Jaragua National Park

What the park protects

Jaragua encompasses dry coastal forest, wetlands, offshore islands and one of the Caribbean's least-developed beaches, making it ecologically distinct from the more developed tourist coastlines elsewhere in the Dominican Republic. It was designated in recognition of the biodiversity found across this combination of habitats.

The park is also part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation covering the wider Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo area, reflecting the ecological significance of the south-west's landscapes as a connected system rather than isolated sites.

Laguna de Oviedo

Laguna de Oviedo is a large hypersaline lagoon within the park, known for its bird life, including flamingos, and for small islands within the lagoon itself. Boat trips on the lagoon, typically arranged with local guides, are a common way to see it.

The lagoon's ecology — brackish water supporting a distinct set of species compared with the open Caribbean nearby — is part of why the park's protection extends inland from the coast rather than covering only the beach itself.

Bahía de las Águilas

Bahía de las Águilas is the park's best-known feature: a long, largely undeveloped beach reached by boat from La Cueva or by 4x4 track. It is covered in detail in our dedicated Bahía de las Águilas transport guide, which focuses specifically on how to reach it.

Within the wider park, this beach represents the coastal edge of the protected area, while Laguna de Oviedo and the inland dry forest represent its other major habitats.

Isla Beata

Isla Beata is an offshore island within the park's boundary, uninhabited except for a small ranger presence, and it is not routinely accessible to casual visitors in the way the mainland sections of the park are. Visiting it, where possible at all, generally requires specific arrangements with the park authority.

Its inclusion within Jaragua reflects the park's broader mandate to protect a chain of coastal and marine habitats, not just a single beach or lagoon.

Visiting the park responsibly

Because Jaragua is a protected area rather than an open-access destination, visiting it typically involves a guide familiar with the park's rules, particularly for Laguna de Oviedo and Bahía de las Águilas, and entry may be subject to permits or fees managed by the park authority.

This is worth planning for regardless of how you arrive in the region, whether that's via the existing overland route today or, eventually, via CBJ once it opens — the park's access rules are separate from, and unaffected by, how you get to Pedernales province in the first place.

Questions we get on this

What does Jaragua National Park include?

Bahía de las Águilas beach, Laguna de Oviedo, Isla Beata and surrounding dry coastal forest, making it the largest protected area in the Dominican Republic.

Do you need a guide to visit Jaragua?

For the park's most notable sites — Laguna de Oviedo and Bahía de las Águilas — a local guide familiar with access rules is the typical way to visit.

Can you visit Isla Beata?

It is not routinely open to casual visitors; access, where possible, generally requires arrangement with the park authority.