Few destinations in the Caribbean can match the sheer biological richness of the Dominican Republic. Occupying the eastern half of Hispaniola—the second largest island in the Greater Antilles—the Dominican Republic is a place of dramatic contrasts: mist-shrouded cloud forests and sunbaked desert scrub, turquoise coastline and pine-clad mountain peaks. This diversity of landscapes has given rise to an extraordinary diversity of life, including more than 30 endemic bird species.
Our journey will take us through an impressive sweep of habitats across two national parks. We’ll visit the cool, epiphyte-draped cloud forests of Cachote, where the haunting song of the Rufous-throated Solitaire echoes through the mist, the secretive White-fronted Quail-Dove picks its way along the forest floor, and jewel-like Hispaniolan Emeralds and Narrow-billed Todies flit through the understory. Higher up, at the ridge-top site of El Acetillar, a completely different suite of endemics awaits: the magnificent Hispaniolan Amazon, the dazzling Golden Swallow, and the colorful Hispaniolan Spindalis.
From the mountains, we’ll descend to Lago Enriquillo, a saltwater lake sitting 150 feet below sea level—the lowest point in the Caribbean—ringed by cactus desert and thorn scrub. Here, flocks of American Flamingos wade the shallows alongside White-cheeked Pintails, Tricolored Herons, and Caspian Terns, while American Crocodiles lurk along the shoreline. Two species of large, endemic iguana, including the impressive Hispaniolan Land Iguana, bask on the sunbaked rocks.
In the final days of the tour, we’ll explore the otherworldly karst landscape of Los Haitises National Park—a place of dramatic limestone hills, twisting mangrove channels, and open bays. Much of the park is accessible only by boat, and we’ll cruise its waterways in search of the species like West Indian Whistling-Duck, Limpkin, Antillean Piculet, and the critically endangered Ridgway’s Hawk.
January is an ideal time to visit. The weather is warm and settled, the forests are alive with wintering migrants from North America alongside the resident endemics, and the island is at its most lush and beautiful.
For questions or to sign up, contact Eric Schroeder at travelprogram@goldengatebirds.org.
COST
$4895 per person, based on double occupancy
Single Supplement: $995