Parc National Los Haitises

Los Haitises is a flooded karst wonderland on the southern shore of Samaná Bay, where dome-shaped limestone hills rise straight from the water like a green flotilla, threaded by one of the Caribbean's largest mangrove forests. A national park and UNESCO-recognised reserve, it's explored by boat — gliding between the islets, ducking into sea caves where ancient Taíno petroglyphs and pictographs survive on the rock, and drifting past colonies of pelicans and frigatebirds. It's a cornerstone of the 3-in-1 day trips out of Punta Cana and one of the country's most dramatic natural landscapes. Our photographers ride the boat with you, capturing the mogote-studded bay, the cave mouths and the birdlife, with calmer water and clearer skies in the December-to-April dry season.