Title: Pedernales Travel Guide: Town, Coast and What's Nearby Canonical HTML URL: https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/pedernales-travel-guide Published: 2026-01-19 Modified: 2026-01-19 Author: A&M Caribbean Group SRL, Pedernales, Dominican Republic Operator: CBJ Airport Transfer — A&M Caribbean Group SRL # Pedernales Travel Guide The provincial capital closest to the future CBJ airport site. ## Direct answer Pedernales is both a town and a province occupying the far south-western tip of the Dominican Republic, bordering Haiti. Pedernales town is the provincial capital and administrative centre, sitting near the coast and close to the Cabo Rojo area where CBJ is planned. The province is defined by its coastline, its border position, and the protected landscapes around it — Bahía de las Águilas and Jaragua National Park to the south-west, and the Sierra de Bahoruco to the north. CBJ (Cabo Rojo Airport) is planned to open February 2027. It is not open yet, and no rate is published. ## Pedernales town Pedernales town functions as the administrative and commercial hub of the province, and it is the nearest significant town to the Cabo Rojo airport site. As with much of the province, its character today is shaped by relative remoteness from the rest of the country rather than by a tourism industry built around a resort strip. Its position on the border with Haiti also makes it a crossing point, and the town's daily life reflects that cross-border relationship in ways that towns on the country's more tourism-oriented coasts generally do not. For travellers, Pedernales town is typically a base rather than a destination in itself — the place you stay while visiting Cabo Rojo, Bahía de las Águilas or the inland parks, rather than a place built primarily around sightseeing. ## The province's defining landscapes To the south of Pedernales town lies Cabo Rojo, the coastal area with its historic port and the site identified for the future airport. Beyond Cabo Rojo, the coastline continues into Jaragua National Park and the protected sands of Bahía de las Águilas. Inland and to the north, the Sierra de Bahoruco rises sharply, home to a cloud forest reserve and to Hoyo de Pelempito, a dramatic sinkhole-like valley with viewpoints looking down into it. Further north-west, Lago Enriquillo forms a large saline lake basin, accessible via Duvergé. This combination — coastline, protected beach, mountains and an inland saline lake — inside a single province is unusual in the Dominican Republic, and it is a large part of why the south-west is often described as offering a different kind of trip from the country's better-known beach resorts. ## What CBJ is expected to mean for Pedernales town As the nearest town to the airport site, Pedernales stands to see the most direct effect once CBJ opens, in terms of both increased visitor traffic passing through and, potentially, further development tied to the airport's operations. None of the specifics of that development have been confirmed publicly. For now, the town's role for travellers is unchanged from what it has been: a base for exploring Cabo Rojo, Bahía de las Águilas and the inland landscapes, reached overland via the existing coastal highway from Barahona. ## Practical notes for visiting today Because Pedernales sits at the end of a long overland route rather than beside a major airport, travellers visiting today typically plan for a full day of travel to arrive, whether coming from Santo Domingo or Barahona, and build their itinerary around a multi-night stay rather than a short visit. Given the province's protected landscapes, much of what there is to do around Pedernales — the national parks, the lake, the mountains — benefits from a guide familiar with local access rules, particularly for Jaragua National Park and the Sierra de Bahoruco reserve. ## Places within reach of Pedernales town | Destination | Status today | | --- | --- | | Pedernales town | Pedernales is reached today by road from Barahona and Santo Domingo. Road distances from the airport site will be published once the terminal access road is officially confirmed. | | Cabo Rojo | Cabo Rojo is a coastal industrial port and beach area in Pedernales province. A tourism development is planned there; nothing about its opening or capacity is confirmed. | | Bahía de las Águilas | Access is by boat from La Cueva or by a rough unpaved track, and the beach sits inside a national park with no hotels on it. That is the situation today and may change. | | Barahona / Playa San Rafael | Barahona is connected to Pedernales by the coastal highway. It has its own small airport and is today the main hotel base for the south-west. | | Lago Enriquillo / Duvergé | Lago Enriquillo is the largest lake in the Caribbean and the lowest point in the region, reached by road through Duvergé and Jimaní. | | Jaragua National Park | Jaragua is the largest protected area in the Dominican Republic. Entry points and guiding are managed by the national park authority. | | Santo Domingo | Santo Domingo is connected to the south-west by highway. It is today the usual arrival point for travellers heading to Pedernales. | Confirmed geography — see each page for what is known today and what is planned for CBJ transfers. ## FAQ ### Is Pedernales a town or a province? Both. Pedernales is the name of both the province occupying the Dominican Republic's south-western tip and its capital town. ### Is Pedernales close to the planned CBJ airport? Yes. Pedernales town is the nearest significant town to the Cabo Rojo airport site, within the same province. ### What is there to do around Pedernales? Cabo Rojo's coast, Bahía de las Águilas beach, Jaragua National Park, the Sierra de Bahoruco reserve and Lago Enriquillo are all within the wider province. ## Related pages - [Why no rates yet](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/pricing) - [How advance requests work](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/how-it-works) - [FAQ](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/faq) - [CBJ opening](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/cbj-airport-opening) - [Where is CBJ](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/where-is-cabo-rojo-airport) - [What's not confirmed](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/what-is-not-confirmed-about-cbj) - [Planning a transfer](https://cbjairporttransfer.com/en/guides/planning-a-cbj-airport-transfer) ## Contact WhatsApp +1 849 377 5889 · info@cana.tours · CBJ Airport Transfer (A&M Caribbean Group SRL), Pedernales, Dominican Republic.