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Los Haitises Mangrove & Cave Tour

★★★★★ (15 customer reviews)

From $69

Some of the Dominican Republic's wildest country sits in the remote northeast, and hardly any tourists make it there. Los Haitises National Park is 1,600 square kilometers of mangrove canals, Taíno caves and jungle waterfalls — reached by a scenic drive, explored by catamaran, and capped with a Dominican lunch beside the falls.

Duration: Approx 12 Hours Time of Day: Morning
Adult: $129

An Adult is 12 and older

Child: $69

A Child is 3-11. Infants under 3 are FREE

Estimated total $0

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A Day in the Dominican Republic Almost No One Sees

Most visitors never leave the all-inclusive strip. This trip is the opposite of that. Los Haitises National Park sits in a remote corner of the country's northeast — 1,600 square kilometers of humid forest, untouched mangroves, hidden beaches, ancient caves, and the most diverse collection of native plants and wildlife anywhere in the Dominican Republic. The name comes from the Taíno (Arawak) word for "highlands" or "mountain range," and long before it was a park it was a sacred refuge for the Taíno, the island's first people. It's about as far from a resort pool as you can get.

Here's how the day plays out.

Getting There — the Drive Counts

From Punta Cana and Bávaro you head north into the Cordillera Oriental, on a winding paved road through rolling green highlands and small country villages along the southern edge of Samaná Bay. This part isn't just transport: your guide fills it in as you go, explaining everyday Dominican life and pointing out the crops and cattle farms sliding past the window. The big stop along the way is Montaña Redonda, a 1,000-foot peak famous for its views — Samaná to the north, the Cordillera Oriental to the south.

On the Water and Into the Caves

At the park you board a catamaran and thread through the twisting canals of the mangrove forest — home to hundreds of species of birds, fish, reptiles and crustaceans — before the view opens up into San Lorenzo Bay and its dramatic limestone outcrops.

Two caves are part of the tour. Cueva de la Arena, set on a secluded beach, holds Taíno petroglyphs carved into the rock and bats asleep in the shadows. Cueva de la Línea, deeper in the forest, is covered in Taíno pictographs — painted images that offer a rare glimpse of their beliefs and daily life before Europeans arrived more than 500 years ago.

Lunch by the Waterfalls

Lunch is at Paraíso Caño Hondo, a cozy eco-lodge inside the park where a natural river tumbles through a series of waterfalls. You'll sit down to a typical Dominican spread — meat, fish, rice, beans, vegetables, salad and fruit — then cool off with a swim in the river, its water born deep in Los Haitises. Finish with a hot chocolate or a coffee made right at the lodge.

Only a limited number of people can join the Los Haitises tour, and it runs on select days, so book ahead to be sure of a place.

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

Good to know

  • The non-stop transfer between Punta Cana and Los Haitises is roughly 2½ hours each way — and the drive is genuinely part of the day, with your guide narrating Dominican culture and the scenes rolling past.
  • The Montaña Redonda stop can happen on the way there or the way back depending on weather, and may be cancelled if visibility is poor.