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The Península de Pedernales contains some outstanding natural attractions: the sublime beach at Bahía de Las Águilas, super-salty Laguna Oviedo, Parque Nacional Jaragua, the cloud forest of Cachóte and world-class birdwatching in the Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco. Despite all this, tourism in this part of the country is surprisingly low.
The peninsula was originally a separate island, but tectonic movement pushed it north and upward into Hispaniola, closing the sea channel that once ran from Port-au-Prince to Barahona and creating many of the unique geographical features you see today.
The southwest is the best place on the island to go birdwatching, as you can see nearly all Hispaniola's endemic species here. At last count, there were roughly 310 known species of bird in the DR and 32 endemic bird species on the island. Half of these are migratory, making winter the best time to spot them.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Península de Pedernales.
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Part of Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco, the ‘hole’ at Pelempito is actually a deep gorge formed when the Península de Pedernales rammed into Hispaniola umpteen million years ago. The tourist office, perched at the edge of a cliff at 1450m, offers breathtaking views, north and east, of completely untouched national park. It has information (in Spanish) on the area's flora and fauna, and a number of short nature walks have small signs identifying the various plants.
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This national park, replete with orchids and birds, covers 800 sq km of mostly mountainous terrain and is notable for the rich variety of vegetation that thrives in its many climates, ranging from lowland desert to cloud forest. Its valleys are home to vast areas of broad-leafed plants, which give way to healthy pine forests at higher elevations. Hoyo de Pelempito, offering spectacular views, is in the southern part of the park.
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This park is the largest protected area in the DR. Its 1400-sq-km includes vast ranges of thorn forest and subtropical dry forest, and an extensive marine area that spans most of the southern coastline, including Laguna Oviedo, Bahía de Las Águilas and Islas Beata and Alto Velo.
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Playa Los Patos, a pretty white-stone beach, and its adjacent balneario (swimming hole) are idyllic traveler finds. Water flows clear and cool out of the mountainside, forming a shallow lagoon before running into the ocean. Shacks serve good, reasonably priced food and cold cerveza (beer). At weekends it’s crowded with Dominican families, but it's much quieter midweek.
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Less busy on weekends than Playa Los Platos a few kilometers southwest, Playa San Rafael is a white pebble beach fringed in palms featuring cheap local eats and a fun locals vibe.