IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY
Dominican Republic
Clockwise from far left: Cactus, Enriquillo Lake; Bayahibe Beach; engravings, Las Caritas; shopfront, Barahona; coffee beans
the Caribbean below or marvel at the lush tangle of vegetation covering the slopes above, that I’ve only driven as far as San Rafael. Far below me, the beach stretches
out in a golden crescent against a perfect azure sea. I grab my swim gear and spend an hour splashing in the rainforest waterfalls that tumble onto San Rafael Beach, then sit at a plastic table beneath a bright colored parasol and enjoy a plate of locrio, the local meat and rice dish that’s served with yucca or plantains. After lunch, I drive on along the coast
to the Laguna de Oviedo, passing the tiny fishing village of Enriquillo, where fishermen cast their nets in wide arcs to catch grouper and dorado.
Situated on the edge of the Parque National
Jaraqua and separated from the ocean by an 800-meter-wide strip of sand, this salt lagoon dotted with cays and surrounded by mangrove forests is a paradise for the local wildlife. Ahead of me, a flock of flamingos flap their salmon-pink wings in a burst of Caribbean color — the brightness of this spectacle enhanced by the lake’s waters, which are tinted murky green by limestone sediments. Te Laguna de Oviedo is also home to the rare rhinoceros iguana, so I take a boat to the cay where they live and am lucky enough to spot several of these large, greeny- brown lizards with boney noses. Arriving at Pedernales that evening, I
check into my hotel. Next morning, I can’t resist making the hot, dusty walk across the
border to Anse-à-Pitres, a tiny Haitian town, where I have a satisfying beaker of Haiti’s own Prestige beer, and a dish of legume, the hot and hearty local vegetable stew flavored with crab meat. Up early the next day, I head for Bahia
de las Aguilas (Eagles bay), said to have one of the remotest and most paradisiacal beaches in the Jaragua National park, if not the entire Caribbean. Driving towards playa Las Cuevas, just a few miles out of Pedernales, the landscape changes dramatically: instead of lush forests and palm trees, there are vast arid landscapes studded with cacti, and big green lizards scuttling across my path. I hop into a small boat, which twists and spins its tortuous way past tall rocky outcrops ▶
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