the photographer, also added charm to the excursion. I highly recommend this to anyone, it is very informative and you will not be disappointed.

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Los Haitises is one of the Dominican Republic's most renowned and beautiful national parks. The park is 1,600 square kilometers of humid forest, mangrove forests, secluded beaches and ancient caves with Taino Indian drawings that attracts tourists from around the world.

There is an entrance fee for Los Haitises National Park but any tour into the park will include the nominal fee. Los Haitises is really only accessible by boat, via the parks many mangrove canals, so visiting the park will require a guided tour.

Los Haitises National Park is located about a 2 1/2 hour drive north from Punta Cana along the brand new Miches/Punta Cana highway. The easiest way to see the park is with a guided excursion from Punta Cana that included transport and entrance to the national park. 

Los Haitises was given National Park status in 1968, by the Dominican government, and continues to be a protected safe haven for the Dominican Republic's most diverse collection of endemic flora and fauna.

Haitises means “highlands” or “mountain range” in Arawak. This was the language of the Taino Indians who were the original inhabitants of a land they called Quisqueya; today, known as the Dominican Republic.

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