Compare Dominican Republic by Field Guides
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| Trip |
0 | Poor
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| Duration | 8 days |
| Price From | $ 3,250 |
| Price Per Day | $ 406 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Group tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard |
| Physical Level |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | |
| Cities and Attractions | N/A |
| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included | N/A |
| Description |
The Dominican Republic—the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola—does not leap to mind as a primary destination for Caribbean travelers. Yet for birders interested in the West Indies, it is an important place to visit: depending on whose taxonomy you follow, there are roughly 31 endemics here, more than are found in Cuba! Our tour focuses primarily on the high mountains and foothills of the western part of the country, where virtually all of the Dominican Republicʼs endemics occur. Here weʼll bird the lovely and rugged Sierra de Bahoruco, where habitats range from deciduous scrub and mesquite in the hot and arid lowlands to cool and moist epiphyte-laden montane forest and, at the highest elevations, tall pines and agaves. The bird life is correspondingly diverse. Some of the more common species we should see include Hispaniolan Parrot, Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo, Narrow-billed and Broad-billed todies, Hispaniolan Woodpecker, Green-tailed Warbler, and Black-crowned Palm-Tanager. Other birds are less abundant or more difficult to locate, but with luck weʼll find Gray-headed Quail-Dove, Bay-breasted Cuckoo, Hispaniolan Trogon, La Selle Thrush, and White-winged Warbler as well as other endemics. Many of the most interesting species here are still enigmas to ornithologists: Antillean Piculet, so different from other piculets that it is placed in its own genus; Palmchat, a gregarious species and sole member of the family Dulidae, which builds huge stick nests and is perhaps related to the waxwings and silky-flycatchers; and Flat-billed Vireo, so unlike other vireos in behavior and bill shape that it was originally described as an Empidonax flycatcher! The Sierra de Bahoruco is one of the most remote and unspoiled regions of the country. |
Day 1: Arrival in Santo Domingo
Upon arrival, please take a taxi to the Hotel Palacio in the Zona Colonial ($40; 40- minute ride). Afternoon arrivals are fine, but please plan to meet the group in the hotel reception at 6:30 p.m. We will go to dinner nearby and discuss plans for the following few days. Night in Santo Domingo.
Day 2: Santo Domingo Botanical Garden; to Sierra de Barohuco
Weʼll plan on a 7:00 a.m. picnic breakfast in the parking lot of the botanical garden. The garden doesnʼt open until nine, but exceptions are made for birders and we should be able to enter around 7:30. We will spend several hours birding the paved trails within the garden. Lunch will be at a restaurant on our way to Barahona. We will head west to Puerto Escondido (with a stop or two along Lago Enriquillo, time permitting) and “Kateʼs Camp” named for Kate Wallace, a well-known DR birder and conservationist who owns a small property outside the town of Puerto Escondido. We will stay two nights in her rustic (but pleasant) cabins at the base of the Sierra de Barohuco, an ideal spot for our early morning departures. Night at Kateʼs Camp
Day 3: Sierra de Bahoruco (El Aguacate)
Today will be an early departure (4:00 am). The “road” to El Aguacate via Puerto Escondido is a rough, high-clearance 4X4 adventure. We will need an early start to reach the higher elevation forest while the birds are active and La Selleʼs Thrush and Western Chat-Tanagers are singing. Other species found at this elevation include Hispaniolan Pewee, Antillean Siskin, Green-tailed and White-winged warblers, and Hispaniolan Spindalis. We will have lunch at Kateʼs Camp, then some afternoon birding along the Rabo de Gato trail until dusk. We will have dinner at the camp, and then do some nightbirding. Night at Kateʼs Camp.
Day 4: Rabo de Gato Trail; to Barahona
We will return to the Rabo de Gato trail this morning for anything missed (e.g. another chance for the quail-dove or perhaps, Bay-breasted Cuckoo). We will leave mid-morning and drive about an hour-and-a-half to Barahona for lunch. After lunch, we will drive to our hotel and get checked-in. We will do some nightbirding again this evening. Night in Barahona.
Day 5: El Aceitillar.
We will depart the hotel early this morning (5:15 a.m.), staying out for most of the day. El Aceitillar is accessed by a wide, virtually unused paved road in the southern part of the Bahoruco. The road traverses beautiful thorn forest, small patches of productive broadleaf forest, and finally tops out in expansive pine forest at the highest elevations. El Aceitillar is particularly good for such specialties as Hispaniolan Parakeet, Hispaniolan Trogon, Antillean Piculet, Greater Antillean Elaenia, Hispaniolan Pewee, Golden Swallow, Hispaniolan Palm Crow, Antillean Siskin, Hispaniolan Spindalis, and Hispaniolan Crossbill. We will make a few stops on the way back (time permitting) possibly at Cabo Rojo (for White-tailed Tropicbird) and Oviedo Lagoon (for flamingos). Night in Barahona
Day 6: Sierra de Bahoruco
Weʼll have another early morning departure today for El Cachote (about a two-hour drive from our hotel) where weʼll try for Eastern Chat-Tanager; weʼll then return to the hotel for lunch. We will then make the long drive back to Santo Domingo. Time permitting and with traffic considerations in SD (!), we will attempt to make a stop at a well-known Hispaniolan Parakeet roost in the city. Night in Santo Domingo.
Day 7: Los Haitises National Park and Puerto Escondido.
Weʼll leave after breakfast this morning for Los Haitises NP and the town of Los Limones, where weʼll hope to see the rare and endemic Ridgwayʼs Hawk. Weʼll return in the late morning for lunch in Santo Domingo. After some time to relax, those who wish may meet again in the afternoon to wander the Zona Colonial of Santo Domingo. We will walk the Calle El Conde and visit the plaza at the Catedral Primada de Las America, among other close and culturally interesting destinations, with our local guide. Night in Santo Domingo.
Day 8: Departures
Participants can plan to depart Santo Domingo at their earliest convenience. Taxis to the airport can be arranged with our hotel. Que les vayan bien!
