Los Haitises National Park is a national park located on the remote northeast coast of the Dominican Republic that was established in 1976. It consists of a limestone karst plateau with conical hills, sinkholes and caverns, and there is a large area of mangrove forest on the coast. Other parts of the park are clad in subtropical humid forest and the area has an annual precipitation of about. The park contains a number of different habitats and consequently has a great diversity of mammals and birds, including some rare species endemic to the island. Some of the caverns contain pictograms and petroglyphs. The park has become a popular ecotourism destination but the number of tourists allowed to visit is limited.
History
The park was created by Law 409 enacted June 3, 1976. It was preceded by a Reserva Forestal called Zona Vedada de Los Haitises, created by Law 244. In 1996, its area was expanded from by Decree 233. Its boundary, which has been redrawn on several occasions, is uncertain. The bulk of the park is located in the municipality of Sabana de la Mar, province of Hato Mayor, while the remainder lies in the provinces of Monte Plata and Samaná. Sabana de la Mar is the site of a visitors' center. Despite advanced deforestation, the precipitation is still considerable, ranging from annually. The park is near the top rank in both annual total rainfall and annual number of rainy days among sites in the Dominican Republic.
Geology
The area was formed during the Miocene epoch of the Neogene period. Geomorphologically, it is a platform karst with dense clusters of conical hills of nearly uniform height in between which there are many sinkholes. The maximum dimensions of this platform karst block are east to west by north to south. The hills of the interior have the same origin as the islets of the Samaná Bay. There is a multitude of caverns. Hydrographically, Los Haitises spans portions of two basins: in its western half, the lower basin of the Yuna River; and in its eastern half, a zone spanning Miches and Sabana de la Mar. The Yuna drains through two mouths: its own and that of the Barracote River. In addition to these two rivers, the park is traversed by the Payabo River, the Los Cocos River, the Naranjo River, and numerous natural channels including the Cabirma, Estero, and Prieto.
The fauna of Los Haitises is of great variety, and due to the park's diversity of physical geographic zones, it has the greatest diversity of fauna among the protected natural areas in the country. Two endemic mammal species, the Hispaniolan hutia and the Hispaniolan solenodon, are threatened with extinction. Being a coastal and marine park, it contains a large variety of birds, including most of the species endemic to the country. These include the brown pelican or alcatraz, magnificent frigatebird, Hispaniolan amazon, barn owl, and stygian owl. Some of the bird species found in Los Haitises are not found elsewhere within the Dominican Republic.
Tourism
Los Haitises National Park is a protected virgin forest with little road access. The number of tourists allowed is limited, but since 2000 it has been a relatively popular destination for ecotourism using ecological guides from Sabana de La Mar. Haiti means highland or mountain range in the Taíno language, although the elevation of the park's hills ranges from. There is a multitude of caverns created by water erosion. Native Americans adorned these caverns with pictographs and petroglyphs. The culture or cultures which created these artworks remain unidentified, some of them possibly predating the Taínos. Los Haitises National Park contains spectacular landscapes like the San Lorenzo Bay, the islets, and the mangroves. The Cayo de los Pájaros, which is conspicuous for the virtually continuous presence of frigatebirds and pelicans circling low overhead, sits between the Boca del Infierno and El Naranjo Arriba. Cupey is the dominant tree species and birds fill its horizontal branches. The wild banyantree and tropical almond are the other park trees. Most visitors arrive by sea embarking from Sabana de la Mar, Sánchez, or Samaná ; however, it is possible to arrive by land from the south using four wheel drive vehicles. A private highway is being constructed through the mountains and a new airport is being built in the city of Samaná to provide better access. The main economic activities in Monte Plata Province are cattle ranching and sugarcane farming. Tourists will find a large number of roads for sugarcane transport.
